Lean Six Sigma for Service

SUCCESS STORY #3Fort Wayne, Indiana From 0 to 60 in nothing flat

The business history of Fort Wayne is revealed in a few simple facts. In 1965 there were 2600 students at Northside High School. Many of the boys planned on working at International Harvester after graduation, just as their fathers and grandfathers did. That plant closed in 1982, a victim of the rust-belt syndrome common in the upper Midwest, and a legacy that cities like Fort Wayne have to work hard to overcome.

Here's another telling fact about Fort Wayne: Take a guess at what the most frequent fire service call is about. Hint: It's not fire. If you answered "medical runs," you'd be right—the post-World War II babies are now booming into middle age and beyond. Fort Wayne's fire ...