Hi, I'm Ed Leon.

Welcome to The 260, where we cover life and community in Northeast Indiana.

On this episode in Indiana company making some of the coolest motorcycles you've ever seen, the sobering number of Indiana women who experience sexual violence and the economic impact of the newest international mural gracing sight lines in downtown Fort Wayne.

It's all right now on The 260.

One of the things we'll occasionally be doing here on The 260 is showcasing unique companies based in Northeast Indiana.

And today we want to introduce you to a remarkable manufacturing story Janus Motorcycles in Goshen, Indiana, who hand-build motorcycles that look like they rolled out of the 1920s.

It's a story about entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and how to find success by not following the crowd.

I want to welcome their co-founder and CEO, Richard Worsham and marketing Coordinator Amy Worsham.

Welcome to the 260.

Richard: Thank you very much.

Ed: All right, guys, thanks for being here.

And thanks for bringing your super cool bike.

I am a motorcycle rider and a motorcycle enthusiast, and I ran across one of these in a parking lot, and I was just dumbfounded.

And I, you know, I was going I was looking at it and all of a sudden the guy who owned it walks back and he told me, these are made right here in Indiana.

I'm like, I cannot believe that this is so cool.

Tell us the Janus story.

How did this begin?

Yeah.

So I came out here to Indiana.

I'm from the East Coast to go to Notre Dame, study architecture.

But I got distracted by vintage bikes when I came out here and met a guy in Elkhart who ran a vintage moped repair shop.

And long story short, we moved from repairing bikes to restoring them, to making parts for them, to discovering that we could basically have anything made within about 20 miles of Elkhart.

Ed: Right.

The legacy of manufacturing that's in the area.

Right?

Richard: That's right.

How much of the motorcycle is actually made in Indiana?

The parts or the whole thing?

I mean.

The easiest thing to do is to say what isn't.

Okay.

So we import our engines, our our electronics and lighting, our wheels and our shock absorbers.

That's the... everything... Ed: What inspired.... What inspired the design?

Richard: The design?

We do get that question... Ed: Because theres nothing like it.

I mean, it's I thought it was one of those, you know, really old bikes, but it's right.

We get the question, is this a replica or... A kit or something?

People will say, you know, their clothing isn't period Correct.

And I say, well, there is no... this is a modern motorcycle that looks to what what motorcycles, at least in my opinion, should look like.

Of course, that does reference 20s 30s motorcycles design, but also there's lots of technology that's very new.

Completely modern, right?

So talk a little bit about how the the bike is built.

Yeah.

So we I mentioned Elkhart, Elkhart County is the RV capital of the world.

And we we didn't know it when we started Janus.

But that allows us to do what we do.

We couldn't do it anywhere else.

And so we partner with a quite a few local suppliers who make different parts for us.

The chassis on this, for example, is made by an Amish shop that we partnered with since we got started 15 years ago.

Same with the fuel tanks.

Then we... exhaust system is made right in Goshen.

And then we also partner with domestic and global suppliers.

But every motorcycle is hand-built in our shop, hand pinstriped by by a small team.

We have about 25 employees that are doing everything from the design, the marketing, the sales, the production and the service.

So it's a one.

We do all of it.

Amy, it's a small company by design, right?

Amy: Yea Talk a little bit about what the niche market is for this.

Right.

Because it's not you know, you could go out by a Honda or by a Harley or by an Indian, but but people want it.

How do you get the right person to get attracted to this bike?

It is a niche product.

Our customers are some of the most interesting customers I believe in the globe.

We have a customer base that's looking for a classically designed motorcycle without the classic headaches of classic motorcycles, so the price point is considerably low compared to if you commit to a classic motorcycle.

So we have customers that are looking for that clear design that we offer with modern support and supporting a small Main Street business.

So they get to know when you purchase a motorcycle from Janus Motorcycles.

They know that they're getting to know all of the team and they get to it's like we make friends.

Were buliding a community Richard: They know who pinstriped it.

They know who assembled it.

How do you how do you compete, though, within a global economy?

By doing it that way.

Yeah.

Well, we we we identify our, our place very clearly, which, you know, if you think about the other manufacturers in the US making motorcycles, you have Indian, Harley-Davidson right?

Maybe a couple Buell would be one that's a lesser known.

And then where it's us and these are massive businesses compared to a 25 person a little firm.

But we we do that.

We identify what we do is we call it rambling.

And it's the opposite of tech.

Heavy spec, heavy power, heavy noise heavy.

It's quiet slow.

This bike is quiet.

Richard: Yeah.

And what what what's the vibe of rambling.

What's the what's the concept behind rambling.

Is taking the backroads.

Yeah, it's taking the back roads.

Taking a long way home.

It's enjoying your ride.

It's not just going from point A to point B, it is everything in between.

So you were also the inaugural winners of The Coolest Thing Made in Indiana.

That's right, that's right.

I think that's a very apropros.. Richard: Were very proud of it.

So as you know, in most businesses, you know, greater volume equals growth.

You know, more products sold, more profits.

How are you positioning your business since it's so targeted in like a sweet spot, a pocket?

It is the only growing segment of the motorcycle industry right now is small displacement.

So it's we do have an interesting niche of of what's happening in the industry.

Ed: Well in other parts of the world, small displacement is it's the thing.

It's look at the other manufacturers.

Harley's coming out with 450 triumph tramps main growth segment was in sub 500 cc.

All right.

Well, what's in the future for Janus and are you going to... Are you committed to Northeast Indiana?

Absolutely, yes.

Our story is is it's central to our story to be in Goshen in Northeastern Indiana.

But our goal is to increase our production pace.

We have no intention of becoming a Honda, but we do want to increase our production pace and be... Our goal is to be the the new American motorcycle manufacturer.

All right.

Well, we're behind you.

Thank you both for coming to the 260.

I'll see you out there rambling, I hope.

Okay.

You can learn more about Janus motorcycles at JanusMotorcycles.com In April, the Women's Fund of Greater Fort Wayne launched a campaign in response to a 2025 Allen County Women and Girls report, which found that 40% of women in Allen County have experienced sexual assault or rape and 45% have experienced domestic or intimate partner violence.

Both significant increases from 2020.

I want to dig a little deeper into those alarming numbers.

So I'm joined by Cassie Beer, director of the Women's Fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.

Cassie, welcome to the 260.

Thank you so much for having me.

What goes through your mind when you're hearing those numbers?

A couple of things really go through my mind.

One, I believe they are a reflection of two truths at the same time.

One, that numbers really are up.

We know that economic pressures, social pressures are causing an increase in these types of violence.

And also we believe that the numbers are higher because more women understand that what happened to them counts.

Ed: Okay.

So traditionally, there's been a reticence for women to come forward.

Do you think that's improving?

Improving is a difficult word there.

But so more more women are coming forward is what you're saying?

Absolutely.

More women are understanding that what happened to them counts.

What happened to them was violence.

And they deserve to receive help and support to help them heal from it.

Ed: There was a you surveyed women from 18 to 64.

Was there anything?

Was there a difference in what's occurring for younger women versus older women?

So Indiana, as a state ranks fourth in the nation for a reported high school rape.

We know that among young women, their experience of sexual violence is common.

We also see higher numbers in sort of the older age brackets, because we believe, similar to what I was saying before, that, more women who were taught that, you know, maybe it was your fault because of what you were wearing or where you were.

And so they don't think that what happened to them counted as assault or as rape.

And through education, we're seeing that also some of these older women are having the realization and the affirmation of what happened to me.

I didn't deserve it wasn't my fault.

And it counts as an experience as assault.

Fourth in the nation for for young women to experience this kind of violence.

That's what is what is unique to Indiana.

Do you think that that's causing that?

So in Indiana, we require abstinence only education in our public schools.

So that means schools are often feeling limited or nervous about what types of education they're providing.

So when it comes to explaining how to prevent experiences of sexual violence or what counts of sexual violence, a lot of our public schools get a little nervous about what they're able to share and educate their students on, because they're afraid they're going to get in trouble.

Can you talk a little bit about the long term consequences that women who experience sexual violence, what are the long term consequences that they face?

Absolutely.

Many, many.

So one, an economic impact, right?

If you are a woman who is experiencing domestic or sexual violence and you flee from that situation, you are often leaving behind all of your financial resources.

You're also often leaving behind relationships that can help you along the way.

So there is a significant long term economic impact.

There's also an experience of deep, true trauma that impacts women and girls ability to have healthy mental health and self-worth.

So the impact is is long term.

How do you think we as a community are failing these women?

So oftentimes we hear from women that they didn't believe that they would be believed.

Right.

Right.

That they think that if I go report this and no one will believe me.

And I think that's where we as a community and The Womens Fund specifically, is trying to lift up some of our work to say, no matter what happened to you, you are worthy of being believed and worthy of being supported in your journey to healing.

And the campaign that you launched is specifically a communication to women and to the general community that that this needs to be surfaced.

Right.

Talk a little bit about your campaign.

So when we launched the Women's Fund in 2020, we did a comprehensive study of women and girls in our community.

And we found some of these numbers that you've referenced about the pervasiveness of sexual violence as an experience.

And when we began to listen to our local agencies that provide that direct service care, like sexual assault Treatment Center, the YWCA, we heard about the challenge of just traffic control and system navigation for survivors.

For example, Sexual Assault Treatment Center is the only location in surrounding 19 counties.

You can access a forensic rape kit, and most people don't know that they need to access the rape kit.

So maybe they'll go to the emergency room.

And that's the one chance that we have oftentimes to get them into the right place that you can imagine being in a traumatic state.

You've got one shot to get someone connected to the right resource before they give up.

And so we really heard this challenge of people don't know where to go for the specific type of help they need.

And that was where the no matter what campaign was born, if we can provide a resource where the services are organized by the type of help that you need, you can quickly click a filter that says, I need financial support, I need medical care.

I just want to talk to somebody and it will connect you to the most appropriate local resource for the specific type of care that you need.

Ed: And you brought along some pictures of what the campaign looks like out on the streets.

Out on the street.

So it actually started in the bathrooms.

So our first iteration of the campaign was really about where is a safe, private place that any survivor, regardless of gender, can access this.

And that's where we designed the stickers.

And so these stickers were designed to be on the back of bathroom stall doors.

So if someone's alone, hopefully they can scan it and get the access they need.

From there, we launched into a coaster campaign because we thought, you know what, let's get these out on tables so that people can access the help, but they can also spark some conversations.

And we've heard that from conversations at bars and in kitchens of people picking these coasters that have been saying, never your fault.

Really?

Is it really never your fault?

And it really not just being access to resources, but also sparking community conversations about how we respond to this.

If Allen County wants these numbers to move in a more positive direction, what do we need to be doing?

We for one, we need to be unified in our message that we believe survivors.

That's step one because no one's going to show up for help.

Any of our amazing agencies, unless they believe that they will be believed.

So that's message number one and two coordinated care.

We're really working with our local agencies right now to say, how can we, as the service responders, do a better job of communicating with one another so we can safely pass clients through the system of care that they need so that they can fully reach healing that they need.

So, first steps.

Cassie, you're doing amazing work.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

Cassie Beer is director of the Women's Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, the organization behind the report and a leading voice in translating this research into positive action.

We'll list some of the available resources on the screen.

You're watching the 260.

Over the last decade, downtown Fort Wayne has evolved into an open air gallery, turning ordinary city walls into extraordinary works of art that encourage exploration and community connection.

The newest mural, located at 206 Pearl Street, is from one of the world's most celebrated mural teams.

Studio Giftig the Dutch artist duo known for creating massive, photorealistic murals around the globe.

Commission through Art this way and in partnership with downtown Fort Wayne, the mural demonstrates how creativity has become an economic development strategy here in Fort Wayne.

Joining us to discuss this epic new mural is the manager of Art This Way, Alexandra Hall, and the director of marketing for downtown Fort Wayne, Preston Wallace.

Welcome to The 260.

Preston: Thank you.

Thanks for being here, guys.

So this mural is called River of knowledge.

What story is this telling?

Alexandra: So the artists tend to, when they travel to a place decide what's special to the community.

Let's find out what might resonate with the locals.

And our three rivers feature pretty highly in downtown Fort Wayne.

And they also are part of why we see the economic growth and the existence of the city today.

The rivers.

The rivers.

So what they're really trying to depict is that through rivers and waterways have flown decades and centuries of people, information.

And it's part of why Fort Wayne is what Fort Wayne is.

All right.

But there's this.

There's this woman, and she's got what?

What are those globes that are coming up with?

Those are apples.

Alexandra: They're apples.

Yes.

So there's a little bit of a nod to our Johnny Appleseed past.

It's really also because the fruit of knowledge is also the apple.

And so it's again, kind of tying into that idea of the flow of knowledge through time.

So you said that the artists decide how'd you land on this, this duo Studio Giftig?

Yes So we have about 60% of our works in our collection are from regional artists, and then about 40% are internationally recognized creatives.

And so we're really trying to curate, as you already stated, an outdoor gallery experience.

And when we bring in artists of that level of of know how and they're world famous, you really are augmenting into the collection something liken to like a Renoir in a museum.

You're bringing in the most famous muralists in the world.

Ed: How does the process work?

Do you put out the call?

It's like, hey, Fort Wayne, Indiana is looking for a mural this size.

You know who's interested?

It's nuanced.

We work on these projects for anywhere from 3 to 5 years, so it does take some time to get to a place where we're even speaking with artists.

But we do also send out feelers to the most famous artists in the world and find out if they'd be interested in visiting our community.

Preston, how did the how did the whole process evolve for for putting up all these murals and, and also, you know, what do you think of the results of this particular mural, this new one?

Yeah.

So thankfully Alex has a lot of the legwork here.

I get to come in and do a lot of the storytelling after the fact, and also just share a little bit more about the artists, facilitate media interviews, requests, things of that nature.

But public art has become one of the most important building blocks for our economic development strategy here in downtown Fort Wayne.

We're really proud of the work that we're doing.

As Alex mentioned, we've got a really nice blend of both local, regional, national and even international artist.

So to be able to showcase that work through a public art program such as Art This Way and continue to scale that and grow that over the last decade has been nothing short of amazing.

You know, we do a lot of tours with folks from out of town throughout the country.

And so public art is always at the top of the list in terms of what they remember and what they're really amazed by in downtown Fort Wayne.

Ed: How is it that you gauge the impact of public art?

Preson: Well, I think there's the economic impact of it in and of itself.

Ed: How do you gauge that?

Preson: When you're when you're looking at, you know, what you're doing to bring those artists into the country or into the state if they're not local, what does that look like in terms of the pay that they're receiving, the amount of money that's going into the project itself?

They obviously scale in terms of cost, depending on the material that you're using, the scale of the actual mural or art installation in itself.

But also, I think a lot of it has to do with the quality of life amenities that we are constantly measuring and looking at in terms of the impact overall throughout the community.

Are we drawing people downtown?

Are they lingering longer?

Are they spending dollars locally and going on to the next thing that they're seeing?

And Alex has been really intentional in terms of how we program and where we activate those different art installations as part of that impact.

So Alex how do you program?

I mean, there's there are a lot of walls of downtown, right?

So how do you how do you choose the ones that you target?

And then how does the blueprint or the creative process for what will go there come about?

Right, So this is very strategic.

It's not happening randomly.

We are looking at connecting spaces.

So we have for example Promenade Park.

We're looking for the connectivity to TinCaps Stadium.

Then we're looking for the connectivity from TinCaps to the art museum.

Ed: And when you say connectivity what does that mean Does that mean like you're going to as you travel along, you'll see one mural, then you'll see another.

So humans need to be inspired about every 25 to 30ft.

This is the fact.

Ed: So thats the answer... Alexandra: Yes, yes.

So as you're walking from space to space, if you find something that incites discovery, something that incites excitement, which murals and public art can do, you're essentially infilling what would otherwise be a drab experience.

And when something is lacking in interest, people will go back to their vehicles and they will choose not to move on.

They will choose not to linger.

They will choose not to go to the restaurant, spend money.

So we know that by connecting those spaces, we're actually encouraging people to stay in downtown longer.

Ed: Interesting.

Do you participate in the creative process once you engage an artist?

Alexandra: To an extent.

So there's a there's a big answer to that question, but I will say yes to an extent.

But largely artists are hired because they're talented and they're creating something amazing.

And my job is more about advocacy and giving them a platform for that artwork to exist in our community.

Do you at least give them a blueprint of what the intention is, or is that left to the creative?

It depends on the project.

So some projects the funding might direct the theme.

For other projects, it might be that the artist style dictates what kind of theme we might see.

So if we release a call to the artist and we have a specific theme in mind, we're always very transparent about that.

So an artist apply, they know thats the idea Ed:...Knowing what theyre getting into What attracts international artists to work in Fort Wayne?

I think one of the things is that we have already created a platform for other international artists.

So often if they see someone who they've met in Berlin and they say, oh, you have one of their works here, I would love to see my work also in that collection.

So there is an extent of that to it.

So the Field of Dreams model, we built the platform and now they're coming.

Yes.

So how many how many total murals are downtown now?

So we have the Clean Drain Fort Wayne program, which brings temporary murals to the community.

So if we count those, there's hundreds.

Okay.

But if we're looking at just large scale pieces, we're probably closer to around 35 to 40 large scale within our footprint of downtown.

Wow.

And how has this program evolved from when you started?

So when we began, there was a lot of conversation around, is this the place for a downtown to live?

Should we be implementing public art as a downtown improvement organization?

And what we found is that a lot of the peer organizations across the country were starting this process, and now our program is one of the best in the country.

So we have a lot of downtown improvement district peer organizations that have attempted to implement something like this.

And now they look to us for basically the formula as to how it can work.

So when it began, it was very scrappy.

And now I would say it's quite more formalized.

For me.

It was there was.

Quite a bit of resistance at the time, and this predates my time with the organization.

But Alex has worked tirelessly to really educate and bring awareness of the impact that public art has in a community.

And that's a that's a troublesome process, at points and it's gruesome and time consuming, but... Alexandra: Gruesome?

Preston: It is one of those... Ed: It's part of the beautification.

Absolutely.

Unless people are some people just like, oh, I really hate that.

I think that's what's important.

Yes.

And I'm happy to hear it because I think if it's incited any type of opinion, it's done what it's supposed to do.

You're supposed to notice it.

It's supposed to start conversation.

And I love it when it's someone who decides they are engaged enough to share an opinion.

Ed: Preston in The Matrix, of all the things that make downtown Fort Wayne special, where does the art play.

Preston: Public art is at the top of the list.

I would say between that and our food and beverage scene, which continues to flourish and take off, we have such a wide variety of different culinary options and opportunities to experience different cultures, and public art and food really go hand in hand in that respect.

And so they're both avenues of bringing people together, starting conversations, building community.

And again, it's taken off over the last decade, and we're really excited to see where it goes in the next.

Alexandra, What's next for Art This Way.

Oh, so we have this is our ten year anniversary, as you mentioned.

So we have a very big event on Broadway.

This is the first time the Broadway corridor has been part of our footprint.

And so we're welcoming them into the fold with a large scale two day festival, October 2nd and October 3rd.

And that will include new murals as well.

Ed: Oh, fantastic.

Can't wait to go there.

So the new mural is called River of knowledge.

Go experience it for yourself.

It's located at 206 Pearl Street on the landing in downtown Fort Wayne, and you can learn more at DownTownFortWayne.com and at ArtThisWayFW.com Thank you both for being here.

Preson: Thank you.

Alexandra: Thank you.

Thanks.

That's all the time we have for this episode.

Take a moment to appreciate the people that make the show possible, and I'll see you next time on The 260.