I moved to Fort Wayne three years ago
and for those of you that are
detail-oriented with a fine here
you probably heard my slight accent and
you probably guessed that I’m not
American and to avoid any confusion and
to start on the right foot I will admit
it you’re right I was born and raised in
Monte Carlo a french-speaking country
situated on the French Riviera as you
can see on the map behind me and prior
to moving to Fort Wayne I leave ten
years in London England which is also CA
situated on a map behind me I’m here
today to share part of my story part of
my journey but also to share an idea
with you that I hope will challenge you
to think differently by your community
about our community I’m pretty
extraverts and I’m more than enjoy
socializing and when I meet new people
and theyíre my accent
they was keeper no more question and I
guess why high school did you attend but
instead because of my accent they would
ask me where do I come from or where I
am from and to your surprise after
answer that probably 9 out of 10 people
will come up with that question what are
you doing here meaning what in the world
are you in Fort Wayne Indiana and I have
to say that makes me feel a sense of
animus Ness I didn’t understand why
people would say that to me why would
someone say to someone that is new in a
community what are you doing here it’s a
little bit like your kids invite friends
at home and you come back from work and
you see those friends and the first
thing you say to them is what are you
doing here not the best way to welcome
them right so to give you a little
context here I like to share how did I
feel when I first moved to London so the
first months I was in London I was
staying with friends but every time I
was meeting new people they were asking
me that question were you living in town
and I was telling them or I don’t know
yet everybody was trying to
neither neighborhood they were telling
me about the best small coffee shop they
were telling me about the best
restaurants they were telling me about
access to bus tube train they were all
were selling it was almost overwhelming
now some of you may say well Christophe
this is London this is Fort Wayne and
you’re right I’m not trying to compare
the assets what I’m trying to say is
when I when I arrived I really felt
welcome and when I asked them where are
you from the first thing that people
will tell you is I’m a Londoner even
before they will come to you and say
that you’re from England or from America
or from friends they will say I’m a
Londoner this sense of pride this sense
of I’m a community champion I want you
to move in my part of London now let me
give you an example that may be more
relatable how many of you have relatives
that are not from Fort Wayne that
perhaps live in Chattanooga or Detroit
or Grand Rapids or Denver anyone here
yep
do you remember the first time you
visited that relative for the first time
or that friend didn’t take time to show
you around the best coffee shop the best
places the place that they they care
about didn’t you felt maybe even at
times a little bit of jealousy well I’m
sure they didn’t start sharing with you
all the things that didn’t like about
this city I’m sure they didn’t start by
asking you what are you doing here
visiting me or visiting this city I
think they know they wanted to make you
feel welcome and today what I’d like to
share with you is my perspective about
Fort Wayne I believe it’s a great city I
believe we are in a great community now
I didn’t say perfect I said great I
believe that even in the three years
that I’ve been here I’ve seen tremendous
momentum and I’m thankful for our city
and community leaders that have
exhibited great boldness and even taken
some risk and we got great projects
right now happening in Fort Wayne I’m
gonna share a few of them we have the
riverfront which I’d like to take the up
to promote the fact that our city
planners have done an amazing job in
making sure that this is going to be
accessible to all and for all we got the
landing which for European is probably
the most attractive thing about Fort
Wayne having a pedestrian street where
you can walk and not drive go back to
your car drive again go back to your car
and I hope that the lending will be one
of many other pedestrian street in our
city and then one that probably is my
favorite one that I think will get not
just local and state attraction but also
probably national recognition his
electric works what an opportunity we
have as a community to recycle and
restore an historical left out building
and make it a jewel in our community
that would impact and serve many of us
now the truth about that is those kind
of projects are going to be
transformative for our city this is
going to increase the quality of place
that’s going to create many jobs and
we’re gonna have more and more people
coming to our community and the way we
speak about a community is definitely
gonna have an influence both on and in
our community these are the projects on
a nonprofit that I just wanted to
mention to give perspective we got the
Clyde viateur that is being restored and
refurbished we have the new rescue
mission building which aim to
collaborate with 16 other organizations
within 2 miles radius we have posterity
hi it’s a great project in a south east
side of town and we have the new J
building that’s gonna focus on
entrepreneurship we have so much going
on for ourselves I don’t know if you’re
aware of it but I am and so today and
the idea that I came to share with you
is the idea of perhaps becoming stronger
or greater community champion within our
own community and I’m sure some of you
are probably asking yourself well how
we’re going to do that I’m glad you
asked I believe that we can do that by
adopting three attitudes the first
attitude is an attitude of gratitude did
you hear the rhyme
not bad for a French guy right well six
months after arrived in Fort Wayne my
company which is awesome by the way but
I’m not here to promote it registered me
to a local program program it’s called
leadership for Wayne and I don’t know
how many of you have had the privilege
to go through that program but it’s
phenomenal it consists of nine days that
you can meet with about 40 50 other
leaders and the first two days is a
retreat where we come along and we just
share our dream for the city or ideas to
solve some systemic issues some gaps at
the end of those two days we split into
smaller groups of MB eight nine ten
people and then during the following six
seven months we work on those projects
but not only that for the following
seven months we met one day every month
and during those days we would learn
about assets in our communities and that
could be in the art that could be
nonprofit that could be for-profit and I
remember coming home every day that I
attended this and it was this is amazing
all the SS that the city have are
absolutely amazing compared to the size
of other cities in which I lived and I’m
gonna admit it is doing leadership
following that I fell in love with Fort
Wayne and I started really having this
attitude of gratitude for all that we
have and stopped thinking about things
that we don’t have and my encouragement
for you today is just to think about
that and perhaps go and revisit your
city just ask your friends and
colleagues or co-workers what are the
places that they like what are the part
of town that they like and just go and
revisit it it’s amazing
second attitude is an attitude of pride
now some of you may say Christophe
aren’t you aware that was still quite
far to achieving inclusivity or
embracing diversity aren’t you aware
that perhaps we still have more crime
than we wish for aren’t you aware that
we still have people facing great
challenges on daily basis and I would
say yes I agree we have to be humble and
honest about the challenges that we’re
facing what I’m talking about an
attitude of Friday
we can still speak with appreciation for
what we do have in spite of those
challenges now let me give you an
example I live in the oh seven the home
of FASTA park and Southside High School
I believe it’s the best neighborhood in
town
now I know some of you in the crowd here
maybe from oh five and fourteen and you
may think that your neighborhood is
better and you guys are wrong we live in
the best neighborhood we have the best
small coffee shop the friendly folks I
don’t know if you if you guys know if
you don’t know it go and check it out
they got live music every Friday night
and Saturday night but we have also do
seven pub bravas burger boone de comer
got a new church that is doing amazing
work in the community Pine Hill City
Church we’ve got an amazing community of
food trucks that from late fall to sorry
late late spring to early for our
meeting a different part of our
neighborhood to gather people around
food which has a French I love but not
just that I am I tend to travel quite a
bit for work and believe it or not when
I’m in cities like Dallas Denver Atlanta
people still hear my accent and it would
still ask me where are you from and so
two years ago I decided to take a
different stance I decided to be bold so
when people ask me that question I was
telling them I live in the best city in
the Midwest but guess what the reaction
was laughter so okay so then a few bold
ones will come up and share a few names
with me so do we say Chicago like what
do we say
Indianapolis say hmm better but not
there they would even say st. scenarios
like much better but still not there I
would say Fort Wayne Indiana
of course what city is better in the
so they would start asking question what
do you think is the best city in the
Midwest and we tell them we’re within
three to four hours we are close to five
major cities in the US we’ve got great
access to education amazing real estate
marketplace it’s a great place to be
either as a student young family retired
people great quality of life great
quality of place we’ll get a great
Christian heritage an amazing nonprofit
community world-class enterprises now
they may not believe me maybe even some
of you may not believe me but here’s the
point I was trying to make those people
probably will never forget that because
that a French dude telling them that
Fort Wayne is the best city in the
Midwest now the truth is when those
people are closed by a city they’re
probably gonna stop by to check it out
or when they’re gonna read an article
about Fort Wayne they’re probably going
to remember that conversation now when
those people come and stop by in our
community should we tell them what are
you doing here
or should we tell them hey welcome it’s
a great city you’re right stop by and
come live here and bring all your
friends now I believe that the next one
attitude of togetherness is probably the
important one it’s the one that glue the
first two together I’m sure we all agree
that were always stronger together than
we were alone and I also believe that in
the last two three years we probably
experience great momentum because we had
more individuals and Morgana’s ations
working together and I believe that we
can keep improving that and I believe
that one way of doing that is improving
a relational health improving a
relational health could be just
accepting and respecting other people
opinion but also stepping out of a
comfort zone and learning to hang out
with new people now I’m not making an
assumption that all of you gonna want to
hang out with me what are you gonna like
me okay do you want to want to talk to
me you agree with everything that I’m
saying but I can intentionally decide to
go and hang out with people that don’t
look like me they don’t think like me
don’t talk like me what I don’t have an
accent like me and I think by doing that
intentionally I think I would increase
my chances to collaborate and be more
successful with one you know with those
people and I truly believe that our
togetherness could be a greater strength
and that a unity could be a greatest
asset now let me let me ask you a few
questions how many of you here are
native Fort Wayne errs you lived here
your entire life I can’t see that’s okay
I are you shame of following are you
excited about you know what the city has
to offer and you’re willing to share
about that how many of you are
transplant how many of you have moved
from one community to another community
in the city do you wish you would have
never moved here are you excited about
this city and you want to share more
about it well I hope I inspired you to
at least consider being a stronger
community champion but some of you are
probably asking yourself well what next
Kristoff once again I’m happy you asked
the question I believe that there’s a
few steps that we can take to be greater
community champion I think the first one
is be here make a decision to be here to
be completely here be here with your
mind you saw your heart your body make a
second talk positively talk positively
about your city about your community
about one another we all have negative
thoughts that come to mind my challenge
to use for every one negative thought
that you get come up with two positive
thoughts and share those don’t share the
negative one start changing the
attitudes which are changing your
mindset and the mindset of people you’re
gonna be surrounded by and hanging out
with third one is share your little gems
I told you about the friendly folks who
could tell you about another dozen
places when I first met people I was
asking them what is your favorite place
I want to go and check
I’ll do that discover go and discover
those places be inquisitive be curious
go and discover your neighbors hang out
with them get to know them better get to
know your community leader better either
council council mail accounts a woman or
people that live great organization
going ask them to go for coffee with
them ask them to share the vision for
the city see if it aligns see if you can
play a role in this and if you bold make
a bold statement start and share that
say that Fort Wayne is the greatest city
in the for in a in the Midwest or it is
becoming the greatest city in the
Midwest now imagine imagine a community
imagine our community with a large
number of community champion with an
attitude of gratitude for all these the
assets that we have around us with a
genuine pride in where the city has come
from and where it’s going that would
value collaboration and that will be
intentional in connecting people with
one another to reach a common goal
because they believe in the power of
everyone this my friend is the Fort
Wayne that I want to live in thank you [Applause]
and for those of you that are
detail-oriented with a fine here
you probably heard my slight accent and
you probably guessed that I’m not
American and to avoid any confusion and
to start on the right foot I will admit
it you’re right I was born and raised in
Monte Carlo a french-speaking country
situated on the French Riviera as you
can see on the map behind me and prior
to moving to Fort Wayne I leave ten
years in London England which is also CA
situated on a map behind me I’m here
today to share part of my story part of
my journey but also to share an idea
with you that I hope will challenge you
to think differently by your community
about our community I’m pretty
extraverts and I’m more than enjoy
socializing and when I meet new people
and theyíre my accent
they was keeper no more question and I
guess why high school did you attend but
instead because of my accent they would
ask me where do I come from or where I
am from and to your surprise after
answer that probably 9 out of 10 people
will come up with that question what are
you doing here meaning what in the world
are you in Fort Wayne Indiana and I have
to say that makes me feel a sense of
animus Ness I didn’t understand why
people would say that to me why would
someone say to someone that is new in a
community what are you doing here it’s a
little bit like your kids invite friends
at home and you come back from work and
you see those friends and the first
thing you say to them is what are you
doing here not the best way to welcome
them right so to give you a little
context here I like to share how did I
feel when I first moved to London so the
first months I was in London I was
staying with friends but every time I
was meeting new people they were asking
me that question were you living in town
and I was telling them or I don’t know
yet everybody was trying to
neither neighborhood they were telling
me about the best small coffee shop they
were telling me about the best
restaurants they were telling me about
access to bus tube train they were all
were selling it was almost overwhelming
now some of you may say well Christophe
this is London this is Fort Wayne and
you’re right I’m not trying to compare
the assets what I’m trying to say is
when I when I arrived I really felt
welcome and when I asked them where are
you from the first thing that people
will tell you is I’m a Londoner even
before they will come to you and say
that you’re from England or from America
or from friends they will say I’m a
Londoner this sense of pride this sense
of I’m a community champion I want you
to move in my part of London now let me
give you an example that may be more
relatable how many of you have relatives
that are not from Fort Wayne that
perhaps live in Chattanooga or Detroit
or Grand Rapids or Denver anyone here
yep
do you remember the first time you
visited that relative for the first time
or that friend didn’t take time to show
you around the best coffee shop the best
places the place that they they care
about didn’t you felt maybe even at
times a little bit of jealousy well I’m
sure they didn’t start sharing with you
all the things that didn’t like about
this city I’m sure they didn’t start by
asking you what are you doing here
visiting me or visiting this city I
think they know they wanted to make you
feel welcome and today what I’d like to
share with you is my perspective about
Fort Wayne I believe it’s a great city I
believe we are in a great community now
I didn’t say perfect I said great I
believe that even in the three years
that I’ve been here I’ve seen tremendous
momentum and I’m thankful for our city
and community leaders that have
exhibited great boldness and even taken
some risk and we got great projects
right now happening in Fort Wayne I’m
gonna share a few of them we have the
riverfront which I’d like to take the up
to promote the fact that our city
planners have done an amazing job in
making sure that this is going to be
accessible to all and for all we got the
landing which for European is probably
the most attractive thing about Fort
Wayne having a pedestrian street where
you can walk and not drive go back to
your car drive again go back to your car
and I hope that the lending will be one
of many other pedestrian street in our
city and then one that probably is my
favorite one that I think will get not
just local and state attraction but also
probably national recognition his
electric works what an opportunity we
have as a community to recycle and
restore an historical left out building
and make it a jewel in our community
that would impact and serve many of us
now the truth about that is those kind
of projects are going to be
transformative for our city this is
going to increase the quality of place
that’s going to create many jobs and
we’re gonna have more and more people
coming to our community and the way we
speak about a community is definitely
gonna have an influence both on and in
our community these are the projects on
a nonprofit that I just wanted to
mention to give perspective we got the
Clyde viateur that is being restored and
refurbished we have the new rescue
mission building which aim to
collaborate with 16 other organizations
within 2 miles radius we have posterity
hi it’s a great project in a south east
side of town and we have the new J
building that’s gonna focus on
entrepreneurship we have so much going
on for ourselves I don’t know if you’re
aware of it but I am and so today and
the idea that I came to share with you
is the idea of perhaps becoming stronger
or greater community champion within our
own community and I’m sure some of you
are probably asking yourself well how
we’re going to do that I’m glad you
asked I believe that we can do that by
adopting three attitudes the first
attitude is an attitude of gratitude did
you hear the rhyme
not bad for a French guy right well six
months after arrived in Fort Wayne my
company which is awesome by the way but
I’m not here to promote it registered me
to a local program program it’s called
leadership for Wayne and I don’t know
how many of you have had the privilege
to go through that program but it’s
phenomenal it consists of nine days that
you can meet with about 40 50 other
leaders and the first two days is a
retreat where we come along and we just
share our dream for the city or ideas to
solve some systemic issues some gaps at
the end of those two days we split into
smaller groups of MB eight nine ten
people and then during the following six
seven months we work on those projects
but not only that for the following
seven months we met one day every month
and during those days we would learn
about assets in our communities and that
could be in the art that could be
nonprofit that could be for-profit and I
remember coming home every day that I
attended this and it was this is amazing
all the SS that the city have are
absolutely amazing compared to the size
of other cities in which I lived and I’m
gonna admit it is doing leadership
following that I fell in love with Fort
Wayne and I started really having this
attitude of gratitude for all that we
have and stopped thinking about things
that we don’t have and my encouragement
for you today is just to think about
that and perhaps go and revisit your
city just ask your friends and
colleagues or co-workers what are the
places that they like what are the part
of town that they like and just go and
revisit it it’s amazing
second attitude is an attitude of pride
now some of you may say Christophe
aren’t you aware that was still quite
far to achieving inclusivity or
embracing diversity aren’t you aware
that perhaps we still have more crime
than we wish for aren’t you aware that
we still have people facing great
challenges on daily basis and I would
say yes I agree we have to be humble and
honest about the challenges that we’re
facing what I’m talking about an
attitude of Friday
we can still speak with appreciation for
what we do have in spite of those
challenges now let me give you an
example I live in the oh seven the home
of FASTA park and Southside High School
I believe it’s the best neighborhood in
town
now I know some of you in the crowd here
maybe from oh five and fourteen and you
may think that your neighborhood is
better and you guys are wrong we live in
the best neighborhood we have the best
small coffee shop the friendly folks I
don’t know if you if you guys know if
you don’t know it go and check it out
they got live music every Friday night
and Saturday night but we have also do
seven pub bravas burger boone de comer
got a new church that is doing amazing
work in the community Pine Hill City
Church we’ve got an amazing community of
food trucks that from late fall to sorry
late late spring to early for our
meeting a different part of our
neighborhood to gather people around
food which has a French I love but not
just that I am I tend to travel quite a
bit for work and believe it or not when
I’m in cities like Dallas Denver Atlanta
people still hear my accent and it would
still ask me where are you from and so
two years ago I decided to take a
different stance I decided to be bold so
when people ask me that question I was
telling them I live in the best city in
the Midwest but guess what the reaction
was laughter so okay so then a few bold
ones will come up and share a few names
with me so do we say Chicago like what
do we say
Indianapolis say hmm better but not
there they would even say st. scenarios
like much better but still not there I
would say Fort Wayne Indiana
of course what city is better in the
so they would start asking question what
do you think is the best city in the
Midwest and we tell them we’re within
three to four hours we are close to five
major cities in the US we’ve got great
access to education amazing real estate
marketplace it’s a great place to be
either as a student young family retired
people great quality of life great
quality of place we’ll get a great
Christian heritage an amazing nonprofit
community world-class enterprises now
they may not believe me maybe even some
of you may not believe me but here’s the
point I was trying to make those people
probably will never forget that because
that a French dude telling them that
Fort Wayne is the best city in the
Midwest now the truth is when those
people are closed by a city they’re
probably gonna stop by to check it out
or when they’re gonna read an article
about Fort Wayne they’re probably going
to remember that conversation now when
those people come and stop by in our
community should we tell them what are
you doing here
or should we tell them hey welcome it’s
a great city you’re right stop by and
come live here and bring all your
friends now I believe that the next one
attitude of togetherness is probably the
important one it’s the one that glue the
first two together I’m sure we all agree
that were always stronger together than
we were alone and I also believe that in
the last two three years we probably
experience great momentum because we had
more individuals and Morgana’s ations
working together and I believe that we
can keep improving that and I believe
that one way of doing that is improving
a relational health improving a
relational health could be just
accepting and respecting other people
opinion but also stepping out of a
comfort zone and learning to hang out
with new people now I’m not making an
assumption that all of you gonna want to
hang out with me what are you gonna like
me okay do you want to want to talk to
me you agree with everything that I’m
saying but I can intentionally decide to
go and hang out with people that don’t
look like me they don’t think like me
don’t talk like me what I don’t have an
accent like me and I think by doing that
intentionally I think I would increase
my chances to collaborate and be more
successful with one you know with those
people and I truly believe that our
togetherness could be a greater strength
and that a unity could be a greatest
asset now let me let me ask you a few
questions how many of you here are
native Fort Wayne errs you lived here
your entire life I can’t see that’s okay
I are you shame of following are you
excited about you know what the city has
to offer and you’re willing to share
about that how many of you are
transplant how many of you have moved
from one community to another community
in the city do you wish you would have
never moved here are you excited about
this city and you want to share more
about it well I hope I inspired you to
at least consider being a stronger
community champion but some of you are
probably asking yourself well what next
Kristoff once again I’m happy you asked
the question I believe that there’s a
few steps that we can take to be greater
community champion I think the first one
is be here make a decision to be here to
be completely here be here with your
mind you saw your heart your body make a
second talk positively talk positively
about your city about your community
about one another we all have negative
thoughts that come to mind my challenge
to use for every one negative thought
that you get come up with two positive
thoughts and share those don’t share the
negative one start changing the
attitudes which are changing your
mindset and the mindset of people you’re
gonna be surrounded by and hanging out
with third one is share your little gems
I told you about the friendly folks who
could tell you about another dozen
places when I first met people I was
asking them what is your favorite place
I want to go and check
I’ll do that discover go and discover
those places be inquisitive be curious
go and discover your neighbors hang out
with them get to know them better get to
know your community leader better either
council council mail accounts a woman or
people that live great organization
going ask them to go for coffee with
them ask them to share the vision for
the city see if it aligns see if you can
play a role in this and if you bold make
a bold statement start and share that
say that Fort Wayne is the greatest city
in the for in a in the Midwest or it is
becoming the greatest city in the
Midwest now imagine imagine a community
imagine our community with a large
number of community champion with an
attitude of gratitude for all these the
assets that we have around us with a
genuine pride in where the city has come
from and where it’s going that would
value collaboration and that will be
intentional in connecting people with
one another to reach a common goal
because they believe in the power of
everyone this my friend is the Fort
Wayne that I want to live in thank you [Applause]
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