Nate Cheviron has been named the executive director of Junction 36, a technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship project through the Indiana Institute of Technology and funded by a grant from Lilly endowment Inc.
Nate Cheviron has been named the new executive director of Junction 36 at the Indiana Institute of Technology. Junction 36 is the institute’s new advanced manufacturing innovation center initiative which is being developed at Electric Works in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cheviron is slated to start his new position on February 10. As the executive director, he is tasked with leading the project team members who will themselves serve regional students, companies, and entrepreneurs, the fundraising efforts to support the initiative, the services and programs provided by Junction 36, and the development of community partnerships.
Cheviron made his way to the Indiana Institute of Technology from a five year tenure as the CEO and co-founder of a host of companies such as a prototype design and development firm, a home/auto insurance company, a coaching, training and consulting company, and a real estate brokerage. All of these companies are still currently in operation. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Cheviron served at the Allegis Group for nearly 10 years, where he worked on engineering, technical recruiting, and consulting services.
All of this experience has led the new Executive Director of Junction 36 to have skills in necessary areas such as leadership, operational strategy, and technology-driven business development. Cheviron has spent the length of his career creating market expansions, strategic partnerships, and innovation initiatives in many different industries across a range of technical disciplines. This all makes him a fit for Junction 36’s goals of furthering the advance of industry collaboration and innovation in Indiana.
Cheviron earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Physics Teaching, as well as several other certificates in leadership training, business development, and project management from Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The Junction 36 initiative was announced by the Indiana Institute of Technology back in August 2024. At that time it was presented with a five year, $21 million grant from Lilly endowment, Inc. which served to fund the project.
The three major pillars of of Junction 36 are:
An overhaul of the Electric Works campus’ Building 36 into a space that can be a central hub for advanced manufacturing and hard tech innovation aimed at helping local companies expand by creating networks to university-led training, development, and research. The new building will provide Industry 4.0 training, business aid for organizations of all sizes, areas for startups and innovation teams to work, as well as a range of event spaces for community gatherings that facilitate the Electric Works innovation ecosystem throughout the Northeast Indiana region. Facilitated by the leadership of Indiana Tech, the new Building 36 will include and facilitate:
- Enterprise support services
- Automation innovation and development
- Creator space and maker spaces
- Workforce training
- Small-batch production
- Testing and prototyping
- Research and development
A program providing unique learning experiences called The Talent Connection, which will connect the community to local talent with the goal of creating strong bonds and an improved pipeline of talent retention and attraction. The Talent Connection will include an expanded student service learning program for not only students from Indiana Tech, but students around the region. It will also include a new Fellows program which will work to ensure that top talent stays in the region while assigning Indiana Tech students to be mentors and project partners for high school students who are part of the Amp Lab program.
The Talent Connection Fellowship will also bring in impressive student leaders from around the state, region, and nation, as it seeks to address the most complex issues the region is facing. Those challenges will be submitted to the Fellows participating in the program by communities, civic organizations, nonprofits, and companies, over the next two years.
The Public Workshop is a program designed to aid learners from a range of backgrounds, as well as entrepreneurs gain access and assistance to overcome certain systemic barriers that might otherwise hinder the advancement of their education. The Public Workshop will work to expand the reach of Indiana Tech’s initiative to more people around the region while also helping more entrepreneurs and residents attain their full potential by creating networks of resources of all kinds. The Public Workshop will also work with partners around the region to connect entrepreneurs and those in the education system with services like resources for personal health, training pathway guidance, affordable housing, and early childhood education.
In an article about Cheviron’s appointment posted on Indiana Institute of Technology’s website, the institute’s president, Dr. Karl Einolf, was quoted as saying, “All of us at Indiana Tech are pleased to welcome Nate Cheviron to our team. Nate’s entrepreneurial background, engineering and technical experience and passion for this project and the advancement Northeast Indiana overall stood out among the many excellent candidates for this critical position. I’m confident he will be an outstanding leader for Junction 36. He’ll help us turn our ambitious vision for the initiative into a real-world operation that will serve as a great asset to our area’s students, entrepreneurs and companies for years to come.”
Cheviron was also quoted about his new job, saying, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the Indiana Tech team and lead the Junction 36 initiative. Northeast Indiana has been longing for a facility of this kind to drive innovation, collaboration and economic growth in our region. This is a unique opportunity to build something truly transformative—where industry and education converge to create lasting impact. I look forward to enhancing partnerships, supporting entrepreneurs and empowering the next generation of talent in advanced manufacturing and hard tech development.”
More information about the Indiana Institute of Technology can be found on the school’s website.