Q&A: Meet Mikel Berger, next Greater Lafayette Commerce CEO

GLC looks local to find Berger, who has specialized in growing small businesses and startups. A discussion about how that experience fits into one of Greater Lafayette’s top economic development roles

• Support for this edition comes from the Wabash River Cycle Club, presenting the Wabash River Ride. “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short, as you feel. But ride.” The Wabash River Ride offers cyclists from all walks of life an opportunity to choose their own adventure on Aug. 23. This cycling event has paved and multi-surface 32-, 62- and 100-mile routes for both road and gravel cyclists, along with a 16-mile “Ride for All.” The routes correspond with well-stocked aid stations and there is a finisher’s meal at the end. Find more information at www.wabashriverride.com

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Q&A: MEET MIKEL BERGER, NEXT GREATER LAFAYETTE COMMERCE CEO

Greater Lafayette Commerce took a local route after a national search, on Thursday naming West Lafayette entrepreneur Mikel Berger as the business-facing nonprofit’s next president and CEO.

Berger, 46, a Purdue grad who was part of starting and running DelMar Software, Little Engine Ventures and the MatchBOX Studios coworking space, will start with GLC Aug. 18. He’ll replace Scott Walker, who left GLC in January after a decade as CEO for a similar position in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Mikel Berger (Photo: GLC)

“The board is definitely excited about Mikel, because he’s more of an out-of-the-box thinker,” Jody Hamilton, chair of the Greater Lafayette Commerce board of directors, said Thursday.

“With his entrepreneurship background and his connections within the community and the state, I think it's going to put our organization in a good, good place as this community continues to grow,” Hamilton said. “I think he's going to bring some really good ideas, new ideas, whether it's for programming or just different ways of doing things and help elevate the organization, especially during this big time of growth in Greater Lafayette. … Frankly, he was the best fit when it comes to taking the organization to another level.”

Here are excerpts of a conversation Thursday afternoon with Berger in a conference room at MatchBOX studios in downtown Lafayette about being the next face for the community’s chamber of commerce and economic development efforts.