m a I HOME
essentials
Joni and Ron Dick By Lauren Caggiano
You could say the Dicks are a power couple. Ron owns and operates the architectural firm Design Collaborative and Joni devotes a great deal of her time to fostering kittens. And when they’re not engaged in these pursuits, you can find them restoring an historic home in the West Central neighborhood. In other words, there’s no stopping this high-energy pair who are bullish on Fort Wayne’s present and future. “I was born at Parkview Hospital and raised here,” said Ron. “I grew up in Waynedale for the most part and went to Wayne High School then on to Ball State for college. I did my internship in San Diego, and then moved back in 1982. I took a job and was at a local company for 10 years and then started Design Collaborative in 1992.” Joni, who hails from Huntington County, originally said she’s glad she made the move to Fort Wayne. That’s how her path crossed with Ron. The two later married and started a family. They had made their home on the north side for nearly 30 years but recently decided to downsize and take on a burden of love — renovating a charming property in the heart of downtown. The two couldn’t be happier about their decision, although it’s a transition from the flavor of suburban life. “It’s like everyone sits on the front porch,” Joni said. “People walk their dogs by and say hi. Everyone seems to know our dog because she always goes out and greets them. It’s also fun because we’re a five-minute walk from anywhere downtown.” When they’re not walking in the neighborhood, you can catch them on tandem bikes or even scooters. Since making the move, the couple said they feel more plugged into the activity and positive momentum happening in the urban core. Speaking of activity, Joni keeps busy with her animal welfare work. In fact, she was
instrumental in helping advance the cause locally. “I volunteer with Animal Care and Control,” she said. “Ten years ago, we didn’t have a program to serve pregnant mama cats or baby kittens. Now we bottle feed them every two hours. I was among the first people to do that there.” That’s not the full extent of her work, however. She also takes in kittens and cats until they have an adopted family lined up. To date, she said she’s fostered more than 200 kittens or pregnant/nursing mother cats over the last decade. This work keeps her busy and fulfilled, but she and Ron also make time for other pursuits like visiting with their children and grandchildren — and travel. According to Ron, Fort Wayne being only a few hours’ drive from cities like Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit is an asset. Yet in their travels they’ve also discovered that the grass isn’t always greener in larger cities. If you ask Ron, Fort Wayne has a lot to offer, and he feels fortunate to be a stakeholder in its renaissance. “We’ve been blessed to work on a lot of the projects downtown, including Harrison Square, Cityscape Flats and Skyline Tower, and Promenade Park, and we’ve got more stuff in the works that’s pretty darn exciting,” he said.
Joni and Ron Dick
December 2021 | Home Living 15
