Industry Axis

2025 Fort Wayne DB Team

The 2025 Fort Wayne Dragon Boat Festival was a spectacular celebration of teamwork, culture, and competition. Held at Promenade Park on August 1–2, the event featured 23 teams racing along the scenic St. Marys River, accompanied by vibrant opening ceremonies, live music, and traditional Chinese performances.

Needham Invasion entered the festival with determination and spirit, building on our experience from last year’s debut. We are proud to announce that Needham Invasion finished 5th overall among a strong field of competitors. Needham DBS began competing as a company team building experience to join together our Fort Wayne and Kansas City offices. This achievement reflects not only athletic effort but also the incredible teamwork and camaraderie that define our culture.

On September 27, 2025, the shores of Shawnee Mission Park came alive with pounding drums, cheering crowds, and the vibrant energy of the GWN Kansas City Dragon Boat Festival. This annual event celebrates teamwork, endurance, and cultural unity, drawing teams from across the region for an unforgettable day on the water.

This year, "Needham Invasion" proudly earned a Silver Medal in the 500m Premier Open Division, with an average finish time of 2:33.73 and a team best of 2:29.93.

Needham DBS, participating under the name "The Uprising: Needham Warriors and Shield Maidens", made their festival debut at the 2024 Fort Wayne Dragon Boat Festival. The festival was held at the picturesque Promenade Park. The annual event, celebrated on August 2nd and 3rd, brought together teams from various organizations to compete. The team comprised of staff and spouses from the Fort Wayne office as well as the Kansas City office. The experience provided both team building and community involvement. It not only fostered as sense of camaderie amount the participants but also celebrated the rich cultural heritage associated with dragon boat racing.