Group targets young professionals
Written by Kate Czaplinski, Herald Editor
Friday, 03 February 2012 16:15
A networking group that young members say has gone a long way in taking their careers to the next level is expanding this year and aiming to make the Valley a more energetic and exciting place to work and live.
Young Emerging Professionals (YEP) is a committee of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce that aims to get young professionals engaged with one another and the community. It started a couple of years ago, spearheaded by local professional Dan Onofrio, and has since become more focused, members said, and recently appointed new board members to lead to the group. Part of the group’s objective is to collaborate with local leaders, businesses and organizations to assist in recruiting and retaining the region’s talent in an effort to cultivate and nurture future leaders.Professionals ages 20 to 39 living and working in the Lower Naugatuck Valley area who may be just out of college or may have been in the workforce for only a few years are welcome.
Andrew Venditti, owner of 203 Communications, which does marketing for Scinto Towers and the SportsCenter, was one of the early members of the group and is now a board member.
“I have absolutely gotten my biggest clients through YEP,” Venditti said. “Professionally it helps you grow, and you can unabashedly talk shop and it’s not trying to sell yourself, it’s learning from each other.”
Gatherings of YEP happen at least once a month at an after-hours networking event at a local restaurant. The group also gets involved with fund-raisers and organizes sessions on professional development.
“It’s quite a mix,” YEP committee chair Tom Steeves said of members. “We have people who are entrepreneurs and own their own business, sales professionals, attorneys.”
The group offers tips to first-timers at a networking event, such as bringing business cards and giving one to at least 10 people, getting at least five business cards from people you meet and following up with those five people and scheduling a time to meet to get to know each other’s business better.
YEP is the only group of its kind in the Valley area, Steeves said.
“It’s an opportunity to improve career development and leadership, all while having a good time,” Steeves said.
YEP member Lauren LeComte, who works at Basement Systems in Seymour, said the group connects her to community service opportunities, like a clothing drive with TEAM Inc. or Griffin Hospital’s breast cancer awareness initiatives.
“For me, it’s like a family,” LeComte said. “It’s not a typical, stuffy networking thing — it’s the opposite of that.”
What’s coming
YEP members want to keep active in the new year, reaching out to more nonprofits and getting new professionals involved.
Finding a way into the workforce has become more difficult for young people, Steeves said. That’s why the group plans to reach out to local colleges, providing networking advice. The first such event will be this spring at Sacred Heart University.
The group is also looking for feedback from the local community, for ideas on professional development and networking. Suggestions may be made through email or Facebook.
The next informal networking event is Feb. 9 at Antonio’s in Ansonia, starting at 5:30 p.m.
To learn more about YEP and its members, visit YoungEmergingProfessionals.com or Facebook.com/CTYEP. Right now, joining is free, although the group is considering a membership fee in the future. To contact the group, email YEP@greatervalleychamber.com.
Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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