Young Professionals Start Local Networking Groups

The youthful side of the business community is known for being eager. But these go-getters have taken initiative beyond the office to fill a need in the area.

Before, there were the typical, stuffy social gatherings that offered little attraction for young professionals. Now, there are two groups geared directly for the under-40 crowd (as well as the young at heart) that host meetings at trendy venues in the Northwest Arkansas area.

The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals and the Northwest Arkansas Young Professionals work to better themselves and their communities.

The young professionals movement in Northwest Arkansas started in Fayetteville.

Brandon Rains, FCCYP chair, said the idea for the organization came from attending Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce events. Rains and David Erstine found themselves being the youngest people in attendance and decided they needed to do something. The two approached Chamber President and CEO Bill Ramsey, and came away with a plan for the FCCYP.

Ramsey said no less than 150 people have attended the FCCYP events, which are planned for every other month. Attendance has been as high as 350 for some events.

The group also has been a success for the Chamber. The FCCYP is part of the Chamber, so to become a member, one has to join the Chamber. During the Chamber’s two-day membership drive in March 2005, the FCCYP helped attract 331 new Chamber members.

“They’re looking for ways to give back and use that energy they’ve got out there,” Ramsey said. “They want to give back and have fun doing it.”

Besides the Chamber membership event, the FCCYP has also volunteered to help with Fayetteville’s annual Bikes Blues & BBQ.

“Young professionals are always looking for a step up the ladder,” Ramsey said. “The Chamber always gives more exposure to more opportunities, and that’s one of the benefits of just membership in general.”

The next FCCYP event will be at 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 21 at Blu Lounge in Fayetteville.

The FCCYP played a part in spawning another young professionals organization, and that one had no problem attracting people either.

“I wanted to get a group of friends together who could benefit from knowing each other,” said Josh Mostyn, founder and executive director of Northwest Arkansas Young Professionals.

Mostyn started the group in May 2005, and today it boasts more than 800 members.

Mostyn said networking and giving back is the formula for the group.

Networking allows the members to socialize and help them plug in to a group of peers, which can be especially helpful to new transplants to the area.

Getting together for social events wasn’t enough though.

“We wanted to do something besides networking,” Mostyn said. “We wanted to help other people who maybe didn’t have the best grades in college because they were busy giving back to their community.”

The NWAYP established the NWAYP Scholarship Fund Trust, which awards two scholarships per year to graduating high school students who plan to attend a local college or university.

More information can be found at www.nwayp.org.