Reno County groups work to attract young professionals

BY ANDI ATWATER of The Wichita Eagle

Young Professionals of Reno County and the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to explore internship opportunities available in Reno County.

Young Professionals member Mandy Swisher said the goal is to assist with efforts to bring young people to Reno County to live and work.

The groups said it is important for businesses to use interns as a strategy for attracting new employees, who often come back to work full-time following an internship.

As part of the initiative, the organizations have developed a survey for Reno businesses. The survey is available online at yprenocounty.com or hutchchamber.com.

Young Professionals of Reno County hosts its November Monthly Mingle at The Red Lion, located on the West side of the Plaza Towers. Stop by, meet some new people, relax after a day of work. Free appetizers and drink specials begin around 5 p.m., but you're free to join us anytime. For more information, email pulse@yprenocounty.com.

Young Professionals of Reno County, in conjunction with LogicMaze WebDesigns, announces the launch of their new website today. Designed to be an evolving communications tool, the website and accompanying features will help realize the vision of this group - to build connections that benefit young professionals, businesses, and all of Reno County.

Come and enjoy the art, drinks and appetizers while hearing a plan for getting YP's in Reno County connected to each other. We'll take time to hear your ideas and opinions too (because we know you've got them). No fees, just simply show up. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday - July 24, 2007
5:30-7:30pm(doors open at 5:15, program begins at 5:45)
Hutchinson Art Center
405 N. Washington St.

Web site catering to young professionals a good idea

Aubrey Patterson and Nathan Meyer want to make connections with young professionals in their age group. Toward that end, Patterson, executive director of the Hutchinson Community Foundation, and Meyer, an assistant vice president at First National Bank, turned to the Internet, a medium preferred by the younger crowd.

The pair and a handful of other 20- to 30-somethings in Reno County created a Web site, www.yprenocounty.com, to help identify and encourage connections among young professionals. In the fall, the group will form the Reno County Young Professionals Organization. "I had expressed some ideas about needing to connect young people in this town because I don't think it's an easy thing to do," Paterson noted. Making connections might not be easy, but U.S. Census data shows there are plenty of young people to connect with in Hutchinson.

Though Hutchinson often is viewed as a retirement community, Census numbers indicate just the opposite. Hutchinson is home to more than 10,500 residents in the 21 to 39 age group. That's just a tad fewer than the approximately 11,200 residents in the 40 to 64 age group. Those numbers contrast with the nearly 6,900 Hutch residents who are 65 and older.

Patterson hopes establishment of a young professionals group will encourage and then strengthen ties among young members of the community. It also could have an added effect of keeping the younger generation in Reno County instead of losing them to the lure of larger metropolitan areas. Patterson and Meyer are on the leading edge of forming such a group.

Wichita, Manhattan and Hays already have similar organizations. Salina, like Hutchinson, is in the beginning stages. "This is a new concept," Meyer said. "Wichita's was only started two years ago."

Though the Reno County group believes making the social and business connections is important, Meyer said, it also wants a voice in the community. That could mean more involvement by the younger generation on government boards - including city, county and school - and with various social service agencies.

Active community involvement at any age is requisite for progressive communities, but a city's vitality and viability are further strengthened when younger residents actively participate.

Patterson and Meyer's efforts to identify and encourage connections among young professionals in Reno County are laudable. "We're not professional project managers; we're just a couple of people with a good idea," Meyer noted. Good, indeed.

Copyright 2007, The Hutchinson Publishing Co.

Young professionals in need of peer group now have one available, taking a page from several Kansas cities

When Aubrey Abbott Patterson moved to Reno County from Indianapolis, she was eager to meet more young professionals. She did what most people in their 20s and 30s do and got online. But she couldn't find anything about young people.

So after attending a Leadership Reno County course in 2005, Patterson and Nathan Meyer, assistant vice president of business development at First National Bank, decided to create an organization where young professionals in Reno County can interact. "I had expressed some ideas about needing to connect young people in this town because I don't think it's an easy thing to do," said Patterson, president and executive director of the Hutchinson Community Foundation. Soon, meeting young professionals might be a little easier.

Patterson and Meyer plan to launch the Reno County Young Professionals Organization next fall. Wichita, Manhattan and Hays already have similar organizations, and Salina is in the process of creating one. Wichita's organization has about 1,500 members. "This is a new concept," Meyer said. "Wichita's was only started two years ago. I think this is a perfect fit for Hutchinson."

Meyer said organizers have three goals. They want to have a social side, where members can meet other people; they want to voice their opinions and ideas about making Reno County a better place; and they want to help businesses grow. "We have committees that are built around each of those that are developing ideas and starting to work on projects," he said.

The advisory board for the organization was created in late January or early February, and it has 12 members. Those in the advisory board are volunteers, and they sometimes meet as early as 7:30 a.m. "It's a volunteer effort, so it's a lot of people giving time," Patterson said.

The organization already has a Web site, www.rcypo.com. Right now, the Web site is a way to get names of people interested in the group. Even without much promotion, more than 30 people have signed up. "It's really just an information-gathering source for us right now," Patterson said.

In a few months, the Web site should become more interactive. "It'll be something that would draw young people to the site, and then they'd get involved in the organization," she said.

As for now, Patterson and Meyer are working to turn their idea into a reality for young professionals in Reno County. "We're not professional project managers, we're just a couple of people with a good idea," Meyer said.

Copyright 2007, The Hutchinson Publishing Co.