all about - Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce

2013 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
ALL ABOUT
YO U
T
“To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done.” – Anonymous
Five years ago, the first step was taken… led by our peers, supported by our community,
encouraged by our leaders and fueled by our Chamber, the Young Professionals continue to
journey into uncharted waters… and we continue to learn and grow. Sometimes through
our successes and sometimes through our failures – what sets us apart is our will to try and
to never give up. The Young Professionals is not just an organization, it’s a movement… It is
who we are, it is what we do; it is how we connect, it is how we thrive, succeed and grow.
YP is where we better ourselves and in so doing, can better the world around us.
In 2013, the Young Professionals made their mark and truly made a difference, not only within
the organization, but within the community and within themselves. We blew the top off our
membership numbers by reaching a record breaking 626 members in 2013 – the highest yet!
There were over 45 events giving our members something to do almost every week of the
year! PLUS, there were over 300 YPs that contributed their time and skills at the YP Day of
Action… and at this years’ Time for Art, 150 YPs raised over 2,300 hours of their time to give
back to local non-profits!
None of this would have happened if it weren’t for the incredible dedication of our
members, volunteers, committee chairs, board members, program staff and of course, our
sponsors. Everyone pitched in and made 2013 the best year yet for YP! It truly has been an
amazing year… To each of you, I offer my sincere and utmost thanks – it has been a privilege
to lead an organization of such a tremendous group of peers.
Looking forward to the many great things in store for YP in 2014!
Christopher Woodruff
2013 Chair, Greater Columbus Georgia Young Professionals
About YP
ENERGIZED
Founded in 2008, the vision of the Greater
Columbus Georgia Young Professionals is
to Energize, Engage and Empower Young
Professionals to continue the legacy of
leadership, progress and growth that has
shaped our region.
Our mission is to foster an environment
that attracts and retains young talent.
I
In the beginning of our sixth year of the Young Professional program, we reflect on our
past successes under the incredible leadership from past chairs and the exceptional
mentorship from our community’s great leaders.
Over the last five years, dedicated men and women have successfully grown the Young
Professional program to 626 members, while leaving their footprint through leadership
development, career and talent growth, servant leadership, governmental affairs, and social networking opportunities. The Young Professional program is extremely fortunate to
have support from this area’s great leadership since our founding year and will continue
to be grateful for opportunities the Chamber and our sponsors provide.
In 2014, The Young Professionals organization will continue to connect valuable relationships, offer unique opportunities for professional development, while making a positive
impact in our community. As the most progressive organization of young professionals
in the Columbus Region, one can only look to the future with inspiration, enthusiasm,
and determination as we continue our journey to a greater Columbus area. With “large
shoes” from our past successes to fill, our future is paved with extraordinary growth
from this year’s continued accomplishments.
As we prepare for this future, I am truly honored to serve alongside the brightest collective talent in our community as the YP Chair for 2014.
Crystal W. Trawick
2014 Chair, Greater Columbus Georgia Young Professionals
466
626
members
NEW MEMBERS
196
30
COMPANIES
REPRESENTED
AVERAGE
AGE
20
new events
Monthly Meetups
The social engagement committee enacted a new series to bring YPs across
the Region together. Monthly meetups provided a change of scenery each
month as the committee explored different areas of Columbus. Nine successful sessions hosted more than 500 YPs at various locations with exciting
activities including beer-tasting at B. Merrell’s,Trivia Night at Loco’s, Game Night
at Your Pie and Group Ride with Ride on Bikes.
Day of Action II
300 plus Young Professionals participated in the Greater Columbus Georgia
Young Professionals’ Days of Action in April and September. These days were
committed to raising awareness of service learning projects available in Columbus, GA. Volunteers from the Servant Leadership Committee, led by Alicia
Herring (TSYS) produced more than 1200 hours of service on April 26th
and September 13th-14th. Participants completed various projects with PAWS
Humane, Columbus Botanical Gardens, the Alzheimer’s Association, Habitat
for Humanity, House of Heroes, the Literacy Alliance, Empowered Youth of
Columbus and Partners in Education. With these hours, YP serves as a certifying agency for the Presidential Service Award.
2 Additional Cocktails & Company Receptions
The YP Leadership Enrichment Committee continued to host the signature
event, Cocktails & Company and based on its success, added 2 additional
events. In 2013, speakers included Cedric Hill, Judge Clay Land, Jacki Lowe,
Jimmy Yancey, Marc Olivié and Russ Carreker. Cocktails & Company provides
YPs exposure to established leaders in the community. The speaker shares his/her journey and
then opens the floor to YPs to ask questions.
ENGAGED
60
COMMITTEE
NETWORKING
OPPORTUNITIES
Day in Uptown
Board at Large members hosted an exploration of Uptown Columbus, July 13th.
YPs enjoyed discounts the entire day at participating locations including Uncommon
Athlete, Iron Bank, Momma Goldberg’s, Springer Opera House, the Living Room and
Epic. Members connected with peers to enjoy a weekend of activities in the Region.
YP 101
Members learned how to engage with YP. Board members provided an overview of
helpful hints and ways to connect further to the program. Corporate sponsors, Aflac
and TSYS, hosted special sessions for internal YPs, bringing on board more than 200
members.
Leadership Edge Breakfast Series
The Leadership Enrichment committee introduced a breakfast series featuring leadership development workshops and sessions with guest speakers, Jason McKenzie
(Ride on Bikes) and Ed Helton (CSU). Attendees enjoyed interactive discussions in
an intimate setting.
5th Birthday Bash
YP blew out the candles, March 31st, in celebration of five successful years. Attendees
joined in the excitement at the Living Room with live music from dueling pianos,
hors d’oeuvres and beverages. More than 150 YPs came together for an evening of
connections and entertainment.
Holiday Royale
175 members enjoyed the Social Engagement Committee’s night of games and fun
at Green Island Country Club as YP celebrated the end of 2013. Attendees enjoyed
poker, blackjack and a host of group games along with live music and selfie portrait
booths.
committees
5
Governmental Affairs
Servant Leadership
Career and Talent Development
Social Engagement
Leadership Development
46
EVENTS
SPONS
FOUNDING
The Greater Columbus Georgia
Young Professionals is a program of
PARTNERS
RISING STARS
4 2
5 UNDER 40
EMPOWERED
5 UNDER 40
RECIPIENTS
ORS
Abbott, Jordan and Koon, LLC
Advanced Disposal
Aflac
Allure Global Solutions
AT&T
B&B Beverage
B.Merrell’s
Bell Media
Big Dog Running Company, LLC
Buddy’s
Bytewise
Carl Gregory Enterprises, Inc.
Carmike Cinemas
Chris Woodruff
Clear Channel Media + Entertainment
Columbus and the Valley Magazine
Columbus Bank & Trust
Columbus Clinic
Columbus Regional
Columbus State University
Columbus State University
Friends of Art
Daniel Appliance
Daphne’s Bridal Boutique
Dougherty McKinnon & Luby, LLC
Epic Restaurant
Georgia Power
Goodwill of the Southern Rivers
Green Island Country Club
Greystone Properties
Hagemeyer
Hatcher, Stubbs, Land, Hollis
& Rothschild, LLP
IBM
Maple Ridge Golf Club
Mayer Electric Supply Company
Meritage
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Naartjie Multi Media
On Media
Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker
& Ford, P.C.
Pastoral Institute
PMB
Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick,
Morrison & Norwood, LLP
Pratt & Whitney
PTAP
Q107.3
Ray Rents
EVENT
Rep. John Pezold
RightPath Resources
Rivermill Café
Rock 103
Showtime Concessions
Snyder’s-Lance
St. Francis Hospital
The Coca-Cola Company
The Columbus Museum
The Knight Fund at Community
Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley
The Living Room
The Loft
Troy University
TSYS
United Way of the Chattahochee Valley
Uptown Columbus
Verizon Wireless
W.C. Bradley Co.
Wade Corporate Gifts
White Water Express
Wide Open West
WRBL TV-3
JOB SPOTLIGHT
LEDGER-ENQUIRER’S
RECIPIENT
40 UNDER 40
GEORGIA TREND
1 4
FEATURED IN
YP
2013 BOARD
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Chris Woodruff, Chair
WC Bradley Co. Real Estate
Reynolds Bickerstaff
Waddell Realty Co.
Andrea Cruz, Career and Talent Development
Aflac
Shelley Dean, VC Membership
Media, Marketing…and More!
Kat Cannella
Columbus State University
Joseph Brannan, Governmental Affairs
PMB Broadcasting, Inc.
Amy Giglio, VC Operations
Aflac
Moisés Colón
Goodwill Industries
Laura Ann Mann, Leadership Enrichment
Habitat for Humanity
Crystal Trawick, VC Sponsorships
Carmike Cinemas, Inc.
Kari Finley
Aflac
Alicia Herring, Servant Leadership
TSYS
Carla Plazas Epp, Past Chair
TSYS
Norman Hardman
CB&T
Ashley Alford, Social Engagement
Goodwill Industries
William Morgan, Secretary
Aflac
Ken Lockhart
Columbus Tech
Chad White, VC Marketing
St. Francis Hospital, Inc.
Erin Scott
TSYS
Wesley Ker-Fox, Co-Chair Marketing
Naartjie Multimedia
Daniel Stone
CB&T
Linda Nguyen, Advisory
Page, Scrantom, Sprouse,Tucker, & Ford, P.C.
Amy Askew Bryan, Program Director
Greater Columbus GA
Chamber of Commerce
Greater Columbus Georgia Young Professionals
ypcolumbusga
www.YPCOLUMBUSGA.com