Jessica Walter and I are back from Louisville, Kentucky where we attended the YP Summit on Friday & Saturday, September 14–15, 2007. The summit was attended by over 200 young professionals from organizations all across the country and Canada, and Iowa was well-represented by six young professionals from five cities (Des Moines, Ames, Marshalltown, Dubuque and Muscatine). Every kind of group and city was represented, from the large (AGBU Young Professionals of New York City, 6,000 members) to the small (Young Professionals of Chattanooga, 40 members). YPC was neither the smallest nor the largest group represented at the summit, and the size of Greater Des Moines (population 550,000) was also in the middle of the pack.
Here are some of the things I learned at the YP Summit:
Every YP organization worries about their metro’s image. Many people in YPC are openly concerned about “Dead Moines” and the “brain drain” taking place, but almost every other city has the same worries—even the big ones. Milwaukee is fighting its “Laverne and Shirley” beer-bottle image. Cincinnati is worried about its “brain drain,” just like us. And when I commented to my friend from Evansville, Indiana (population 429,000; 140 members) that the Cincinnati group should look at Des Moines’ problems, she responded that she had actually heard Des Moines was a fairly cool place to live and work. That made me realize that (1) the big cities aren’t so secure, and (2) Des Moines is not far off from being truly great.
Other YP organizations already have good solutions to common problems. The Milwaukee organization (population 650,000; 5,000 members) offers corporate memberships: companies pay a few thousand dollars, and its employees can join the group for free. YP organizations have had success with large signature events, including film festivals (Quincy, IL), YP Day (Nashville, TN) and a gala to raise funds for environmental groups (Louisville, KY). YPC used to have the Tour de Metro as its signature event, but that has not taken place since 2005. The YP groups in Akron, Ohio joined forces with a Young Professionals Council that allow them to collaborate and communicate effectively. These are all solutions to problems we have debated—we can learn from these groups and create
progress for YPC.
Louisville is a great place—and they advertise it like everyone else. During the YP Summit, we were spoken to by Councilman David Tandy, who’s in his 30s, and Mayor Jerry Abramson. They’ve done a lot of great things in Louisville—great social scene and events, low crime, litter-free streets, beautiful architecture, strong economy and more. These are the same kind of speeches I’ve heard from Des Moines leaders as well, which again shows that cities like Louisville (the 16th largest in the nation) aren’t far ahead of Des Moines, and Des Moines isn’t that far behind.
We are already changing the way business works. The keynote was presented by Rebecca Ryan, who is an authority on how the next generations are already changing the way we work and live. We’ve already heard about the “Creative Class” from Richard Florida and we know Generation X looks at life and work differently than the Baby Boomers, but what I got from the presentation is that the workplace is already changing. In some industries, the workplace has practically converted already to a more holistic, work/life-balanced place where we pursue careers without sacrificing life experiences. If you’re not working at such a place yet, you will be soon.
We are not the leaders of tomorrow—we are the leaders of today. This was said to us by Councilman David Tandy. This hit pretty close to home for me. We’ve often heard that we’re important to Des Moines because we’re leaders of tomorrow, but this comment changes everything—and it’s also true. Why wait until we’re 40 before we show some leadership?
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