The Chamber’s Growth and Relationships of Young Professionals program members will be very busy in the upcoming months. As GRYP continues to grow, so does their programming which includes educational seminars, networking and community service opportunities.
“Since becoming part of GRYP about 3 years ago, I have seen attendance at events go from a gathering of 15-20 people to over 60 people,” said Luke Sackandy, Human Resource Generalist for NPC, Inc. and current steering committee member. “Young professionals in our community are really starting to see the advantages of interacting and networking with people in other careers, fields and companies, and come to experience firsthand what it can do for them personally and professionally.”
Educational opportunities are an essential part of this young professionals group, so during the month of April, you will see GRYP presenting to Mount Aloysius College and South Hills School of Business and Technology to help graduating students understand the importance of leadership, community involvement and professional networking. On April 25th, GRYP will present a Lunch ‘n’ Learn on “Public Speaking and Presentation Skills” at Park Hills Country Club. The program will be sponsored by South Hills School of Business and will feature Professor Steve Madden as the keynote speaker.
Even area businesses are eager to get this young professionals’ group out and into their establishments. On April 19th, members will take part in a wine and cheese tasting at Oak Spring Winery, then networking on May 3rd at the Holiday Inn Express.
“GRYP is a great organization for helping to keep young professionals here in the Blair County area,” said Scott Schraff, General Manager/winemaker at Oak Spring Winery. “This group gives them an outlet to network and make our community better; we are looking forward to hosting their next networking event.”
On April 28th, GRYP will be seen on the clover leaf of 17th Street, Altoona, cleaning up their portion of the road for the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program and will also participate in the Operation Our Town Crime Clean Up Day on May 12th.
“GRYP has been a wonderful experience for me,” explained Jennifer Misner of Holiday inn Express and current steering committee member. “I would without a doubt encourage young professionals to join. It does not matter if you are new to the area and looking to connect socially or if you are strictly interested in building a professional network, GRYP has something to offer everyone.”
For more information on GRYP and upcoming programming, visit us on the web at www.blairchamber.com or email Jessica at The Chamber, jmeck@blairchamber.com.