Young pros hope to grow

06/04/09
By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK
Register Reporter

A new group is forming in Iola to promote and beautify the community and expand social options for each other. The Allen County Young Professionals is in its nascent stage.
Iola Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Jana Taylor called the group “a new initiative of the Chamber to provide networking and service opportunities to 21 to 40 year-olds in Allen County.” The group, which formed in winter, intends to be both a social and service organization. It has had two social events and completed one under-the-radar project recently, sprucing up the area around the “Welcome to Iola” sign at the city’s east edge.
Next on tap is repainting the retaining wall at Allen County Hospital. That venture drew support from county commissioners and the hospital, who each donated $300 towards the $800 total cost of paint.
Taylor said the group, with 30 current members, welcomes the support of anyone interested in helping gout.
The group was a natural offshoot of Taylor’s taking over the helm at the Chamber, she said.
“I spent time getting to know businesses and their employees when I first started here in May of 2008” Taylor said. “The comment kept coming up, ‘There’s nothing for us to do here as younger professionals.’ I asked, ‘What would you like to do?’”
“I had no idea there were that many people” feeling so disenfranchised, Taylor said.
A focus group of six people was born.
“We met at Sidelines Bar and Grill March 7 and each person was asked to list ten other young professionals,” Taylor said. “Since the circles we move in here are rather small, there were a lot of overlapping names,” she said.
Taylor surveyed 32 people identified through that process. Questions included age group, marital status, industry and interests.
“Most of them are married,” Taylor said. Of the 32, 28 are between the ages of 26 and 40. Two-thirds are female. “Most spend their free time at home with their families,” Taylor said.
For fun, they eat out with friends. They favor restaurants over bars. Their primary industries are health care and banking.
Over half have at least a bachelor’s degree and have lived in the area longer than six years. Most live here because of family. They intend to stay.
Because Taylor wants the organization to give back to Iola, she inquired as to volunteer service being done. The majority of the group spend one to five hours a month volunteeering, statistics showed, and have the time to add a couple more hours a month in service work.
“We would love to have more folks come help us out and be involved,” Taylor said. “If anyone has other ideas for service projects, we’d love for them to share those.”
As knowledge of the group grows, Taylor said, “We’ll become formalized, with membership dues and social networking.”
If you’d like to join them, contact the Chamber at 365-5252, or meet at 8 a.m. Saturday at the ACH parking lot retaining wall along Madison Ave. Bring your ideas.