02.25.2008 Current & Green Bay Branding Initiative

Hopefully by this point most people are familiar with the Green Bay Branding initiative.  It has received coverage in the local papers as well as in this blog.  Recently, Current’s steering committee had the opportunity to discuss the initiative with Mike Hildebrand and Donsia Strong-Hill, the group’s co-chairs.  Not only did we discuss what the initiative is all about, but also what role Current might play in it.  A key facet of our mission is the recruitment and retention of young professionals to the Green Bay area.  The branding initiative is trying to show the rest of the world that Green Bay is a great place to live and work.  While the steering committee has not yet determined what role Current will play in this initiative, we do know that we will be taking some role in the coming months.  I encourage you to follow what is going on with this initiative and take part in helping make it a success.  For more information you can go to www.brandgreatergb.com.

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

02.08.2008 Why I Love It Here

When I finished my undergrad degree nine years ago, Green Bay was the LAST place I wanted to end up for my first “real job.”

Every week I went to the Brown County Library and scoured the Wisconsin State Journal, the Pioneer Press and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for entry-level jobs in marketing and communications.  I applied to anything and everything, just as long as it was not in Green Bay.  I had lived in this area my whole life and was ready for a change.  I wanted out.  I wanted more culture and glitz and glamour.  I wanted something bigger and better.  

Eventually the applications turned into a few interviews – in Milwaukee, in Madison, in the Twin Cities.  I even interviewed for a job in Reading, PA.  But in a strange twist of fate, I ended up getting my first real job in Green Bay, and nine years later, I’m still here.  It is my home, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

I love that on a Sunday afternoon I can hear the roaring crowd over at Lambeau Field – in my living room!  I love that I can take my dog for a walk and feel safe. I love that someone with my salary can afford to own a home, because that's not the case in every city. I love that some nights I’ll come home from work and my driveway will have already been plowed by one of several friendly neighbors. I love that we’re known as the “Frozen Tundra,” even though our summers can get pretty darn hot. 

I’ve been told by outsiders or people who have lived elsewhere that Green Bay is boring.  In nine years, I don’t think I’ve ever been bored.  From Packers games to shows at the Weidner Center to winter recreation, Green Bay has something for everyone.  It’s what people make of it.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to travel to other places – other states, other countries – and I always look forward to coming back here. 

When I was at the airport last week, right after the Packers lost to New York, I overheard a young Giants fan talking on the phone. "You gotta come here, man. No....I'm serious. The next time the Giants play here, you gotta come. It's a lot of fun."

He was right, (even if he was a Giants fan). It's fun. It's a great city.
It's perfect for me, and I’m proud to call it my home.

Jamie Matczak
Nicolet Federated Library System

01.18.2008 Collaboration & Adaptation

Much of what I have written in this blog has been about generational differences in the workplace.  Specifically, I have done my best to defend the work habits of my fellow millennials.  In doing so, I have often discussed how we as millennials approach the workplace differently.  While I think one of our best characteristics is that we are not afraid of change, I do not want to be known for always seeking change.  I worry that sometimes our desire to change suggests to other generations that we want them to adapt to our way of doing things.  Instead of constantly seeking change, I think that we should focus on collaboration, another trait that is important to millennials.  By doing so, we recognize and affirm that each generation has good qualities that they bring to the workplace.  In certain situations, change might be necessary, and our generation is more than ready to spur that change; but at other times, we might be better off following the current way of doing business.  I encourage you as young professionals to continue to challenge the status quo, but also to recognize that sometimes the best way to accomplish a task will involve adapting to someone else’s style.

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

01.11.2008 Generational Diversity

It's funny how many people I talk to that ask me what's wrong with our generation. I suppose one could easily turn the question and ask the same of their generation. But that wouldn't be practical at all. It is our generation after all that would prefer to spend time with our families rather than work 60 hours a week. It's our generation that would rather take a group oriented focus on solving a problem and involve our peers who may shed a valuable, more diverse perspective rather than trying to hammer it out solo. It's our generation that is savvy with technology and sometimes gets to the point with a certain degree of brevity that could alarm other generations into thinking we're hostile and downright mean. But most importantly it's our generation that values diversity and embraces change; rather than accepting what's given us we strive to make a difference. It's not my opinion though, these are the traits that our generation exudes according to most generational experts. It doesn't make us worse, or better. It makes us different, which according to our generation, is what it's all about.

Brian Johnson
Current, Program Manager
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

01.02.2008 A Year for Taking Chances

Happy New Year Current!  As I think about writing this entry, I realize this is my first blog and a big step for me since I am still the only one of my college friends not on Facebook.  2008 is going to be a full of many big steps and chances for young professionals which is why I am taking the time to list my votes for Current’s New Year’s Resolutions:

#1:  Meet one new person at each Current Event.  Networking is not always easy and sometimes setting high expectations like thinking you will gain a new client/sale/etc. is part of making it more stressful so keep it simple!

#2:  Attend one Current Event out of your comfort-zone.  The lineup of events for 2008 is sure to be full of educational and social opportunities; take a chance on an event that might not be in your usual repertoire and soon you will ease into any networking opportunity!  I will set the bar by setting down my purely fictional book collection and heading to one of Jamie’s Read to Lead events – see you there!

#3:  Join another Green Bay area organization.  Many groups contact Current as an outlet to recruit new volunteers or organization members and we are always talking to Current members about these opportunities.  To succeed in this community, (and any other) it is important to develop a network of peers while making a meaningful contribution to our area.  Current recognizes the more its members are connected the community, the more not only our organization will grow but the base of young talent as well.

Molly Vandervest
Current, Steering Committee Chair
Downtown Green Bay, Inc. & Olde Main Street, Inc.

12.17.2007 Young Influentials

I recently read about a new organization from Marinette called the Young Influentials. In its purest form, this organization is essentially another young professionals organization in Northeast Wisconsin. This is exciting to see another group with a similar mission as the other 7 organizations in existence in Northeast Wisconsin. They include Current (Green Bay), Pulse (Appleton), Propel (Oshkosh), Young Professionals of Fond du Lac, Coastal Connections (Sheboygan), Sail (Manitowoc) and the Beacon (Kewaunee). The leverage these 8 organizations bring to Northeast Wisconsin is immeasurable as we work to recruit and retain top talent to our region. Additionally, it brings a voice to the younger generations of our region when it comes to policy and decision making. On behalf of Current and the Northeast Wisconsin Young Professionals Forum, I would like to welcome the Young Influentials of Marinette and I look forward to partnering with them on future events including the 2nd Annual Northeast Wisconsin Young Professionals Forum event/conference scheduled for Thursday, March 20, 2008 at UW Fond du Lac.

Brian Johnson
Current, Program Manager
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

12.05.2007 Leadership Track

Since the last time I wrote, I have been encouraged to find that not everyone in other generations thinks that my beloved millennials are all bad.  As vice-chair of Current’s steering committee, I have the privilege of sitting on the Leadership Executive Board.  The board is made up of the chairs and co-chairs for Leadership Green Bay, Current, and Teen Leadership, as well as staff from the Chamber’s Education and Leadership Department.  Chaired by Cliff Bowers of Management Recruiter’s of Green Bay, the board is exploring ways that these three programs can work together.  I have been very encouraged by the fact that our discussions have focused on the issue of generational differences and creating opportunities for dialogue between the generations.  We are at an early stage in the process, but I wanted to pass along my excitement at the potential I see from this group.  Stay tuned for more.

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

11.21.2007 Happy Thanksgiving

There's a lot Current has to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We're thankful for the countless volunteer hours that our members put in with committee volunteer opportunities, events and other charitable causes. We're thankful for our increasing membership that has now surpassed 300 members. We're thankful for the active membership that we have contributing to the value this organization brings to the community. We're thankful for our corporate members who make membership and events as affordable as possible. But most of all, we're thankful for the family of friends created through this network that promotes professional development, integration into the community and camaraderie with our peers. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families from your friends in Current!

Brian Johnson
Current, Program Manager
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

11.14.07 Generational Differences

Recently, I have read and heard that the millennial generation (born between 1980 and 2000) is not cutting it in the workplace.  Naturally, as a proud member of this generation, these reports make me a little uneasy.  For one thing we have only been in the workplace a few years, hardly enough time to begin making judgments on our overall ability.  But what concerns me most is that there seems to be a belief that the only way to redeem our generation is for managers (who typically come from an older generation) to force us to adapt to their style of doing business.  The implication in this argument is that our generation brings nothing useful to the workplace.  I will admit that our generation has its issues and undoubtedly these issues can creep into our work lives.  One such issue is a lack of patience and a belief that we should be able to have everything we want when we want it, including a job with flexible hours, lots of vacation and a corner office right out of college.  Having said that, I think that our generation has many good qualities that we bring to the workplace.  One quality is our ability to think creatively and to challenge the status quo.  My point is that each generation (and each person for that matter) has good and bad qualities that they bring to the workplace.  The role of an effective manager is to take and develop the good qualities of his/her workers and mitigate the bad qualities.  I fear that if our generation is asked to become just like previous generations, the workforce is going to miss out on new and potentially better ways of doing business.

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

11.07.07 Community Pride

On Oct. 19 a few of my friends came from the Twin Cities area to St. Norbert College for Homecoming weekend, all but one of them were recent alumni of St. Norbert. It came as a surprise for our friend who had not attended school in Wisconsin that the cheerleaders of St. Norbert and the University of Green Bay also cheer for the Packers. When he asked us why the Packer’s don’t have their own cheerleaders, the Rhinelander-native in the group replied (somewhat defensively), “Because Green Bay is focused on the community. We don’t need to have cheerleaders like the Dallas Cowboys.”

 I have to admit, the response seemed a bit corny, especially coming from someone barely over the age of 20. And yet, I caught myself smiling and nodding with pride. Though myself a Twin Cities native, the Green Bay area has become my home throughout the past three years. As a college freshman, Minneapolis seemed more “exciting” than Green Bay, and I often found myself comparing the two from a purely superficial level. However, I have been reevaluating my initial judgments in the more recent months, as I am now quickly transitioning from a student to a young professional.

 As an intern for the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, I have come to really appreciate the community’s unique heritage, and am continuously discovering the many advantages it has for aspiring talent. The size of the Green Bay community is a major foothold for me now that I am considering my options for post-graduation. I think the events hosted by Current opens doorways for young professionals because they seem to effortlessly evoke a welcoming and genuine environment—an asset which I think would be much harder to find in a larger city. Peter Weiss tapped into this positive attribute as well in one of his earlier blog entries when he mentioned the values of Green Bay, one of which being, “honesty.” Definitely, in my experiences here as a young professional, the honesty and genuineness of businesses and professionals in the area are attractive qualities to consider when thinking about my future career. What may have excited me as a freshman in college holds very little relevance now. The focus on community, city-pride, and honesty in the professional workforce is what excites me now, and I gladly promote Green Bay to others because of these very characteristics.

Olivia Traczyk
Intern, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Student, St. Norbert College

10.31.2007 Greater Green Bay Branding Initiative

Greater Green Bay has a brand. We have cold weather, professional football, beer, brats and cheeseheads. Green Bay is also ranked as one of the best places to raise a family and start a business. If you're from someplace other than Green Bay, which brand are you familiar with? There is a local initiative gaining momentum to develop an "authentic brand" for Greater Green Bay that will hopefully reshape the way people perceive our community. A unique image that will align us with an economically strong port, collaborating governmental entities, safe communities and yes, a professional football franchise that brings with it an immense amount of goodwill and branded capital. We'll also be looking to highlight other sports and recreation opportunities, culture and entertainment and communities that welcome their friends and neighbors. Greater Green Bay has a brand and while it might not currently be one that attracts young professionals, entrepreneurs and skilled workers, it is one that can be improved upon to showcase what we already know; namely, Greater Green Bay is where you want to be. Ask any transplant that now calls this home why they chose to stay. The hard part is over, we've created a desirable community. Now comes the fun part, telling everyone you know. Visit www.brandgreatergb.com to learn more and provide feedback about your impression of Greater Green Bay.

10.24.2007 Interview with Paul Jadin

For this week’s blog entry, I spoke with former mayor and current president of the Chamber, Paul Jadin, to get his thoughts on young professionals and Current.  Below are the questions I asked along with his responses.

 1.      What was your experience as a young professional?  What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

 I went to settle in Wausau for my first job as a personnel coordinator, and I would say the contacts I made were pretty limited to City Hall and the courthouse.  I spent less than a year there before becoming a personnel director in Portage County.  There is no question that I felt a little bit like of an outsider because there wasn’t any sort of network like there is here.  Networking and social opportunities that are afforded by Current would have been very useful to me.  It would have been nice to have a little better exposure to the community and perhaps some mentorship opportunities.

 2.    If there had been a young professional’s group when you were beginning your career, how do you think that would have changed your experience?

 I may have run for mayor at age 35 instead of age 39.  I really feel it allows young people to mature more quickly in their professions.

 3.      As president of the chamber, what impact have you seen young professionals make to the local business community? 

 To see a lasting impact, we’re going to need a little more time, but there is no doubt that we’re off to a good start.  Current allows the kind of networking that allows companies to brag a little bit when they’re talking about recruiting.  The long term benefit of a group like Current is the ability to recruit more young professionals to this area.  We also need to grow to a point where there is more diversity among our young professionals so that we have the ability to show all cultures that this is a special community that is welcoming and gives people the opportunity to get ahead professionally and enjoy some social opportunities.

Additionally, there is no question that young people are bringing a different kind of creativity to the workforce.  The biggest thing is that they are bringing different approaches to problem-solving.  It is clear they want to be involved in problem-solving and shaping the basic vision of their corporations. 

 4.      Generally speaking, what do you see as the strengths of young professionals?  What areas do you think could use improvement?

 There’s no question the strengths are the energy and creativity.  I think engagement is an area that has to be worked on.  Everybody who comes here for a professional position has to recognize that there are opportunities for them to be engaged in the community.  In so doing, they will enhance their role with their various organizations as well.

 5.      What advice would you give to young professionals?

I want them recognize that their work extends beyond 9 to 5.  I don’t expect them to work overtime all the time, but people have to understand that after 5 is a time to get to know their community, get to know their peers, network for other job opportunities as they see themselves in a position to move.  Everybody needs to get as engaged as possible beyond their work environment.  They need to  take advantage of whatever network they’ve established within that work environment and grow it to where they’re either going to accomplish more for their current employer or take those skills elsewhere to move up the ladder.  I’m not necessarily saying you have to join a board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club as a 23-year-old.  It may mean being active in your church or joining the parent-teacher board.  Everybody has an opportunity at every stage of their life to make a contribution, and it’s absolutely critical that anyone with a long-term commitment to this community get as involved as they can as early as possible.

6.      How does Current’s mission reflect and advance the mission of the Chamber?

 Our mission at the chamber is community and economic development.  Workforce development is a critical component of that.  We need to grow beyond our reputation as a good family community and emphasize that we can be a community that is exciting to young people as well.  As we see Current grow, it gives the Chamber and employers an opportunity to broadcast that success as we recruit other young professionals.  In other words a good thing becomes a great thing, and then a great thing becomes the best thing.  With that in mind, we must continue to build and understand that Current is only going to be as good as the commitment that young professionals are willing to make. 

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

10.15.2007 Current = Leadership

A common misconception of young professional networks is that they exist to promote a strictly social agenda. Hold the phone…not so! Young professional networks are so much more. A common mantra is attraction and retention of young talent. But what’s often missed is the leadership development component. By providing activities that connect young talent with other community leaders and events that educate on topics such as proper board management, young professionals in the Greater Green Bay Area are poised to take the reins from those ready to step down. The next time you think about Current, I would challenge you to think about all the ways Current can work to help young talent contribute to their communities and hone their leadership skills. It’s a process, but we’re up to the challenge!

10.03.2007 Challenge Your Business

In my last entry, I wrote about some of the positives to living in the Green Bay area as a young professional.  I think one of the things many people, myself included, love about this community is the values at its core: hard work, honesty, integrity.  These values permeate the businesses and community organizations in this area, and I would never want to see these values lost in order to improve the bottom line.  But I sometimes wonder if businesses in this area are afraid of change.  In my short time as a young professional in this area (just over two years), I have found that many organizations seem slow to adapt to new ways of doing business such as maintaining an up-to-date website.  As young professionals, we have grown up with the internet and the various business opportunities it provides (blogs, podcasts, peer-to-peer networking, etc.).  But like the more experienced people we work for, we appreciate the values upon which this community is founded.  Because of this unique position, we have the opportunity to challenge business and community leaders to try new things, while continuing to promote the values that make Green Bay the community that it is. 

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

 09.25.2007 Get Motivated

09.11.2007 Live First, Work Second

Unlike previous generations, one of the distinctive marks of today’s young professionals is their willingness to choose a place to live, and then find work.  With this in mind, it is easy to see why Green Bay has a hard time competing with cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, or others.  However, when I attended a Current event for the first time, I found that there are many young people who not only live in Green Bay, but are making the effort to get involved in their community. 

So what is it that makes Green Bay desirable to young professionals?  I think there are a couple of obvious reasons, one being that Green Bay is nationally recognized as a desirable place to raise a family.  Another asset is the year-round recreational activities in or near Green Bay.  To me, though, the greatest asset that Green Bay offers to young professionals is not as obvious: its size.  On the surface the size of Green Bay does not seem to be an asset to draw young professionals, but I find that Green Bay’s size allows individuals to make a real contribution.  I was sitting at a meeting last night, and I kept thinking to myself how exciting it is that the decisions I was helping make were actually going to impact the community.  As a young professional, I cannot think of anything more I could want than the opportunity to make a real difference, and Green Bay is an ideal place to do so.

Peter Weiss
Nicolet National Bank

09.07.2007 Let's Get Started

Young professional networks are popping up all over the country and with good reason. As Rebecca Ryan put it, we’re “The Next Generation’s Rotary Club.” Most young professionals aren’t interested in their parent’s social networks and are looking for something with more substance. It gets to the heart of why Current exists, for professional development and social networking opportunities. As Current continues to evolve, we undoubtedly will continue to evaluate the needs and demands of our membership. Over the past year, we’ve focused on social networking to help grow our membership and create access between members. As the next year unfolds, I look forward to creating programming that will allow for more professional development opportunities. This blog is one way I feel we can meet that goal.  By offering entries that discuss current issues related to young professionals, my hope is to highlight some of the national issues and connect them with what is going on in the Green Bay area.  I encourage you to check back often to see what we have to offer.  If you are new to Current, or stumbled across us, look around the website to find more information about who we are and what we do.

Brian Johnson
Current, Program Manager
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce