The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the creation of “hYPe: Helping Young Professionals Excel,” a new program for young professionals between the ages of 21 and 40 in Bloomington, Indiana. Slated as one of The Chamber’s new programs for 2011, hYPe will facilitate professional and personal development while encouraging networking for young professionals who live, learn, work, or play in Bloomington.
“As a community, Bloomington has taken positive steps to define and nurture business growth opportunities, and we see hYPe as a great way to help retain the immense talent that our local universities and organizations produce,” says Christy Gillenwater, President and CEO of The Chamber. “By connecting our young professionals to others and providing paths to continued professional development, The Chamber is actively creating our next generation of leaders.”
The hYPe program officially launches on January 20, 2011 with a special kick-off event at KRC Catering and Banquets from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The event is free and is open to individuals between the ages of 21 and 40 years old.
The event will feature networking activities and a special presentation by Scott Wise, founder and owner of Scotty’s Brewhouse, who will discuss being a young entrepreneur and share business advice with attendees. Steve Bryant, Executive Director of the Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington, will emcee the evening’s activities. Hors d’oeuvers will be served throughout the event and a cash bar will be available.
“The Chamber plans to hold future hYPe events on the second Wednesday of every month,” explains Gillenwater. “Events will alternate focus on professional development and personal development, and all of them will include ample time to network and meet other young professionals in Bloomington.”
The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce extends its thanks to professional development series sponsor Solution Tree, and event sponsor KRC Catering and Banquets for their generous support of this new initiative. More sponsorship opportunities are still available for this year’s calendar of events. Contact DeJohn Rose at drose@chamberbloomington.org or (812) 336-6381 for more information.
To register to attend the first event visit http://tinyurl.com/hYPeLaunch, or sign up to be added to the mailing list by filling out a participant information sheet and returning it to hype@chamberbloomington.org. You can also find more information about hYPe on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/hYPeBTOWN, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hYPeBloomington.