Q & A with Michael Robinson and Gary Sheehan, co-founders of the Cape Cod Young Professionals
Why did you create the Cape Cod Young Professionals organization?
We thought it was important to try to unite the future leaders of the Cape as early as possible, and that the ability of the younger professionals to connect will produce residual benefits well into the future.
After a year, how has the organization grown?
We have an e-mail list of 325 people. Community and local business support and involvement have been more than we ever imagined. We also put together a very influential board of directors.
Our primary growth driver has been word of mouth; people come to the events and leave having had a great time and been truly surprised at the numbers. They then reach into their networks and spread the word. Young people definitely see the merits in networking.
What are its members seeking from the group?
We have a range of people looking for a range of benefits, with the overreaching one to get connected to their peers. We have people interested in finding peers, researching possible leads, promoting their business or nonprofit organization, or just going out and having a good time among a crowd that is decidedly younger than your average Cape Cod business gathering.
Our mission focuses on connecting, having a voice, creating a social network and educating the community about issues most critical to young professionals, uppermost being affordable workplace housing.
We are the current and future leaders of a community we love. People often talk about young adults as if they are an isolated group that nobody understands how to reach. We are here, we are vocal, and we have a lot to contribute to the conversation about critical aspects of the Cape’s economy, culture and environment.
What are the goals of the network over the next year?
We are working to set up bylaws, increase membership, create a scholarship program associated with the Community Leadership Institute, begin a breakfast series with local CEOs and improve our Web site (www.capecodyoungprofessionals.org).
The challenge in the future will be to identify other leaders who will remain passionate about the organization and dedicate the time necessary to advance the group. At some point, we – as founders – will have to walk away from day-to-day operations, hopefully after we know CCYP is well positioned for tremendous success in the future.
What gauntlets do young professionals on the Cape face?
Affordable workplace housing is the giant barrier. The cost of a single-family home vs. the average wage of young individuals doesn't add up. The tremendous rise in home prices over recent years has put owning a home out of reach for so many young individuals.
In addition, there can be a lack of exciting professional opportunities available here on the Cape for the younger professional who is looking to work hard and achieve tremendous professional success.
A certain amount of this last problem may be a perception or bias issue; people have always heard there are no jobs here so they believe it to be true. We keep ourselves very connected in the business community and constantly hear about exciting opportunities with small, growing companies that would be perfect for an intelligent young professional.
What can employers do to recruit and retain young professionals?
Many employers have found that hiring young people often creates a chain reaction by drawing in more young people. It is important for employers to take a look at how they are marketing to attract new employees. Web-based tools such as careerbuilder.com and monster.com are the future for recruitment.
There is a tremendous amount of accumulated business experience here on Cape Cod. If employers look to provide a career, not just a job, they will find there are a lot of intelligent, able young people who are eager to go the extra mile in search of success.
Do you see the Cape Cod Young Professionals growing into an organization that works to effect changes – from more affordable workforce housing to higher incomes or other economic incentives for young workers?
This is the vision of our organization. We aren’t quite there yet, but we hope to be as we continue to grow and organize. There are many issues that affect young people ranging from housing to careers, finances, legal issues, the environment.
It will be critical for us to get more involved – it is part of providing value to our membership and the community at large.
How would your characterize your membership?
Our members represent all industries and segments of the economy on Cape Cod. We have members who are in entry-level administrative positions as well as presidents and CEOs. Home-based businesses, employers in large businesses, for- and not-for-profit – it looks like most other professional organizations on the Cape; it is just a lot younger.
Mike Robinson is an executive at Rogers & Gray Insurance; Gary Sheehan is president of Cape Medical Supply
Originally published in the March/April 2007 issue of Cape Business
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