Young Professional Groups Build Relationships and More

Laura Lokey, Ken Oldham and Laura Rowles at joint happy hour event August 2 at Attaboy Beer.
PHOTO | Chelsea Selby, GGCC

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Group (GGCC) and Frederick County Chamber Generation Connect joined forces to bring its members together for a happy hour at Attaboy Beer in Frederick on August 2.

Over 100 emerging leaders attended the exclusive event. It was an enjoyable opportunity to meet some new faces, enjoy a cocktail and learn more about one another. The goal of the event was for members from both Chambers to engage with other like-minded business professionals to further their career, strengthen their professional image or just meet new friends.

While the business side of the networking was outstanding for sourcing new potential clients and developing mutually beneficial relationships, it was also a great success for multiple individuals who noted they could possibly see friendships developing soon.

“We want to support strong business to business networking,” said PJ Horan, Senior Partner, Mass Mutual Greater Washington “YPG events offer a unique opportunity to gain valuable perspective in a relaxed environment, of which I personally am enjoying. I thought the eclectic mix of personalities amongst the Gaithersburg-Germantown and Frederick Chambers combined truly provided for a fresh blend of conversation. Last night was a success.”

The evening was a little more than just building relationships, both Chambers united to make positive change by donating school supplies for United Way of Frederick County’s “Stuff the Bus”. Tons of folders, markers, pencils, notebooks, scissors, rulers and more lined Sanger Avenue in front of Attaboy Brewery. It was endearing to see so many emerging leaders donating items ensuring that children would have the essential supplies to begin the school year. “In 2016, over 1,500 FCPS students benefited from the drive, more than 77 collection sites were set up, and 33,000+ items were collected in five school buses,” according to the United Way website. United Way Frederick President and CEO Ken Oldham said this year’s goal is “ten school buses”. To learn more about the program and how you can assist visit: www.unitedwayfrederick.org/stuffthebus.

To learn more about the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber, visit us at: www.ggchamber.org. Twitter at @GGCCNEWS

To learn more about the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, visit them at: www.frederickchamber.org.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

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