This month YPN encourages you to:

• Read about the YPN year from our chair, Steve Grandizio..
• Recap YPN’s July networking event about Philadelphia development at McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park.
• Attend the fifth annual ImPAct young professional’s statewide conference.
• Recognize the outstanding work of the 2006 – 2007 YPN board members.

A Word from our chair,
Steve Grandizio

Everyday, I wake up and ask myself how I can make an impact… on my business, on my clients, on my family, on our community. I firmly believe that, if we all shared in that goal, Philadelphia would be an even more amazing place. So, when we began the year, I asked myself “how can I make an impact on YPN?”

With this question in mind last September, I laid out a vision for the 2006-2007 year. This vision was summed up in the theme Gaining Knowledge. Building Relationships. My goal was to get back to the basics of why YPN was established over 10 years ago- to be a place that introduces Philadelphia’s next generation of leaders to the newest venues in the city and allows them to hear speakers to whom they would not ordinarily have access. So, how did we do?

Gaining Knowledge. Starting with our opening event at the Moshulu in September where Chamber President Mark Schweiker stressed the importance of YPN, our monthly events have featured some of the most influential Philadelphians articulating messages from community involvement and volunteering to leadership. Some of the most notable guests included Sharon Pinkinson, Meryl Levitz, Sonny Hill, Phil Martelli, Greg Goldman and Peter Longstreth. These individuals represent the absolute best that our great city has to offer.

No event better represents YPN’s commitment to deliver value to our membership than this May’s Success in the City event at the HUB Cira Center. Daniel Stern (Rae and Gayle), Matthew Izzo (Matthew Izzo Shops), Scott Palmer (Phillies) and Kenny Gamble (Universal Properties) inspired us with their success stories and encouraged all of us to strive to reach our goals, no matter how lofty they may seem.

Building Relationships. In September (and every chance I get), I mentioned that over 40% of my business can be traced back to my involvement with YPN. This didn’t happen because I tried to get a “deal” at every event. This happened because I have been fortunate enough to develop many lasting relationships over the years. Knowing this, I challenged each and everyone present that night to work towards developing lasting relationships and friendships with fellow YPN members. I trust that the vast majority of our group has done that and will continue to do so for many years to come.

In my (admittedly biased) opinion, we stayed focused on our theme and met our initiatives. In fact, I think we went one step further. This year, more than any other, we could have added Changing Lives to our theme. There is no doubt in my mind that YPN’s work in adopting McClure Elementary School in North Philadelphia made a tremendous impact on the lives of those students. Did we reach them all? No, but even if we changed just one life, it was worth every minute spent and every dollar donated.

So, thank you if you participated in that program. I would love to take credit, but our amazingly committed Volunteer Committee headed by board members Stephanie Gambone and Andrew Pack deserve all of the credit and should be recognized. I’m extremely excited that they have decided to continue our work with McClure in the 2007-08 YPN calendar year. Great work guys!

All of the visions and ideas would never become reality without the ongoing support of our sponsors. So, thank you to the Saint Joe’s Haub School of Business, TD Banknorth, and GPTMC’s www.uwishunu.com. Please continue to patronize their fine organizations!

So, what’s next? Well, YPN is in great hands. In fact, I would argue that our next leader comes with the strongest skill set of any that we have had. The Chair for the upcoming year, Anne Madonia is a partner at one of the top law firms on the East Coast, Cozen O’Connor and one of the most talented minds on our board. I chose Anne over a year ago to follow in my footsteps because I knew that we shared my vision to make YPN the top Young Professional group in the city and one of the top in the entire United States. I have no doubt that Anne will take the baton that I have carried and run at world-record speed towards achieving that goal.

Lastly, before I close, I want to recognize three outgoing board members that have served their five-year commitment to the board and will be sorely missed. The impact that they have made on YPN will be felt for generations to come. I speak on behalf of the board, staff and entire membership in thanking Pat Mullen, John White and Chris Sheridan for your tireless work to make YPN what it is today. You each will be missed.

So, I leave everyone with a daily goal to always strive to do better. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Join a board, volunteer in your community, start a business, donate to a cause that is important to you… most of all, go into each and every day looking to make an impact! Thank you for an amazing opportunity to lead this wonderful organization. It’s an experience that I will never forget. See you in September!

Recap YPN’s networking event at McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park

The Young Professionals Network was at McFadden’s at Citizens Bank Park last month. The event focused on development within Philadelphia with Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation’s Peter Longstreth heading the conversation. During the question and answer portion, Peter was faced with questions regarding residential, professional, and entertainment development within the city.

The event was also the introduction for the YPN’s 2007 – 2008 new board members. YPN is proud to introduce its 6 new board members: Allison Bean, Wolf, Block, Schorr, and Solis-Cohen LLP; Amy Gorman, Moshulu Restaurant; Tina Greco, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust; Mai-Linh Hoang, SilverFlame Comunications; Sarah Talasnik, Rue Insurance; and Cassimer Thomas, Johnson, Kendall & Johnson, Inc. It was a good night for the Young Professionals Network and we look forward to seeing you at our next networking event on September 25th.

The Fifth Annual ImPAct Young Professionals Statewide Conference

The fifth ImPAct young professionals statewide conference will be held September 28-30, 2007 in Pittsburgh, PA. Heinz Field will serve as the venue as hundreds of young professionals from across the Commonwealth come together to discuss common issues, share success stories and meet other dynamic young professionals. Highlights of the conference include an opening reception on Pittsburgh’s Riverwatch complex, a keynote address by Chris Heinz, panel discussions with Google and CareerBuilder, and a happy hour and baseball game at PNC Park, all with the backdrop of a weekend for networking and socializing with other young professionals. GET ENERGIZED! GET MOBILIZED! MAKE AN IMPACT!

For more information about ImPAct 2007, including the conference agenda and speakers, go to www.payoungprofessionals.com.  Register by July 1st and you’ll get a discounted rate!

Thank You to our 2007 – 2008 Board Members

The YPN would like to recognize the efforts of this year’s board members. The effort they gave to the Young Professionals Network was second to none. For those who are leaving the board, we wish you the best in your future endeavors. For those who will be joining the board for another year, we hope that your dedication will remain as high as ever. Finally, for those new to the board; the expectations are lofty, but we are sure that you will not only meet them, you will go above and beyond. The 2006 – 2007 board is as follows:

David Abrams - Blank Rome LLP
Kevin Cafferky - Philadelphia: OIC
Stephanie Gambone - Philadelphia Youth Network
Ashlee Godshalk - Lincoln Financial Distributors
Kara Givnish ESM - Productions
Steve Grandizio - Friendly Mortgage
Anne Madonia - Cozen O'Connor
Stephanie C. Mangino - Tierney Communications
Scott Mardis
Heather Quinn - TD Banknorth
Patrick Mullen - Johnson, Kendall, & Johnson
Maria Quattrone - Coldwell Banker Preferred
Andrew Pack - Variety Club
Bernadette C. Pitts - Medical Broadcasting
Christopher Sheridan - Committee of Seventy
Peter Shrier - Seligsohn Soens Hess
Michael Stalbaum - Unreal Marketing Solutions
Nick Willert - The Siegfried Group
John White - Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Lawrence Williams - NRM International, LLC

Are you a new member of YPN?

Want to meet other new members and get an overview of the organization? Join YPN Board members John White and Lawrence Williams on the first Wednesday of every month at the Chamber for YPN New Member Orientation.

The next YPN New Member Orientation will be on Wednesday, September 5th at 5:30PM. The orientation is an hour and will be held at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce located at 200 S. Broad Street (Broad & Walnut) on the 7th floor. Please confirm your attendance by emailing your contact information to ypn@greaterphilachamber.com.