A new business group in Prince George is bringing together people early in their careers to network and to get to know the city better.
The Young Professionals of Prince George started with just five people but their last meeting had about 50 people in attendance.
"It's for people who have been here a few years or people who have just arrived to find each other and get to know who Prince George is as a city, how to find the things that interest you, and connect better for the business you're going to do," said Neil O'Farrell who recently arrived from Montreal to take a position at Initiatives Prince George.
At the other end of the group's spectrum is Tonianne Mynen, who was raised in Prince George but recently returned for a position at the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society. She said she saw the group as a key way "for young professionals to connect with community as well as each other. There are a lot of people in our position of wanting to help our the community we live in, but on a personal level just have fun."
The United Way's Elliot Layton moved here recently from Vancouver Island and said the emphasis within the group was to be casual about definitions of "young" and "professional" so as not to exclude valuable social or business interactions.
"There is a huge push for attracting new people to Prince George, but we see ourselves as more about retention," he said. "Great, you're here, welcome, now here's how you can plug into what's going on and get to know your peers. We want to become an institution in that, so we are recognized for what a group like this does for the business community."
The other co-founders include broadcaster Jennifer Lee from 101.3 The River, and IPG's Zishan Shah.
They attracted quite a crowd for their visioning meeting, as they brainstormed the direction they would collectively like to see the group take. They also got about 15 people together to clean up some ditches and boulevards on Earth Day.
Their next event is a rock climbing outing at the OverHang followed by a social mixer at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club lounge in the same building.
For more information on the group, look them up on Linked In or on Facebook.
