By Angela Moon, 2019 Young Professionals Network Chair

SARASOTA, Fla. (January 8, 2019) – Cheers to the New Year! Welcome to 2019, the 19th year in the 3rd millennium AND the 21st century; the last year of the 2010s and the Chinese Year of the Pig.

I’m honored to be writing my first article as the 2019 YPN Chair, introducing my “reign,” as I jokingly call it! This year will be focused on member engagement, recruitment, organization and growth of our committee. We just recently held our 2019 planning session, and I am impressed with the opinions that were shared and the ideas that were generated.

Our committee has big plans for the year! We are already planning dates, educational subjects, and speakers well into the second half of the year. We are very encouraged by the committee’s motivation to provide our members with events that will balance networking, education, and FUN!

As some of our founding members moved on to new endeavors, we welcomed MANY new faces in 2018. While it was so amazing to see, it was a bit concerning at first, as we were hoping for the same level of involvement and success that we‘ve seen in the past. However, both Brian Tresidder (2018 YPN Chair) and I were blown away by how these newbies dove in HEAD FIRST and pulled off an amazing 2018! We are both very proud of their efforts.

For 2019, plan to see even more YPN activity on social media! Plan to see more videos, and more ways for our members to interact within the network (without always having to come to an event or meeting). Plan on more ways to engage with each other, communicate, and HAVE FUN! We have also discussed better ways to recruit new members, introduce members to leadership opportunities, and better explain the benefits of being involved in YPN and the Association!

2019 YPN Chair Angela Moon sponsors the first Coffee Talk: Wake Up with YPN event.

Our newest event, “Coffee Talk: Wake up with YPN,” began in December and will continue on the first Wednesday of every month. This MORNING event went very well for a first-time event, offering coffee and lattes, and featuring Shana Hamel, Realtor® with Key Solutions Real Estate. Shana discussed business planning and great networking opportunities. We know these events will be a great addition to our yearly schedule and we hope to see you at one in the future! Our January event will focus on financial planning for Realtors®.

This month, we’re also bringing back Celebrity Bartending: Back to School Rally on January 17 at the Office Bar SRQ. We are raising money for the RASM Scholarship Fund, and we know that after the great feedback we received last year, this event will be even more successful! It was such a great way to get EVERYONE at the Association involved and this year’s lineup features bartenders like our RASM President, Amy Worth; Preferred Shore’s Robert Milligan; Maryellen Paterson of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty; Will McComb of Berlin Patten Ebling, and MANY MORE! Stay tuned on social media to find out all the details, ways you can earn gold stars, and start sponsoring.

I look forward to the best year yet! Our YPN predecessors have paved the way for success, and we will utilize everything we have learned and gained to make the YPN a success for years to come. Bring it on 2019! We are coming for you!