May 11th article in the Times Herald:
New group helps lead community
The declaration, "I will stay if ..." probably applies to more than our community's young professionals. When members of this demographic group utter those words, people take notice.
Mobility often diminishes the more we age. Staying in one place becomes more important when we are raising our families. Picking up stakes means disrupting our children's lives with new schools, new friends and a new community in which to fit in.
Options for leaving a community are strongest when you're in your 20s and 30s. For residents in that age category who have college degrees and skills that garner comfortable salaries and promise substantial contributions to the communities, they choose, the declaration carries a resonance that's difficult to ignore.
"Young urban professional" is a term that has become cliché through the years, but that isn't true for the people the term was created to identify.
Communities measure their health -- economically, culturally, educationally and socially -- by the presence of young professionals. When their numbers are large, their community's future has greater promise.
The emergence of the Blue Water Young Professionals, therefore, is a promising development. The group's "I will stay if ..." campaign drew nearly 200 participants to a launch party last month at the Vintage Tavern in downtown Port Huron.
For some time now, Blue Water Area residents young and old have been engaged in a discussion about the community's future -- and it isn't the first time attention has been devoted to the importance of young professionals.
The Cool Cities initiative Jennifer Granholm launched during her first term as governor was premised on revitalizing cities by attracting young professionals largely through the arts. Studio 1219, an arts incubator in downtown Port Huron, is the most tangible result.
Today, the arts community is an established Blue Water Area asset and a testament to the Cool Cities program.
The Young Professionals are a welcome addition. They promise to expand the Blue Water Area's commitment to reinventing itself.
Responses to "I will stay if ..." were collected at the group's Vintage Tavern launch party. They are expected to be presented May 20.
When Blue Meets Green, a collaboration of St. Clair County's, business, government and civic leaders, is working to create a plan for economic development. Blue Water Young Professionals are welcome participants.
It's difficult to predict exactly how our community will increase its prospects, but it is certain that young professionals are essential leaders in that development process.
"I will stay if ..." is an important wake-up call, and our community's young professionals are best suited to make it.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
"Young professionals hope campaign generates ideas"
April 22nd article in the Times Herald:
"Young professionals hope campaign generates ideas"
A simple question brought together residents Thursday night.
Community leaders, students and professionals packed into Vintage Tavern's upper deck for the Blue Water Young Professionals' "I Will Stay If ..." launch party.
The campaign -- which asks participants to complete the "I Will Stay If ..." slogan -- is designed to create ideas to make the area more appealing.
About 185 people attended, and most completed the "I Will Stay If ..." phrase, said Jackie Hanton, co-chairwoman of the young professionals group and a trust officer at First Michigan Bank in Port Huron.
"We were absolutely blown away by the attendance," Hanton said. "We were thrilled with all the responses."
The project started as an effort of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange -- a network of young leaders in the Great Lakes region.
A.J. Armbruster, chairman of the young professionals group, said many attending hoped to have their voices heard through the campaign.
The event's keynote speaker, Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, said leaders should take note of the ideas being generated by young professionals.
"The community should listen and embrace what comes out of this," Pavlov said. "We will have to reform and reinvent Michigan around the knowledge base that the young professionals possess."
Those attending completed the "I Will Stay If ..." phrase in varying ways.
Jody Parmann and Sadaat Hossain, a married couple from Port Huron, said they wanted to see the community recruit and foster original and creative businesses downtown.
Heather Scott, 30, of Fort Gratiot said she would stay if Port Huron promoted healthy lifestyles and embraced growth and learning for people of all ages.
In the next week, the young professionals group will compile answers submitted through the campaign, Hanton said. The answers will be presented to people developing the "Where Blue Meets Green" economic development plan for St. Clair County.
Scott said she looked forward to the next step in the project.
"Hopefully we'll see that some of these ideas are put into action and give us hope," she said.
Contact Julianne Mattera at (810) 989-6275 or jmattera@gannett.com.
"Young professionals hope campaign generates ideas"
A simple question brought together residents Thursday night.
Community leaders, students and professionals packed into Vintage Tavern's upper deck for the Blue Water Young Professionals' "I Will Stay If ..." launch party.
The campaign -- which asks participants to complete the "I Will Stay If ..." slogan -- is designed to create ideas to make the area more appealing.
About 185 people attended, and most completed the "I Will Stay If ..." phrase, said Jackie Hanton, co-chairwoman of the young professionals group and a trust officer at First Michigan Bank in Port Huron.
"We were absolutely blown away by the attendance," Hanton said. "We were thrilled with all the responses."
The project started as an effort of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange -- a network of young leaders in the Great Lakes region.
A.J. Armbruster, chairman of the young professionals group, said many attending hoped to have their voices heard through the campaign.
The event's keynote speaker, Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, said leaders should take note of the ideas being generated by young professionals.
"The community should listen and embrace what comes out of this," Pavlov said. "We will have to reform and reinvent Michigan around the knowledge base that the young professionals possess."
Those attending completed the "I Will Stay If ..." phrase in varying ways.
Jody Parmann and Sadaat Hossain, a married couple from Port Huron, said they wanted to see the community recruit and foster original and creative businesses downtown.
Heather Scott, 30, of Fort Gratiot said she would stay if Port Huron promoted healthy lifestyles and embraced growth and learning for people of all ages.
In the next week, the young professionals group will compile answers submitted through the campaign, Hanton said. The answers will be presented to people developing the "Where Blue Meets Green" economic development plan for St. Clair County.
Scott said she looked forward to the next step in the project.
"Hopefully we'll see that some of these ideas are put into action and give us hope," she said.
Contact Julianne Mattera at (810) 989-6275 or jmattera@gannett.com.
Friday, April 22, 2011
"Group Tackles Area Appeal"
Follow this link to see more about the event turn-out as reported by the Times Herald.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011104220310
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011104220310
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Young professionals group works to wake area to its potential
The Port Huron Times Herald put the Young Professionals on the front page!
Follow this link to read more.
Young professionals group works to wake area to its potential
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker for the event is Phil Pavlov.
Serving his first term, Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, was elected to the Michigan Senate in November 2010, following three terms in the House of Representatives. Pavlov chairs the Senate Education Committee and serves as vice chair of the Senate Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee.
Before serving in the House, Pavlov was elected to the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners in 2001, where he served as chair of the Environmental and Public Affairs Committee.
While in the Michigan House, Pavlov maintained one of the best attendance and voting records in the Legislature. Pavlov saw fifteen of his bills passed into law and he co-sponsored many more. He served on nine different committees and two task forces, and held leadership roles in both.
A Port Huron native, Pavlov graduated from St. Clair High School and later attended St. Clair Community College, where he studied business administration before joining the family transportation business.
For fourteen years, Pavlov owned and operated Dexter Equipment Company, specializing in medium to heavy duty truck sales and heavy equipment repair.
Pavlov lives in St. Clair Township and is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the National Rifle Association, Blue Water Sportsmen’s Association and Knights of Columbus. Additionally, Pavlov is a former St. Clair Little League and Junior Football coach.
You may get to know more about him at his page "Meet Phil"
Serving his first term, Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, was elected to the Michigan Senate in November 2010, following three terms in the House of Representatives. Pavlov chairs the Senate Education Committee and serves as vice chair of the Senate Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee.
Before serving in the House, Pavlov was elected to the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners in 2001, where he served as chair of the Environmental and Public Affairs Committee.
While in the Michigan House, Pavlov maintained one of the best attendance and voting records in the Legislature. Pavlov saw fifteen of his bills passed into law and he co-sponsored many more. He served on nine different committees and two task forces, and held leadership roles in both.
A Port Huron native, Pavlov graduated from St. Clair High School and later attended St. Clair Community College, where he studied business administration before joining the family transportation business.
For fourteen years, Pavlov owned and operated Dexter Equipment Company, specializing in medium to heavy duty truck sales and heavy equipment repair.
Pavlov lives in St. Clair Township and is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the National Rifle Association, Blue Water Sportsmen’s Association and Knights of Columbus. Additionally, Pavlov is a former St. Clair Little League and Junior Football coach.
You may get to know more about him at his page "Meet Phil"
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
GLUE and the Blue Water Young Professional's (BWYP)
Port Huron's "I Will Stay If..." launch party is on April 21, from 5-7p.m at Vintage Tavern, downtown Port Huron.
Hors Devours Provided! Cash Bar. We can't wait to have you join us on the Vintage Tavern Roof Top Bar!
The “I Will Stay If...” campaign is a project of GLUE, the Great Lakes Urban Exchange. GLUE is a growing network of young leaders who are committed to the revitalization of the cities of the Great Lakes region, through building a constituency, sharing information, telling our stories, and advocating for what our cities need. Port Huron will join other Michigan cities who have participated in this campaign like Detroit, Grand Rapids and soon Lansing who is also planning a launch party.
The launch party entails an informal evening to take photos with your written response to “I Will Stay If…” The photos and information collected at this event will allow GLUE and the Blue Water Young Professional’s (BWYP) to elevate the voices of our cities' residents about what they want our cities to be. When people ask, "What do people want? How do we keep them here?" we will have a catalogue of powerful answers. We expect diverse, thoughtful, and forward-thinking responses. We look at each of the photos we collect as mini-stories.
BWYP’s, host of the event, are active members of the local business community, ages 21-35, that are dedicated to enhancing our local economy and opportunities. It is through the support of and partnerships with organizations such as the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce, the Port Huron Economic Development Alliance and our involvement in St. Clair County's Blue Meets Green economic plan that we hope to host a wildly successful launch party in April that reaches hundreds of our local citizens.
Hors Devours Provided! Cash Bar. We can't wait to have you join us on the Vintage Tavern Roof Top Bar!
The “I Will Stay If...” campaign is a project of GLUE, the Great Lakes Urban Exchange. GLUE is a growing network of young leaders who are committed to the revitalization of the cities of the Great Lakes region, through building a constituency, sharing information, telling our stories, and advocating for what our cities need. Port Huron will join other Michigan cities who have participated in this campaign like Detroit, Grand Rapids and soon Lansing who is also planning a launch party.
The launch party entails an informal evening to take photos with your written response to “I Will Stay If…” The photos and information collected at this event will allow GLUE and the Blue Water Young Professional’s (BWYP) to elevate the voices of our cities' residents about what they want our cities to be. When people ask, "What do people want? How do we keep them here?" we will have a catalogue of powerful answers. We expect diverse, thoughtful, and forward-thinking responses. We look at each of the photos we collect as mini-stories.
BWYP’s, host of the event, are active members of the local business community, ages 21-35, that are dedicated to enhancing our local economy and opportunities. It is through the support of and partnerships with organizations such as the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce, the Port Huron Economic Development Alliance and our involvement in St. Clair County's Blue Meets Green economic plan that we hope to host a wildly successful launch party in April that reaches hundreds of our local citizens.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Information about the "I Will Stay If.." Campaign from GLUEspace.org
The I Will Stay If... campaign is a project of GLUE, the Great Lakes Urban Exchange. GLUE is a growing network of young leaders who are committed to the revitalization of the cities of the Great Lakes region, through building a constituency, sharing information, telling our stories, and advocating for what our cities need.
Since November of 2007, GLUE has gotten to know thousands of people across the region, from Milwaukee to Buffalo, and from Flint to Pittsburgh, and we've learned that what people care about isn't just cooler coffee houses and music venues. Rather, it's a long-term, sustainable and equitable vision for your city.
But it's not enough for GLUE to tell our city and state leaders what we're finding. We have to show them.
The I Will Stay If... campaign will collect, analyze, and disseminate images of people who live in Great Lakes cities holding a poster that finishes the sentence "I will stay if..." We expect diverse, thoughtful, and forward-thinking responses, in line with the impressions that GLUE has informally been collecting since its inception.
We will use the images collected in a variety of ways, including advocacy efforts run by GLUE and our partners. But most importantly, the IWSI images will allow GLUE to elevate the voices of our cities' residents about what they want our cities to be. When people ask, "What do people want? How do we keep them here?" GLUE will have a catalog of powerful answers.
We look at each of the photos we collect as mini-stories. And we want your voice to play a role in shaping the larger stories of our cities.
Please join us. Tell your story, share your idea, in your words. What will make YOU stay?
Since November of 2007, GLUE has gotten to know thousands of people across the region, from Milwaukee to Buffalo, and from Flint to Pittsburgh, and we've learned that what people care about isn't just cooler coffee houses and music venues. Rather, it's a long-term, sustainable and equitable vision for your city.
But it's not enough for GLUE to tell our city and state leaders what we're finding. We have to show them.
The I Will Stay If... campaign will collect, analyze, and disseminate images of people who live in Great Lakes cities holding a poster that finishes the sentence "I will stay if..." We expect diverse, thoughtful, and forward-thinking responses, in line with the impressions that GLUE has informally been collecting since its inception.
We will use the images collected in a variety of ways, including advocacy efforts run by GLUE and our partners. But most importantly, the IWSI images will allow GLUE to elevate the voices of our cities' residents about what they want our cities to be. When people ask, "What do people want? How do we keep them here?" GLUE will have a catalog of powerful answers.
We look at each of the photos we collect as mini-stories. And we want your voice to play a role in shaping the larger stories of our cities.
Please join us. Tell your story, share your idea, in your words. What will make YOU stay?
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