Full disclosure first, OnMilwaukee.com is a founding member of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM), and I was its first full-time president. That being said, the organization -- now five years old -- is changing its name and has been elevating its mission: to establish the Milwaukee region as the place to live, work, learn, and play.

As YPM staff works through the details, attaining feedback from its volunteer base, a name change is in the works. The name will better reflect the bigger picture of the organization as well as some of the newer regional economic efforts like Milwaukee 7.

According to YPM staff, "We will continue to hold two events per month with the same feel, featuring exclusive locales and influential players. Our fall line-up includes Yaffa, an event introducing the candidates for Wisconsin governor, and the Milwaukee Bucks!"

The latest edition of the group's newsletter continues, "We will continue to engage a large number of volunteers including more members at-large beyond those representing our corporate members. We (also) will mobilize for action to improve our Magnetic Qualities -- those attributes of a community known to attract and retain young, diverse talent.

Continue to read OnMilwaukee.com for more details on the "new" YPM.

4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by OMCreader on Sept. 8, 2006 at 10:48 p.m. (report)

Gina said: YPM and this company, ONmilwaukee, are important for the area's future. What the people do with these relationships and ideas is what will drive where we go as a region. We also need more politicans who are younger and open to new ideas of collaboration.

Posted by OMCreader on Sept. 8, 2006 at 7:57 p.m. (report)

STB said: It is unfortunate that the individual who left the last message seemed to have enough time to complain about Milwaukee yet stated several times about how people don't have time to make a difference. If all you will do is sit back, point fingers, and complain about what is wrong with Milwaukee and expect someone like Rebecca Ryan to come in and save the day, we need fewer people like you here and more people like those in YPM who actually care about what this city becomes!

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 30, 2006 at 7:35 a.m. (report)

Emmy Acey said: Is this because YPM has finally failed as a dating service? Or is it because all those MMAC-sponsored mixers tragically contributed to Forbes ranking Milwaukee as America's most drunken city? Oh wait, it's a final acknowledgement that trying to be cool just never quite measures up to actually being cool! The MMAC long ago became a joke with the set of people actually creating jobs and those hip people who are cool, well, they're not exactly the sort of people who show up at corporate sponsored events, are they? This is just one more effort of underemployed people with college degrees reading some book or listening to some over-paid motivational speaker telling them about the next big thing that's going to solve all of their problems. (Gosh, where's Rebecca Ryan now that we really need her? Have you ever noticed that gurus have very little staying power?) The problems will only get solved when the community actually supports small business owners and the (practical) creative-types who are too busy to attend such gatherings. Cheerleaders were just great in high school, but they're mostly just a distraction when you get in the real world of having to create jobs and make a living. Sure YPM has been a good thing, but it's pretension to be the great thing that is leading the changes is just nonsense. It really is time for the Young Professional of Milwaukee to grow up but it seems we're all just too busy to do so.

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 24, 2006 at 3:18 p.m. (report)

Jackie Valent said: For those of you who were unsure about joining YPM in the past or who thought we were simply a social group, this is the time to get engaged and active in what this region becomes. With our new mission, we look to literally shape what this region will become; a hotbed for emerging, world-class talent. We have seen a tremendous evolution over our five years of existence and we are now poised to work collaboratively with regional leaders to make the Milwaukee region a "region of choice" for emerging talent. If you have any stake in what this region becomes (and that means anyone who lives or works in this region), you should look at this group and become an active participant!

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