Holland Young Professionals

Article courtesy of the Holland Sentinel - December 7, 2003

By ROBERT GOLD

When Stephanie Smith moved to Holland last year to take a job as an attorney, she didn’t know anyone in town. The 30-year-old Ohio State University Law School graduate made her share of friends, but her quest for finding people like her became much easier last week.

That is when Smith and her husband attended the first meeting of the Holland Young Professionals Tuesday at the Firehouse Bar and Grill. There she found a roomful of 21- to 35-year-olds ranging from doctors to furniture designers — people with similar work and educational backgrounds she could easily relate to.

That was a sharp change from the people she usually came across in downtown Holland, where she works for the law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd.

“You usually see more college students than young professionals,” Smith said, who grew up in the Chicago area. “I was very pleasantly surprised.”

Attracting young professionals to Holland — and convincing them to stay here — was identified as a key factor in promoting economic development by a Holland Area Chamber task force this summer. The Young Professionals group was formed in part to let other members of the “creative class” to know there are other people out there like them in Holland.

Barry Rice, who helped jump-start the group, said he understands why many Hope College students want to leave town after graduation.

“When I graduated, I was looking to move out,” Rice said, who finished his studies at Hope College in May. “I had enough of Holland.”

But Rice, 22, was won over by Worksighted, a Holland-based computer network and Web support company where he now works in sales and marketing. Since then, he has begun seeing Holland in a better light.

“You are kind of sequestered from others (in college),” Rice said. Both public and private economic development officials in Holland and around Michigan have identified the creation of more knowledge-based jobs as a way to combat the loss of manufacturing position. The city of Holland formed a “cool cities” task force in response to Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s effort to draw people to Michigan’s cities.

Rice, along with Worksighted co-founder Mat Nguyen and Robyn Wennersten of Woodland Realty, decided that young professionals needed a support network. “Create your own destiny, so that’s what we did,” Wennersten said.

While Wennersten said she was beyond the group’s age range, she has reason to be involved. As the relocation director for Woodland Realty, Wennersten helps sell the Holland area for local companies.

Wennersten said many young professionals want to know where they can connect with their peers.

“This will be a way for people to make new friends,” she said. The group’s specific goals are just being formed. Tuesday, members brainstormed numerous ideas. Some of their ideas for social events included rock climbing, dinner dances, golfing, wine tasting and bowling.

They also investigated holding informational seminars on topics such as history of Holland, how to network, home improvement and public speaking.

The group is looking to form a Web site, plus possibly work with groups such as the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Holland Area Arts Council. For Smith, Tuesday’s event was gratifying.

“It’s great to know there are people out there that enjoy the things that you enjoy,” she said.

People interested in the Holland Young Professionals can contact Barry Rice at rice@worksighted.com.