An organization on one side of the Savannah River is inviting the next generation of business leaders to work together.
The Aiken Young Professionals (AYP) organization is offered by the Aiken Chamber of Commerce to young professionals between 22 and 39 years of age. The purpose is to attract, engage, and retain young leaders in Aiken County. It can be particularly beneficial for newcomers looking to meet people and build a local network of contacts.
“It’s really making those connections,” Whitney Goodwin told ABD. “We are incorporating some more activities and events this year, with panel discussions with past members or local leaders that have a big influence in the community. We’re really looking forward to doing some more with that to really kind of get a bigger reach with the young professionals.”
Byron Bush, President & CEO of BNB Solutions, LLC, and Bright & Bold Entertainment, has been an AYP member for nearly 15 years. He said the old adage is true: Your network is your net worth.
“In order for any person to progress, we have to be exposed to different environments, different people, and different information, and AYP does just that,” he said. “It exposes me to different people in the community, to different places in the community. I get different information from that exposure, which helps me to progress in many ways, professionally and personally.”
He said Aiken is home to people from all walks of life. Goodwin said that diversity also sums up the type of individual AYP can benefit.
“Individuals who have just started their own business. They’re working from home, doing online sales to folks who work at the (Savannah River) Site,” she explained. “We’ve got a wide range, which is great because you’re always meeting a new person and talking to people who are outside of your field, and that just makes for a more interesting conversation.”
Bush said while that a broad cross-section of individuals from different fields, it also benefits the community as a whole.
“When local people support local markets, you develop local wealth. And you can learn things together, do things together that you both like, which is a benefit to the community,” he said. “We have different events at different places, and different people show up, and there are so many friends that I have now today that I may not have had through AYP, and that helps the community in many different ways.”
Goodwin said a newly formed committee is looking at how best to expand the activities beyond events for just AYP members.
“We’ve got eight individuals who’ve got a lot of really great ideas, so, we’re just kind of trying to put pen to paper on what can work for the schedule this year and even into next year, of what we can start planning,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to having those kinds of one-off events. We already have a nonprofit night planned that we’re inviting some nonprofit groups to discuss what they’re doing in the community, so that our young professionals are more aware of what’s going on and how they can help.”
Currently, AYP meets on the third Thursday of each month. To learn more or to join, visit the organization’s Facebook page, or the AYP page on the Aiken Chamber website: https://www.aikenchamber.net/aikenyoungprofessionals
