PORT TOWNSEND — A second mixer for a group dedicated to cultivating younger people’s entrepreneurial skills is planned tonight following the kickoff of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Network.
“This is a great idea,” said Heather Pollock, who recently opened Seagrass Coastal Home at 633 Water St. in downtown Port Townsend.
“It’s wonderful how businesses in this town support each other. Many owners of downtown stores have sent their customers in here.”
Chamber Executive Director Teresa Verraes and marketing consultant Jordan Smith created the Young Professionals Network, a subset of the chamber dedicated to cultivating the special needs of nascent businesses.
A mixer is planned from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today at the Alchemy Bistro and Wine Bar, 842 Washington St., Port Townsend.
The event is free for chamber members and $5 for guests.
“There is an unmet need to help young professionals build their business,” Verraes said.
“It’s challenging and isolating for young people to run a business and raise a family at the same time,” she said.
“Sometimes, they need a network where they can bounce ideas off of other people and be sure they are doing all of the right things.”
The first YPN mixer July 27 drew more than 130 people, not all of them chamber members or younger than 45.
Verraes said the event was “wildly successful” and provided a necessary way for people “to network and exchange business cards as a basis for future business relationships.”
Verraes doesn’t want the mixers, or by extension the YPN, to be all about age.
Instead, it will focus on the stages of people’s lives and what they need to grow their businesses at that time, she said.
Uptown Nutrition owner Suzy Carroll, 48, who briefly attended the last mixer, wrote Verraes a note encouraging the venture.
“This is an incredible opportunity to bring the younger generation, who are our future, into the chamber,” she wrote.
“Young entrepreneurs bring enthusiastic energy to the table that is not daunted by past experiences.”
The YPN plans to sponsor a mixer every month. But it’s not all about parties.
It also will present a “test lab” each month that helps participants cultivate a necessary skill.
The first test lab will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
Participants will discuss how people can “pitch” themselves and their businesses in a way that is comfortable and effective.
While there is a separate YPN mailing list, those who wish to join the network need only become chamber members.
Once the YPN grows, Verraes expects it to change the balance of the chamber membership, which will lower the average age of chamber members as a result.
Verraes said this will benefit all involved.
Veteran business owners get to pass on their knowledge, preventing younger entrepreneurs from making unnecessary mistakes.
“I’m thrilled this is happening,” Carroll said.
“Port Townsend is perceived as an aging city, so it’s wonderful to see a large group of young people develop their future.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
