Contact: Brian Johnson, (920) 593-3408; bjohnson@titletown.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Green Bay, Wis.- (Mar 28, 2008)- Leaderfest 2008 at UW- Fond du Lac was a hit with young professionals – teaming the unlikely combination of beer and business.
That’s because Leaderfest’s keynote speaker was Dick Leinenkugel, vice president of sales and marketing for Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, who spoke to the challenges of business and marketing as well as the many opportunities that business owners need to seize. He shared insights on what the Leinenkugel family did to grow what began as a small craft brewery in 1867 into the nationally known brewer it is today.
More than 200 people – and eight local young professional groups – turned out for the event. In addition to the keynote speaker, they took advantage of breakout sessions on topics such as ethnic diversity, communication colors and generations in the workplace.
Melinda Pollen, program manager for Youth Apprenticeship (YA) at the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, found the generations in the workplace break-out session very valuable. As the administrator of the YA program, she pairs mentors at businesses with interested high school students who want to obtain some hands-on, real-world experience in a field of interest ranging from automotive to nursing.
“The speaker was ‘spot on’ with what we’re seeing in the workforce and what I see when placing YA students with experienced mentors,” she said. “How they learn and what they want to learn is different than other generations, and helpful to me in my approach with companies, students and educators as well.”
Tamara Rozmarynowski, corporate communications, Wisconsin Public Service, enjoyed both the generational breakout session as well as communication colors. The two seemingly different topics weren’t so different after all, she said. “Communication Colors really talked about how everyone has a different style of communication, and the key to communicating with people is understanding their style. That really tied in with the generational workshop, which explained that different generations communicate, think and operate differently.”
On a broader note, attendees benefited from the networking opportunities inherent in an event like Leaderfest. In particular, Brian Johnson, program manager of Current, Green Bay’s young professional network, said the regionalism of the event is one of its most valuable assets. “It allows communities within The New North to break down silos and promote a stronger, more vibrant region through the sharing of resources and human capital,” he said. “There are many resources available outside of Green Bay that we can take advantage of, and Leaderfest is one opportunity to discover those resources that can contribute to our local success.”
This was the second annual Leaderfest. Current is scheduled to host the leadership event in 2009. __________________________________________________________________________________________
Established in 1882, the mission of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic and community development. Chamber programs include Advance, Partners in Education, Leadership Green Bay, Brown County Teen Leadership, Current--the Young Professionals Network, Good Government Council, the International Business Development Consortium and the Small Business Council.
