The Adirondack Young Professionals Organization

The Adirondack Young Professionals Organization will give you a reason why you should start a life in the North Country

Story by Hugh Barry

When you think of the Adirondack region, you probably think of farms, mountains, and wildlife. If you ever decided to move here, it would most likely be for reasons of retirement or just getting away from the city life. But what if you could start a professional career here at a young age?

That is the exact goal of the Adirondack Young Professionals Organization. They were organized a little less than a year ago and have provided numerous opportunities for young adults to begin professional careers in the Adirondack region.

"Our main purpose is to give people a place to network with other people and businesses."

"Our mission is to create opportunities for young professionals to network, socialize, and serve the Adirondack community," Chairman Michael Cashman says.

The organization covers four counties: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton.

"We want to encourage individuals to stay in the region and encourage individuals to come to the region," Cashman says. "Our membership will lead the region's diverse cultural and economic renaissance."

When the organization was developed last year, they were previously known as hYPe. The name hYPe was used for two or three different organizations across the United States and was not a unique name for the organization.

"We wanted a name that would be recognizable to the area we're serving," Keri Mack, secretary to the board of directors, says. "There are no other Adirondacks, and that's why we chose it. It involves the area we live in."

The organization wants to do everything in its power to make them recognizable to everyone in the Adirondack region. They want young people to know that there are plenty of opportunities up in this area.

"Our main purpose is to give people a place to network with other people and businesses," Mack says. "A lot of young people are not aware of us. We want to fill the void in that spot."

One of the main reasons many young individuals have not taken certain available opportunities is due to Brain Drain. Brain Drain is the movement of young trained and talented people to other locations due to conflicts and lack of opportunities in the current location where they are residing.

"We're trying to make this area a place you'd like to stay and not leave."

"We have experienced Brain Drain," Mack says. "It has been wide-spread throughout the entire U.S. Even cities like Boston have experienced it."

Organizations just like ADK YP have been developing all over the United States to prevent Brain Drain from getting worse.

"People grow up in certain communities, go to college, and never come back," Mack says. "We want to help find valuable opportunities for people in the communities they live in."

"We're trying to keep young professionals here," Vice President and member of ADK YP Sarah McCune says. "We're trying to make this area a place you'd like to stay and not leave."

McCune was born in Plattsburgh, but moved at a young age. It was only about twelve years ago that she decided to return and reside in the North Country.

"I have family here, and it is just a good place to get started again," McCune says. "I went back to school at SUNY Plattsburgh, and I never wanted to leave after that."

The area attracted McCune to stay and not leave, which is the main goal of ADK YP. And so far, the organization has been very successful.

"We've accelerated a great rate," McCune says. "It is not just this area we're trying to help. We've looked at areas in Vermont and areas down state."

ADK YP is trying to spread across the Northern Country looking for ways to connect with other young professional groups. They also have over 300 people in their e-mail list and usually have about thirty-five to forty people who attend the events they hold about every month. In the past they have raised money for JCEO Food Shelf and stopping Domestic Violence. They've also volunteered in gift wrapping for the Christmas Bureau.

ADK YP is also trying to identify themselves as a non-profit organization under status 5013C. This would prevent ADK YP from paying taxes and completely identifying them as a civic/servicing organization just like organizations such as the Red Cross.

For now, ADK YP is just trying to benefit the entire area by attracting these young professionals and creating new and exciting opportunities for them.

"We don't want people to come to us because we're near places such as Burlington or Montreal," Cashman says. "It's exciting to have these places near us, but we want people to see what makes us, us. We identify the greater Adirondack area with things such as hiking, the lake and our great cultural diversity."

How would you feel about starting a profession in the North Country?