The Chamber’s Talent Retention Coordinator, Katie Jones, who manages The Network, was a guest columnist recently for Springfield Business Journal. As many young professionals around the community are making the transition to working remotely, she had the opportunity to share some tips she and some members of our Leadership Council have learned.

One of the sectors with the biggest impact is higher education. There are more than 46,000 students in Springfield metro area higher ed institutions, from Missouri State University, Drury and Evangel to Ozarks Technical Community College, Cox College of Nursing & Health Sciences and Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. Those schools contribute millions of dollars to the local and regional economy each day.

Each year at the Holiday Soirée, members of The Network gather to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and look ahead to the new year in excitement and anticipation for what’s to come.

Attention members of The Network: We have an announcement you do not want to miss! Effective January 1, 2020, Network dues will increase to $150 per year, from the previous $100 (if you work for a start-up/freelance or a Chamber member company). If you work for a company that is not a Chamber member, dues will be increasing to $250, from the previous $200.

The Network is all about retaining the best and brightest talent in Springfield, whether that’s someone who grew up here their whole life, recently relocated, or just graduated from one of our universities-we believe Springfield is the perfect place for young professionals to build the life they’ve always dreamed of.

Springfield’s young professionals often tout their ability to be heard and have a seat at the table as one of our city’s biggest assets. They made that ability abundantly clear in two recent events – one here at the Chamber and one in the state Capitol.

For the past several months, Chamber staff has been working with Revel Advertising to come up with a new brand for The Network. This new brand will help young professionals share their stories about why it’s great to be a YP in Springfield.

Britton Jobe, a partner at Neale & Newman, LLP, was named The Network’s 2017 Young Professional of the Year at the organization’s Holiday Soirée.

Network members are often recognized with community accolades and now it’s time to honor one of our own with the 2017 Young Professional of the Year award!