As the sun began to set on the Tennessee Valley Region Thursday, the bright future of Athens and Limestone County still shined through — as a new community organization focused on serving others, promoting connections and empowering young leaders debuted in Downtown Athens.
The Young Professionals of Athens-Limestone County held their inaugural kickoff event on Aug. 22, at the picturesque Merchant’s Alley. The special event pulled in droves of workers from various industries across the region such as healthcare, education, entrepreneurship and government.
Matthew Jimmerson, one half of the executive committee chair for the Young Professionals and the current owner of Athens Florist and Gifts, welcomed countless guests as they listened to live music and mingled over their choice of drinks and snacks for the “Sip and Social” portion of the event.
“The purpose behind this program is to empower our young professionals by serving others and promoting connections,” Jimmerson told The News Courier. “We don’t want that to just be a catchy slogan that we say. We’re planning to have six events each year, two of them will be social networking opportunities and two of them will be professional development opportunities.”
Jimmerson emphasized that when young professionals have an outlet to communicate with each other, and throw their ideas off of each other, then they will have a better chance at achieving success in their career endeavors.
“It’s simple, when we work together we all win,” Jimmerson said. “Even if it’s just having normal conversations, we want this to be a place where connections are approachable. We want this to be something that lives on for a long time, because when we are better professionally then we are better personally and our community will benefit from all that.”
The atmosphere was electric at the venture during the event, the excitement in the air was palpable as the night unfolded. As guests chatted about their work, exchanging business cards and stories, the feeling of a new era of Athens-Limestone County was brewing.
“This sets the standard for the future,” Blake Sulcer, sales manager at Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa, said about the event. “Having a group like this sets the tone for what this city wants to do in the future. Athens wants to continue to grow, and to do that you need young professionals, so it’s awesome to see everyone getting to know each other.”
As the event continued, the introductory part of the program featured speakers from the Young Professionals executive committee and Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks. Marks noted his joy in seeing a number of the committee members who were former Mayor’s Youth Commission standouts.
“When we formed the youth commission around 12 years ago, we did not know the impact it would make then,” Marks told The News Courier. “We knew we wanted to focus on the future, and serve them. This Young Professionals organization is that future brought to life, and you can feel that energy being used to fuel our city and county.”
For more information, and how to register to become a member with the organization, please visit their website at alcchamber.org/young-professionals-of-athens/.