If Middlebury is to grow jobs close to home by attracting new businesses and industry and cultivating telecommuters, as the Better Middlebury Partnership has done in recent months, then the greater-Middlebury community also has to provide a way for the young professionals who are likely to fill these jobs to easily and effectively assimilate into the community.
The rejuvenation of a “young professionals” group is one answer that’s under way.
Next Wednesday at 6 p.m. on May 8, the BMP is hosting a meeting to launch what the group hopes is the start of an active network of young professionals. Defined as those 40 years old and younger and engaged in any vocation — white or blue collar — the group’s mission is to “create a vibrant network” of young professionals to engage in social and professional activities.
Geography is no restriction as the group would be open to anyone in the greater-Middlebury area — a self-defined geography based on how far a young person may want to drive. Certainly, anyone in Addison County, the Brandon area, Rochester, or southern Chittenden County towns that border Addison County would be more than welcome. The idea, supporters say, is to create a community of young professionals who can share ideas, create a community within the group, and make living in the area more enjoyable.
Spread the word. If you’re an organization, send out an email. If you’re a business, promote it through your Facebook page. Those who use Twitter, tweet. And if you know young professionals under 40, don’t hesitate to tell them there are some great ideas brewing in Middlebury and encourage them to get involved.
— Angelo S. Lynn