Montana Young Professionals Summit, 8/19-21, Great Falls, Montana

The summit is a chance for young professionals from across the state to network, build connections, and become engaged in statewide professionals’ group.

"This is a really exciting opportunity to bring together young working professionals from all over the state," said Kelley Aline, Development Director at the Great Falls Development Authority http://www.greatfallsdevelopment.org/ and event organizer. "The overreaching goal is to engage young professionals in our local communities and build excitement for what Montana communities have to offer for lifestyles and career opportunities."

"Montana has long been considered a great place to live, work, start a business, and raise a family. Our economy is strong, and it’s our innovators, entrepreneurs, and young professionals who are leading the way," said Governor Steve Bullock, who will deliver the keynote address at the summit. "I invite young professionals from all across our state to join me at the inaugural Montana Young Professionals Networking Summit in Great Falls, August 19-21st."

This is the inaugural Young Professionals Summit, and organizers plan to make it an annual event. The Billings Next Gen Professionals group, a program of the Billings Chamber of Commerce will host it in Billings in 2017.

"We’re really excited to host this first summit in Great Falls," Aline said. "It’s a chance for us to show off what we’ve got going on here and what Great Falls has to offer."

The event is designed to be a mix of fun social time, along with educational opportunities and networking.

The summit kicks off Friday, Aug. 19 at the Great Falls Voyagers baseball game against the Helena Brewers. Mayor Bob Kelly will give an official welcome. After the game, attendees will move to the Front Brewing Company for a social hour.

On Saturday, participants are encouraged to visit the Farmers’ Market and the River’s Edge Trail. Northwestern Energy will offer tours of Black Eagle Dam Saturday morning. Starting at 11:30 a.m., Gov. Steve Bullock will give a keynote address, followed by two panel discussions and various breakout sessions. The panel discussion topics are "Being a Young Professional in Montana" and "Beyond Work," which will focus on outdoor opportunities in the state, community service, civic involvement and volunteerism. The breakout sessions offer a chance to have more in-depth discussions on those subjects.

Saturday evening features a dessert, appetizer and wine crawl through downtown engineering, architecture, finance and law firms in Great Falls, plus the Mighty Mo Brewery. There will also be a craft beer and food pairing tasting at the Staybridge Suites Courtyard.

Sunday, Aug. 21 is the "Funday" of the Summit. There will be paddleboard demos and an amateur paddleboard race in the Missouri River.

"We want attendees to leave the conference with some new skills, connections and knowledge, but we also want them to have a lot of fun while they’re in Great Falls," Aline said.

The Montana Young Professionals Summit is hosted by the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, D.A. Davidson and supported by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, as well as many other local businesses.

"This a great opportunity to leverage the spirt of Great Falls to retain current employees while recruiting new professional to our community," said Brad Livingston, Chamber president and CEO. "This will continue to move Great Falls forward both economically and socially–making Great Falls the community of choice."

"We are proud to sponsor and participate in the first-ever statewide young professionals networking summit in Great Falls," said Andy Shirtliff, Small Business Advocate for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. "Professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders from across the state will converge to network, exchange ideas, and share why they Choose Montana as their best place to live, work, and connect."

Registration for the summit is now open, and the registration deadline is Aug. 10. For registration details, visit http://www.mtyoungprofessionals.com.

For more information on the summit, contact:

Kelley Aline

Great Falls Development Authority Director of Development

Email: [email protected], Phone: 406-771-9023

Andy Shirtliff

Small Business Advocate for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development

Email: [email protected], Phone: 406-444-5472

Erin Granger

Marketing Specialist

MSU Great Falls College

[email protected]

gfcmsu.edu

(406) 771-4314

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