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Youth movement extends its reach

A group for young professionals expands to include North Pinellas-based colleagues.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE, Times Staff Writer
Published October 26, 2007

From left, Pradeep Vanguri, 30, and Candace Cusseaux, 26, who will co-chair Emerge Tampa Bay in 2008, chat with Rachel Kardos, 28, and David Hahn, 26, who will be in charge of a new Pinellas-focused program within Emerge Tampa Bay.
	[Jim Damaske | Times]

In recent years, the area's leaders have been waking up to the necessity of keeping bright young workers here and happy.

Now, Clearwater is officially in on the action.

On Thursday afternoon, the Tampa chamber announced that Emerge Tampa, its successful and influential program for young professionals, will expand to encompass North Pinellas.

"Chambers of commerce, including our chamber, need to change with the times," said Bud Elias, chairman of the Clearwater chamber's board.

Emerge Tampa has always been open to young professionals in Pinellas - or any nearby county, as long as members are willing to trek to Tampa for the meetings.

Now, Emerge Tampa will change its name to Emerge Tampa Bay. Some of the meetings will rotate between Clearwater and Tampa, leaders said, and one popular program - the monthly breakfast meeting - might be doubled, with Clearwater and Tampa holding their own events simultaneously.

Two Pinellas members, 28-year-old Rachel Kardos and 26-year-old David Hahn, will co-chair a new program within Emerge Tampa Bay called Build.

They'll be at the table to keep the other leaders from forgetting about the Pinellas contingent, and to foster connections between members from opposite sides of the bay. They're ambiguous about how they'll make that happen, but plan to hold the first Build event within 60 days.

- - -

Emerge Tampa was launched in May of 2004, the vision of some tenacious volunteers who realized that young, educated people weren't moving to the city, which spells trouble for the economy.

The group was a vanguard: Since then, a host of proteges have sprung up throughout the state. One of the most recent: the Young Professional Group of West Pasco, which launched just four months ago.

Indeed, young workers in the bay area are connecting more than ever.

The Emerge Tampa Bay announcement came on the same day the St. Pete Young Professionals ate breakfast with Mayor Rick Baker and the Young Executive Society of Pasco held a bachelor/bachelorette auction to raise money for charity.

"Whoever wins a date with me will be going skydiving," said Jason Wilson, the Wesley Chapel chamber's 27-year-old executive director, at midday Thursday. Wilson, who founded YES Pasco in February, has never been skydiving.

Crispin Williams, the president of the St. Petersburg group, feels like she has a better handle on her group's mission.

"The first year, with any new organization, you're kind of stumbling," said Williams, 25, who has been with SPYP since its kickoff in June 2006. "You try some things, and some work. You're pretty much asking people, 'Trust us, this will be cool.'"

- - -

By becoming part of Emerge Tampa, Clearwater took a different approach to luring young professionals. Chambers of commerce aren't known for working together. But Emerge Tampa is so organized and well-known, partnering with it just made sense, Clearwater leaders said.

"There's no reason for us to reinvent the wheel," Elias said.

Clearwater isn't the only city to notice Emerge Tampa. "We've had calls from Las Vegas and all over the country," said Kim Scheeler, the Tampa chamber's president.

He said he's open to working with other young professionals groups, even if they don't want a formal alliance like Clearwater did.

Sara Bennett, the program manager of the statewide group Connect Florida formerly Emerge Florida, called the Tampa group "definitely the most established."

Compared with the region's other young professionals groups, Emerge Tampa is the oldest, it has the most members and it has a chamber staffer devoted to it full time.

Though young workers here are getting mobilized, they've got some giants to overcome - Florida's reputation as a retiree haven among them. This summer, in Forbes' rankings of best places for young professionals to live, it placed Tampa dead last.

Christina Rexrode can be reached at crexrode@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8318.

The groups, a snapshot

Emerge Tampa

Membership: About 540

Launched: May 2004

Web site:

emergetampa.com

St. Pete Young Professionals

Membership: About 100

Launched: June 2006

Web site: business.stpete.com/SPYP.html

YES Pasco

Membership: About 180

Launched: February 2007

Web site: yespasco.com

West Pasco Young Professionals Group

Membership: About 40

Launched: June 2007

Web site: westpasco.com

Build program The leaders

Co-chairs of Emerge Tampa Bay's new Build program will focus on connecting members from opposite sides of the bay.

David Hahn: 26, sales manager at Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach

Rachel Kardos: 28, works for YTB Travel

[Last modified October 25, 2007, 22:45:05]