Young professionals getting connected

November 11th, 2007

WORKING IN the Ohio Valley can be very difficult at times, and being able to connect with young professionals can be even harder. Seeing the need to keep young professionals connected, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce President Terry Sterling came up with the idea of having a group targeted towards young and upcoming professionals in the Ohio Valley.

“Being able to meet others outside of the office and being able to stem out in the community can be difficult,” Wheeling Chamber Area Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Stefanie Panas explained. “Terry (Sterling’s) vision started the idea and there has been a group that has gotten the ball rolling.”

“There have been many times, being a young person, I will go to events and be the youngest person in the room,” she said. “This group – Ohio Valley Connect – is for people want to come together and see the area better off.”

According to Panas, the group is filled with a variety of professions – lawyers, secretaries, college students, marketing/public relations coordinators and bankers to name a few.

The group’s mission is to connect young and young minded professionals civically, professionally and socially to better the Ohio Valley and surrounding areas.

One of those individuals that has been the anchor to the group is Justin Seibert. A Linsly graduate, Seibert is like many area residents who has stepped out of the area to chase professional experience.

Working in the Los Angles market, Seibert had more than enough opportunities to find work, but wasn’t quite set on the area to raise a family. Looking for a safe community for his wife and two children, Beibert and his wife chose to move back to the Wheeling area.

“We looked at Denver and Wheeling. Having roots here it was very easy to make the decision, but my worry was for my wife who is a California native,” Seibert, owner and president of Direct Online Marketing, said. “We made an agreement to stay for three years in the area, but somehow I knew she was going to need to find a way to help network.”

Beibert said the group has a lot of potential and looks forward to the good it can do among the Ohio Valley.

“We want to be the face of today’s and tomorrow’s Ohio Valley and if an owner wants to sell they know where to go to find a buyer or if a company is looking to recruit bright young professionals they’ll have a pool to look towards,” Seibert said.

Another highlight of the group, beyond the board and committees, Seibert said OV Connect wants to reach out and be something for everyone relying highly on feedback of their members.

“There is a heavy focus on creating social atmospheres, but we want to do things with the Ohio Valley community as well,” Seibert noted. “We really want to make this a valley group. We have people from all the way up and down the river.”

The group targets individuals between the ages of 21-40 and is currently free to join.

“Right now there is no cost to join and no physical requirement of number of events someone has to attend,” Panas said. “ However, in January (2008) we plan imposing a $20 yearly membership and $10 fee for students.”

To join Ohio Valley Connect go to www.ovconnect.org and sign up on the Web site main page. This will allow individuals to receive the group emails and newsletters for upcoming events.

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