Ian Abston is the young president of NEWaukee. Off The Cuff asked him about the organization and its Young Professional Week, April 15-21.
What is NEWaukee?
NEWaukee is a dedicated, energetic young professional network that loves the city of Milwaukee and strives to make it a better place for all to live, work and play. Through regular events and programming, NEWaukee has built a membership of more than 40,000 millennials that represents the voice of a local generation.
What is Young Professional Week?
NEWaukee and our local partners are creating a national springboard for idea sharing, for an increased sense of connectivity and investment in our local community by Milwaukee's millennial workforce. Young Professional Week is a national discussion of the issues that face today’s Millennial Generation. Through a weeklong program covering a variety of topics that face today’s young professionals, we plan to take the big white elephant out of the corporate boardroom, public policy forum and non-profit organization—and by that we mean the mystery of Gen Y. We’ve got some big ideas and we’re ready to share them with the world!
What are you trying to accomplish?
With the help of more than 40 local organizations, participants in our conference will have access to 21 events held in Milwaukee’s most exclusive and historic locations. And it's free—so there’s really no excuse not to meet up with us, listen to the young local experts talk about their passions and join the social movement of our generation’s next leaders. We want to show the world how our generation of leaders is changing the city in every possible way, and that passing the torch is a whole lot easier than our current leadership thinks.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Highlight some of the events.
1) The Hangout, presented by Urban Milwaukee on Monday, April 15th, at City Hall, will focus on the future of the city. A panel discussion will be book-ended by networking time in a building too often regarded as a place merely for paying your taxes. The panel will be centered around the notion of sustainability, both environmental and economic. A question-and-answer session will follow.
2) 180: A Reverse Job Fair, presented by Innovation in Milwaukee (MiKE) and Startup Milwaukee on Thursday, April 18th, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Not your father's job fair—nine of Milwaukee’s leading and rising companies will pitch to YOU. We’re looking for individuals from all backgrounds—software, developers, executives, sales professionals, project managers and recent graduates—and startups with brilliant ideas. Companies need more than top talent, they need partners and vendors with game-changing ideas. So if you’re a startup looking to get in front of an executive from a leading Milwaukee company, or if you’re looking for employment within the next six months, be there. No resumes or suits necessary. Participating companies include Briggs & Stratton, Journal Sentinel, Kohl’s, Laughlin Constable, ManpowerGroup, MillerCoors, We Energies and over a dozen startup companies in Milwaukee. The evening will also feature music by Milwaukee’s 2012 Band of the Year, The Delta Routine.
3) Brunch with Tony Hsieh, CEO of zappos.com, Sunday, April 21st, at the Hilton Hotel. Tony is applying his very successful Zappos corporate culture model (recognized multiple times by Fortune as one of the top 100 best places to work) to help build the most community-focused large city in the world in the place you would least expect it: Downtown Las Vegas. Tony is creating a unique hybrid of corporation, community and city to drive productivity and innovation both for Zappos and the city itself.
For further information visit ypweek.com.
