By: Denise Moore Contreras
Known as Greater Tampa REALTORS®’s Young Professional Network (YPN), this subcommittee offers the benefit of networking with peers and navigating many of the community events that help educate, inform and service Tampa residents and those looking to move to Tampa.
We network with many of GTR’s other subcommittees and often partner with them on events within the community such as March’s ‘Port of Tampa Bay Tour’ with the Global subcommittee. YPN is not dictated by age but rather an open, creative and collaborative approach to serving the members of the association. We embrace the fresh ideas of our subcommittee members, which helps to develop them into leaders of the community. Our committee echoes a membership that is like a family while setting a high bar for leadership.
This is demonstrated through the deliberate accountability to educate members about projects and new developments happening in the Tampa Bay area. Often this is accomplished by the subcommittees’ REALTour(s).YPN hosts the following networking and fundraising events:
- REALMix
- REALTour
- BLUEParty Appreciation Annual Event
- Tacky Sweater Party
- Charity of the Year Participation – Volunteerism benefiting Bay area youth
YPN has had great success with these events. In fact, many participants still mention the REALTour, at Tampa International Airport in Oct. 2017, as more than 50 participants toured pre-construction expansion of the airport and attended a presentation of the airport’s goals for expansion and impact of the new direct international routes. In addition to tourism, REALTORS® also learned how to best service some of the niche communities. Our most recent REALTour took members on a two-hour ride along the Hillsborough River to see Tampa’s riverfront views and learn about downtown Tampa.
The REALTour at Epperson’s Crystal Lagoon in Wesley Chapel last June was another one of YPN’s successful tours. We had the opportunity to meet with the community’s builders for in-depth discussions on how to serve clients as well as the many people relocating to Tampa. In fact, there are at least 150 people relocating to the Tampa area daily, according to WFLA News Channel 8 Daytime TV.
Each member has their own outlook based on the different niches they represent. Many serve on other committees, so they can richly contribute to discussions that complement the mission of YPN’s members and how we may impact the many aspects of real estatesuch as millennials, tech, relocation, bilingual sellers and buyers, vacation homes, commercial, global real estate, property management and investment clients.
YPN has been around since 2012. We hold true to the committee’s mission to, “help REALTORS® grow and develop professionally in four key areas: Association leadership, real estate advocacy, networking and community volunteerism, with an emphasis on programming relevant to young or new REALTORS®.”