The Manchester Young Professionals Network (MYPN) awarded its Business of the Year award to Business NH Magazine at its birthday celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
MYPN recognizes a business each year that provides significant support to the organization and young professionals in the greater Manchester area. Business NH Magazine was recognized for providing significant in-kind marketing services as part of the reward package for MYPN’s NH Start-up Challenge, pushing the reward package to its greatest value. The magazine was also recognized for its continued support of young professionals.
Staff Reporter Glennisha Morgan accepted the award on behalf of Business NH Magazine.
Since its inception, MYPN has provided young professionals social and business events to develop professional skills, promote their skills and business and gain access to community leaders. MYPN fosters several key programs in addition to monthly events, such as the NH Start-up Challenge which provides a $55,000 cash and in-kind services to a competing entrepreneur.
About a hundred of Manchester’s young professionals gathered to celebrate Manchester Young Professionals Network’s thirteenth year at Bonfire Restaurant and Country Bar for the celebratory event featuring Giant Jenga, Connect 4, Nintendo, and Cornhole. While taking a shot at the array of games, participants also mixed and mingled over tacos.
MYPN was created to unite young professionals of the Queen City, while creating business and social opportunities to support professional development.
“The Manchester Young Professionals Network is really made to connect younger professional members of the Manchester community with others,” says Samantha Maltais, a MYPN board member of five years.
“It’s all about community, networking, and some really great programs like the New Hampshire startup challenge. And there are social events and business events.”
Many partygoers, including MYPN board members were very enthusiastic about the network’s growth since its inception.
Maltais says that the network has evolved, and she believes that each year builds upon each other.
“The network has really matured. And I think that every year builds on the next. I’m really excited for what’s to come,” she says.
“We have some really exciting announcements that we’re going to be making the next couple of months. It’s all for the better of Manchester as a whole, but also the business community and how we’re all working together.”
Laura Gamache, MYPN’s vice chairperson, says that the network has focused on increasing membership by engaging their committees more, which leads to the committee members to become advocates of the organization.
“We’ve made a focus of trying to make the membership grow, just by getting our committees more engaged. And then building our committees and them being our ambassadors. We owe a lot of credit to them.”
Manchester’s Mayor Ted Gatsas was in attendance, and he was also excited about the growth of MYPN, and is happy to support the city’s young professionals.
“13 years ago, there might have been seven or eight people at the meeting of the young professionals. As you can see now, it’s grown. Their voices are heard in the city, and we try to meet their needs,” he says.
“It’s exciting because a lot of times organizations don’t last that long. And this one here is growing. As I said, at the first one it might have been seven or eight people and you’ve got probably over 100 in here.”
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