Pattern’s young professionals summit kicked off the LIFT/HV initiative

NEW PALTZ (May 24, 2019) – Pattern for Progress announced the launch of a Hudson Valley-wide initiative to promote young professionals before a packed crowd that attended the second annual Greater Hudson Valley Young Professional Summit held Thursday at SUNY New Paltz.

LIFT/HV, or Leading the Initiative for Future Talent in the Hudson Valley, will focus on nurturing, building and growing the number of young professionals who are essential for the growth and vitality of the Hudson Valley. As part of its efforts, LIFT/HV will create programming to engage and attract young professionals to the region, and provide them with a voice, opportunities and a platform to shape the future.

“Pattern for Progress is proud to be spearheading the effort to cultivate the future workforce of the region through our new initiative, LIFT/ HV” said Pattern for Progress President and CEO Jonathan Drapkin. “Whether its exploring how we can assist this demographic with research, or actively recruiting and retaining them, Pattern strongly believes this effort will benefit the Hudson Valley.”

Pattern launched the initiative in response to a discouraging decline in the number of young adults aged 20 to 39 in the Hudson Valley and the economic challenges facing them. While 20-39-year-olds make up 27% and 28% of the population in the nation and New York state respectively, that number is a low 24% in the Hudson Valley, down from 27% in 2000.

The reasons behind the numbers are many: declining birth rates; outmigration from the region; high taxes and high cost of living; stagnant wages and a perception there are fewer opportunities for professional growth. The detailed look at challenges facing young professionals and what LIFT/HV will do to tackle them is outlined in an issue brief published by Pattern.

The challenges facing young professionals was among several topics discussed at Thursday’s summit, which brought together more than 265 young men and women from the nine-county Hudson Valley region to network, socialize and hear inspiring speakers discuss the future of the Hudson Valley and their place in it. It was a collaboration between Pattern and The Hudson Valley Network for Young Professionals, sponsors, partners, chambers of commerce, business associations and young professional organizations throughout the region.

“One of the unique things about the summit is that it’s organized by a collaborative team of young professionals from throughout the Hudson Valley region, and that’s something we’re really proud of,” said Evan Menist, research planner at Pattern who organized the summit along with Eric Pierson, senior research planner at Pattern.

The summit offered a variety of workshops, panels, speakers, and ample time for networking. Some of the panels included: Understanding your working style – A guide to effective team building; The future of women’s leadership; How I did it – Entrepreneurship in the Hudson Valley; Who’s who in Hudson Valley tech; What’s the secret? What young professional & entrepreneurs need to reach unlimited success; and Inclusive leadership in an evolving & diverse workplace.

This keynote speaker at the summit was Matthew Castelli, a Hudson Valley native and an officer at the Central Intelligence Agency. His address provided inspiration around leadership and unique insights into his career, lessons learned, and how the next generation of Hudson Valley leaders can rise to the challenge facing the region.

“This year as promised, Pattern for Progress and the steering committee built on the energy of last year’s summit, and made everything so much bigger and better. I personally left with something valuable from each presentation that I attended.” Said Jenny Fox, a community relations & marketing specialist at TEG Federal Credit Union who attended the summit.

After the summit, attendees joined an after party hosted by Pattern at Schatzi’s Pub & Bier Garden, and Friday morning, several of them joined a free hike at Mohonk Preserve.