Bend Young Professionals (Bend YP) support employee development, help companies retain young talent

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Retaining top talent is challenging in Bend and Central Oregon. The lack of affordable and available housing, childcare capacity issues and increases in competitive wages are all acting against employers. It’s critical to retain top talent in Central Oregon, and many employers are wondering how.

The answer is simple: Invest in them. Year over year, studies show that investing in the growth of employees, especially those at the early to mid-career level, leads to greater engagement, productivity, and the ability to retain talent. In fact:

• 87% of Millennials say that professional development is important in a job (Forbes and Gallup).
• 76% of Gen Zers are interested in more opportunities to learn/practice new skills or expertise (LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index).

• 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development (LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report).

Where do local businesses go to find relevant, locally focused, professional and personal growth opportunities for their employees?

Bend YP, a program of the BendNEXT Foundation under the Bend Chamber, along with sponsors US Bank, Meta, and NewsChannel 21, announces the seventh annual YP Summit on Friday, May 3. The YP Summit is a powerful investment in development, engagement, and retention, especially among those in early to mid-career positions.

“Supporting the development of Central Oregon’s network of young professionals, and the connections they make, is an investment into the future health of this community,” said Sherry Jones, US Bank District Manager. “We’re proud to be the title sponsor of the Young Professionals Summit, which is a great way for those involved to learn, develop, and identify community involvement opportunities. Each year the US Bank team looks forward to attending and participating in this incredible event.”

The theme for the 2024 YP Summit is “Emerge,” offering high-caliber speakers and engaging breakout sessions. The event will be held at the historic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend. Registrations are now being accepted at bendyp.org/2024-yp-summit.

“The YP Summit presents a unique and memorable opportunity for young professionals to learn from inspiring leaders—and connect with each other, too. A wide range of topics and types of learning experiences are on offer to foster both professional and personal growth,” shared Louise Shirley, Bend Chamber Leadership Programs Manager.

This year’s keynote speaker is Pamela Barnum. Pamela has spent over twenty years working in the criminal justice system, first as an undercover police officer in the drug enforcement section and later as a prosecuting attorney. Beginning in 2012, she started coaching and consulting on sales and trust-building. Since 2015, Pamela has also been sharing strategies to improve negotiations and increase sales through intentional communication and body language.  

Following Pamela, local artist MOsley WOtta (MOWO) will get the audience thinking in new ways during an interactive session.

Emceeing the event for 2024 is Central Oregon’s very own Dylan Anderman, sports reporter and on-air personality with NewsChannel 21.

Whether learning the art of conflict resolution, how to craft your career, or being effective in public speaking, all attendees of the YP Summit will walk away with valuable insights to take back to the workplace.

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The mission of Bend Young Professionals is to equip and empower Bend’s young professionals to connect personally, grow professionally, and elevate our community.

The mission of BendNEXT Foundation is to strengthen our businesses, economy, and our community through workforce development and retention, leadership development, and activating partnerships to tackle our region’s most pressing issues. Our initiatives address obstacles to a robust workforce, including employee needs for housing, affordability, childcare and other essential supports as well creating a business culture of belonging in an informed and connected community.  

The mission of the Bend Chamber is to create an environment where businesses, their employees and our community excel together through collaboration, advocacy, resources and leadership to meet Bend’s business challenges.