PYP RENAISSANCE

that is new or new to their positions. Transformative Church Executive Pastor Justin Oswald is establishing his PYP presidency by setting ambitious short-term and long-term goals for the organization.

His long-term goals include increasing membership to 1,000, generating $1 million in revenue to devote to professional development and serving as the premier incubator for young talent within 10 years. Oswald said the leadership team set the 10-year goals based on the model author Gino Wickman refers to in his bestselling book, "Traction."

Oswald is just as ambitious with his short-term goals. Those objectives include continuing to increase membership among the under-30 population, increasing overall membership by 50%, creating a community dashboard with historical data gathered from its annual Quality of Life survey, evaluating membership structure and sponsorship packages, and scheduling quarterly events such as Blue Wahoos and Ice Flyers games. The organization holds a happy hour on the second Thursday of each month at rotating locations.

By Tom St. Myer

Born and raised in Mississippi, Kyle Schoolar recalls only knowing two people in Pensacola when he left his home state to accept a position with Feeding the Gulf Coast in 2015. The two fellow Mississippi State University alums moved six months later, leaving him to fend for himself. A man in his mid-20s no longer surrounded by people his age at school, Schoolar sought connections by joining Pensacola Young Professionals.

"Whenever you're growing up and in school with these people every day, it's so much easier to have that interaction and that sense of community because you're all doing the same thing," Schoolar said. "As an adult, it's a completely different world. That's why I think Pensacola Young Professionals plays such a crucial role in helping young professionals make lasting connections."

Founded in 2006, the nonprofit organization's mission is to develop and retain young talent in the Greater Pensacola area and be a catalyst for positive change in the community. Members primarily range between the ages of 18-40, but membership is open to young-at-heart professionals.

Pensacola Young Professionals once rose to over 300 members before a steep drop to 75 members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Membership has bounced back to over 150, and new leadership is in place to lead PYP through a renaissance.

"About 18 months ago, we did a big strategic plan process and brought everything back to our roots of what brings people through the door," said Executive Director Meg Burke, who served as president in 2018-19. "If we do these areas consistently well, people will come. Consistency has contributed a lot to our growth."

Schoolar's appreciation for PYP grew exponentially during the pandemic. He felt disconnected from his friends and itched to be back in familiar surroundings, networking with his peers at events and contributing to the professional development of young professionals.

"Isolation during COVID-19 gave you time to pause and rethink priorities," Schoolar said. "Going into the pandemic, I felt a little overwhelmed with life in general. Being in quarantine for a bit and realizing things I missed, I reset, and Pensacola Young Professionals was definitely one of those organizations I was so excited to come back to. The upswing in membership is just people realizing it was something they were missing in their lives."

Ambitious Goals

PYP is balancing a return to its roots while ushering in a new president and a leadership team

"Where most of the growth is under 30," Oswald said, "most of the new people we meet that want to learn about events are in that mid-20s range. A lot of them are new to the area, looking to get connected to the world of Pensacola and what's going on."

Young professionals positively impacting the community is the thread that binds every initiative. Burke said PYP perhaps lost that community focus for a brief stretch, but the organization is back to its formative-years mindset.

PYP officially filed articles of incorporation in 2006, but its origin began in 2005 after Inweekly published a series of stories on the struggles young professionals encountered in establishing career and leadership roles in the area. Discussions at a roundtable hosted by Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen and Chamber CEO Evon Emerson motivated a small band of young professionals to create an organization to have their voices heard. The group then researched other young professional organizations, approved an initial leadership team and launched PYP.

The organization made its presence felt immediately. After meeting with proponents and opponents for a proposed Community Maritime Park, the founding class voted to support the park that promised to revitalize downtown Pensacola. PYP members volun - teered countless hours supporting the pro-park campaign organization, and their efforts paid off as the public voted in favor of the project in September 2006.

The Community Maritime Park triggered the revitalization of downtown that we enjoy today. Since the park referendum, PYP has supported the city's strong-mayor charter, an appointed school superintendent and the Escambia Children's Trust. And PYP members stand ready to support any cause that strengthens the community.

"What's helped rally our team a little bit is refocusing on serving the community," Burke said. "Anything we decide we're going to do is in the name of service to our community and not our own benefit. We may not get to change it, but we do serve it, and through service, change comes."

Quality Of Life

PYP is perhaps best known for its annual Quality of Life survey, which is funded by Rishy and Quint Studer but run by PYP. Developed by Mason-Dixon to study communities around the country and evaluate categories and characteristics that residents perceive as impacting their quality of life, the survey sheds light on the popularity of elected officials. For example, departed Mayor Grover Robinson IV received a positive review from 55% of respondents to the 2022 survey.

The survey further revealed that residents cared first and foremost about the economy and then crime. Escambia County rated highly in quality of life, with 63% of residents responding positively, but 55% rated the county negatively as a place to live for young single people. The county rated particularly negatively in the following categories—availability of affordable housing, a place to live for racial and ethnic minorities, public safety and low crime, quality of the public schools, and economic conditions.

Oswald said elected officials tend to boast about the survey when their approval rating is high but then dismiss the results if on the opposite end of the spectrum. Regardless of the results, the data is vital for PYP to evaluate its efforts to attract and develop young talent.

Survey results shine a spotlight on PYP, but the professional development aspect is what its members tout. Schoolar credits PYP for teaching him valuable lessons that he applies daily as director of advocacy and strategic initiatives at Feeding the Gulf Coast.

"You're not given a handbook on how to develop yourself professionally," Schoolar said. "You have to learn real-life scenarios. How do I handle negotiations at work? How do I handle conflict at work? I've learned valuable life lessons and met some of my best friends in Pensacola through Pensacola Young Professionals. I've also learned more about the community and figured out ways to make it feel like home." {in}

Interested in joining PYP? Contact the organization at (850) 366-2001 or info@pensacolayp.com.

Our Corner, formerly known as Keep Pensacola Beautiful, is an Escambia County-based nonprofit that works strategically with community partners to implement programs that advance the environmental quality and beauty of our community, today and for future generations.