|
Letter from ystark!
Director, Aimee Belden
 “Nothing great has been and nothing great can be accomplished without passion” G.W. F. Hegel. I saw this quote sometime ago and its been hanging in my office because it really resonated with me.
Here at ystark! we are passionate about many things: we are passionate about our region and all the great things it has to offer, our work, and most of all connecting talented young professionals with the community so they can share their amazing ideas!
From the very beginning, we have had a zealous group of volunteers who make this all possible. They constantly give their time, support and dollars and share their ideas about how to make this organization and our community the best it can be. These volunteers are people who know how to get things done and are the reason ystark! is what it is today.
Our members also have a great passion for making Stark County an even greater place to live, work and play. From attending events to guiding our mission, our members are a group of motivated young professionals.
We hope our passion shines through, and this year I look forward to using that passion to accomplish great things! We know there is always room to grow though and we rely on your passion to help us build successful programs and generate great ideas for the present and future. From where I sit, it appears that greatness has already been accomplished here in Stark County. If you haven’t already, jump on board now!
 Strategic Planning Sets the Vision
 Over the last six months, a dedicated group of individuals spent many hours pouring through research, looking at historical data and defining future trends in order to develop our 3-year strategy.
As we look at the coming years, we have 6 key goals:
- Grow and engage membership – cultivate the next generation of leaders
- Engage businesses
- Be the collective voice of YPs in our community
- Increase the quality of life for YPs and give them every opportunity to grow, connect and be a part of our community
- Ensure organizational sustainability, both financially and in support of the mission
- Make Stark County a desirable location for young professionals to live, work and play
We already know this is a great place to live, work and play, but we are going to prove it to you! We’ll continue to help build the next generation of leaders by giving them opportunities to grow and thrive. We’ll help to foster connections and host lots of events.As we further engage local businesses, we'll help to make sure they get the fresh ideas and young talent they need and that YPs get a chance to have their suggestions and voices heard. You’ll see why this is the place you want to call home!
 Entrepreneur Experience
The Stark County Entrepreneur Experience is coming in March and April! These are events hosted by The Small Business Development Center and supported by the Stark Development Board, ystark! and Jackson-Belden Young Professionals. Local, regional and national experts will come together in these sessions to give insight on sparking the fire of entrepreneurship in anyone. The Experience will feature expert panels and a student competition. With a variety of events, there is something to spark everyone’s interest.
The Experience will kick off on March 22 at 7:30am. Cleveland baseball legend Andre Thornton will speak on how he continues to grow his legend as CEO of ASW Global. He has 20+ years of experience in supply chain, restaurant management ops and sports consulting that he is excited to share.
The next few sessions will highlight a variety of topics that anyone can find useful. A speaker from Bizdom U will inform participants about what sparks the interest in the best entrepreneurs, and how they launch businesses. Then, what better way to get all your questions answered than by a panel of experts? The first session in April will feature some of the most known entrepreneurs in Stark County. The big wigs from Executive Insurance Group, Grabowski and Company, ERC Services, Park Farms, Enviroscapes, and Gervasi Vineyard and Italian Bistro will be there to answer your questions and perhaps ignite a fiery passion in you! This will be a thrilling series of events you won’t want to miss!
Our Committees Rock! 
There are many ways to get involved here at ystark! and one easy way is to join a committee. We have many different committees that are always looking for volunteers. And as we said earlier, our volunteers are instrumental in making our organization the best it can be for you! At the helm this year, you’ll find Maureen Ater as Chair and Chris Seeley as Vice- Chair. Our Events and Social Planning Committee is headed up by Kate Carlson. This group is in charge of planning all our social events, from Monthly Meet-Ups, to events for the whole family. The Business Outreach committee is communicating with our wonderful local businesses. They work with businesses to keep our awesome YPs in the area, under the leadership of Eric Dublikar.
ystark! knows that being a smart and driven YP starts with schooling. Our Education Committee led by Katie Cerrone Arnold connects with the higher education institutions in Stark County so that students and recent grads have a great networking tool. ystark! believes in not only working hard but also playing hard and that is where our Recreation Committee comes in. This committee plans lots of fun recreational activities such as the annual Golf Outing, Dodgeball League and Golf League under the direction of Eric Belden. Our Professional Development Committee, headed by Dan Leahy, will launch a new series of workshops this year, so keep an eye out.
For a complete list of all of our super-talented committee chairs, visit http://www.ystark.org.
2011 Fund Drive
The annual Fund Drive is underway again and we need your help! Last year we raised over $15,000 so this year we have increased our goal to $17,500. Your donation goes towards all the programs and possibilities for our members. We have created new and exciting events for this coming year, in addition to all of your favorites from previous years.
ystark! is proud to help develop our community using the talented YPs in the area. With over 1,350 members, we can make quite an impact in the community. We have already started to make Stark County THE place to live, work and play and we plan on continuing this mission with your help. Please visit http://www.ystark.org to learn more about the numbers behind ystark! and to make a donation.
See How We’ve Been Connected in Recent Months
 Thanksgathering
Thanksgathering was an evening of fun, food, and networking. Many members gathered at the Canton Chamber of Commerce to enjoy delicious treats from local businesses and to give thanks for a great year. We were pleased to make a donation to the Stark County Hunger Task Force in order to support their heroic efforts.
Julz
It was a relaxing evening at the Holiday Wine tasting at Julz by Alan Rodriguez. The art exhibit was well received, as were the delectable Spanish wines that were served throughout the night. A few door prizes were given away to some lucky guests. It was the perfect way to toast all of the wonderful things ystark! did throughout 2010. Click here to check out photos.
Dodgeball kick-off and Fox and Hound
Dodgeball started with a bang in early January, with 16 teams now playing!. On January 27, we combined our Monthly Meet-Up with a night of dodgeball. It was great to see so many new faces. And I think the dodgeball smack-talking was kept to a minimum! Click here to check out photos.
CEO Meet & Eat at Robertson Heating
Many braved the winter weather to attend the CEO Meet & Eat with Scott Robertson of Robertson Heating Supply. Attendees sat down to a nice lunch while listening to Scott Robertson explain the importance of community involvement for professional growth. The event wrapped up with a delightful tour of the beautiful showroom and expansive distribution center. Click here to check out photos.
 10 Totally Random Things
about Matthew Hunt
- Is a former dodgeball champion
- Earned his undergraduate degrees from John Carroll University in Finance and Economics
- Works at Krugliak, Wilkins Law Firm
- Earned his Law Degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law
- Will be getting married in June.
- Lived in London for a semester during college
- Grew up in Alliance and just built a house in Jackson
- Has a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy named Layla
- Enjoys cooking and learned from his mother at a young age
- Loves Classic Rock and outdoor concert venues
The Fox & Hound
Fox and Hound in the Belden Village area is a great place to kick back and relax. With specials all week, multiple projection screens playing the most talked about games, and many pool and ping pong tables, it’s the perfect place for a night out! Visit www.FoxandHound.com.
Cyrus Custom Framing
Cyrus Custom Framing is one of the most sought after places for framing in all of Northeast Ohio. Cyrus does everything from frame restoration and repair to custom matting and even photo restoration and reproductions. Be sure to check out their constantly changing gallery of artists as well! Visit www.cyruscustom.com.
 
Congregate & Skate
Friday, March 18
7 - 9 p.m.
Center Ice Sports Complex
8319 Port Jackson Ave. NW, North Canton
Don't get left out in the cold!
Join ystark! for our third annual Congregate & Skate at the Center Ice Sports Complex. The facility will be open to event attendees exclusively.
Admission is free! Rent skates for $2.00 and warm up with hot chocolate or cappuccino for only $1.00. Bring your kids, spouses, friends and all! This is sure to be a fun-filled, family friendly, Friday night!
  
FOUR! We need four teams for the
2011 ystark! Golf League.
- Course: The Sanctuary Golf Club
- Day/Time: Tuesdays w/ tee times from 5 – 5:37 p.m.
- Start Date: May 3rd
- Cost: $610 per team (2-3 people per team, 2 play each week)
Save the Date!
Monday, May 16
Shady Hollow
Country Club
 Kent State University at Stark
Founded in 1946, Kent State University at Stark combines the best of a major university with a liberal arts college and serves our region as a key intellectual resource, providing access to academic, economic and cultural advancement through excellence in teaching and learning.
Nestled on 200 beautiful acres in Jackson Township, Stark County’s only public university offers 15 bachelor’s degree programs in their entirety, plus coursework toward more than 218 choices of undergraduate study at Kent State University, which is ranked in the top 200 universities in the world. Master’s degrees in business administration and curriculum and instruction are also available on the Stark Campus. The largest of Kent State University’s seven regional campuses, Kent State Stark serves more than 11,000 students each year – 6,300 in academic programs and 4,700 in professional and graduate programs.
Committed to environmental and social responsibility, students, faculty and staff provide more than 3,000 volunteer hours annually. Their generosity has earned Kent State Stark a place on The Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary civic service for four consecutive years.
The campus offers more than 50 cultural arts events each season, including the popular Featured Speakers Series, which highlights experts in civil rights, politics, education, literature, entertainment and the arts. Kent State Stark is home to Stark County’s Earth Day Celebration, an annual family-friendly event celebrating the earth’s natural resources, and host of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival’s kick-off events.
Each year, more than 45,000 employees participate in corporate meetings and social events at The University Center, Northeastern Ohio’s most technologically advanced meeting and events facility. The Corporate University at Kent State Stark provides local organizations with learning and development experiences, online survey and research services, organizational development consulting and small business counseling through the Ohio Small Business Development Center. To learn more about all that Kent State Stark has to offer, visit www.stark.kent.edu.
|
