2022 Inaugural YP Summit - Lunch and Opening Keynote, Mayor Lauren McLean with City of Boise12/14/2022 The first annual YP Summit turned out to be a fantastic event for young professionals to participate in interactive presentations and training courses offered by some of our valley's most notable leaders. Each event in the daylong agenda was aimed at developing abilities and learning new skills that future leaders could implement in their personal and professional lives.
To kick off the event, attendees heard from Mayor Lauren McLean, City of Boise, with her talk on "Growing Leaders in a City for Everyone." About Mayor Lauren McLean Mayor McLean was sworn in on January 7, 2020. She is the 56th mayor of Boise and the first woman elected to that position in the city’s 150-year history. She is passionate about public service, leading boldly with the community at the forefront of every decision. As Mayor, she leads the fight against climate change, setting ambitious goals to secure an environmentally and economically resilient future for Boise. Her vision is to create a city that is truly for everyone – one that offers equitable access to housing, living wage jobs, transportation, and a seat at the table for residents when decisions about the future of Boise are being made. McLean’s service to the people of Boise began as a volunteer in 2001. She led the historic Boise Foothills Open Space Levy campaign and, along with hundreds of other dedicated people, secured protection of thousands of acres in the foothills for future generations. Lauren served on Boise City Council from 2011-2019 and served as Council President from 2017-2019. During her time on City Council, she led the effort to pass Boise's 100% Clean Energy Plan. Mayor McLean currently serves on the Board of Governors at the Andrus Center at Boise State University. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Boise State University as the first Carl Burke Fellow. Before becoming a Bronco, McLean graduated with honors from Notre Dame. She is an avid trail runner, outdoorswoman, and reader. She and her family love to explore Idaho's beautiful backcountry by foot or by ski. To learn more about BYP visit: https://www.boisechamber.org/byp.html
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Dale Dixon spoke during one of the breakout sessions of the first inaugural YP Summit today. The event, titled Empowering Leaders of Tomorrow focused on providing information and tools to young professionals to assist their paths to successful careers. During his session titled Communicate Confidently, Dixon utilized an interactive format by asking attendees to have conversations using prompts and frameworks.
The first exercise involved each person getting to know a neighboring attendee by utilizing a conversation hack called F.O.R.M. The letters, standing for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Motivation, provided an easy way to get and keep conversations going. It was extremely effective as the room was buzzing with loud conversations. In his second exercise, Dixon asked the room to divide into groups of three or four and be made up of people who knew one another. He coached, "Ask them about an object that is special to them, why it's important, what it smells like, how they felt if they ever lost it, etc." This time the conversations were quieter and people stood closer together. Dixon noted the contrasting body language between both examples and offered these reliable techniques for communicating with someone to get to know them better. About Dale Dixon Dale Dixon helps businesses and buyers win in the marketplace through honesty, trust and integrity in his role as Chief Innovation Officer of Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific. In his role, Dale’s mission is to make the BBB brand more valuable for trustworthy businesses and easier to use for people searching for ethical companies. To learn more about BYP visit: https://www.boisechamber.org/byp.html Kelly Olson, the first woman President of Western States Equipment Company, addressed the business community at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO Speaker Series luncheon on December 12, 2022, at the Riverside Hotel in Garden City.
After working for Albertson's in the accounting department, Olson began her role as President in 2018. She shared her favorite quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which she has carried with her for most of her career: "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Kelly spoke about the Western States' purpose: "Building our communities for a better tomorrow" and said the company's focus on caring is significant. She said that caring extends beyond the pandemic and that they strive to make caring for others one main focus of their business. Olson highlighted three unique and exciting things about Western States. First, the company gives their employees eight hours of "VTO" per year, which is paid "volunteer time off." She shared a video of some of Western States employees' volunteer work in the region, including building a pathway to Zoo Idaho. They also supported "Mini Joys," a nonprofit outreach that uses gentle miniature horses and big-hearted volunteers to bring joy and hope to those struggling. Second, the company has an exciting "Cat Command" remote operator technology, where an equipment operator is not physically inside the equipment but can operate it remotely from anywhere in the world. This option makes operating heavy machinery far safer in high-risk situations. Finally, Kelly discussed Western States Equipment's intense and innovative "Technician Academy," which is the only program accredited by the Association of Equipment Distributors. The nine-month education program is filled by nine students at a time, followed by a two-month internship. Olson said this program has been instrumental in creating a skilled workforce and was built through partnerships with local high schools. A competitive scholarship opportunity is available to offset the $5,000 tuition. When WSE Technician Academy students graduate from the program, technicians will be at the "apprentice" skill level and are ready to enter the workforce. If the students opt to stay with WSE, they can participate in a nine-year WSE Technician Career Development Program, which continues technicians' development and education. An audience member asked Kelly what she gets excited about when she thinks ahead to the coming year. "I get excited about growth and technology," Olson responded. This CEO Speaker Series was made possible by sponsors Bank of America, Western States Equipment, Blue Cross of Idaho and Idaho Business Review. Speakers for the 2023 Boise Metro Chamber CEO Speaker Series will be announced early in 2023. |
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