For the City Times

STEVENS POINT – Ignite Young Professionals is proud to announce the expansion of YPWeek Wisconsin to include 28 communities in 2018. The grassroots statewide program will run April 20 to 27, 2018 with each community presenting a variety of programs that empower young professionals to take ownership and pride in their hometowns.

YPWeek Wisconsin is modeled after a program started by NEWaukee in 2012 to provide a weeklong series of events focusing on discovery, adventure, and meaningful conversations about the issues that matter to young professionals in the Milwaukee area. YPWeek Wisconsin has continued to reach across the state with the support of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) since 2015, and its participants have collaborated with the agency on a communication strategy designed to retain, excite and grow the state’s talent pool. YPWeek will again incorporate that strategy into its programming, leveraging “THINK-MAKE-HAPPEN,” the initiative’s guiding brand statement, as an organizing theme.

After three years of successful expansion of YPWeek Wisconsin, NEWaukee has built the nation’s largest millennial talent network. YPWeek Wisconsin currently showcases 28 communities, but the intention is to include all 72 Wisconsin counties. As the 72 Initiative grows, NEWaukee provides the following to emerging leaders across the state:

— United Program Offering: world-class and turnkey programs that bring young professionals from across the state together.

— Peer Network: connection points between leadership across the state as well as for individuals to navigate the state.

“As YPWeek Wisconsin continues to expand, we look forward to having a more united voice and representation of what it means to be a young professional in Wisconsin and how our communities and employers accommodate this workforce,” explains Angela Damiani, CEO and Co-Founder of NEWaukee.

The statewide initiative also features the 2018 Bubbler Awards: Best Places to Work for Young Professionals in Wisconsin. The Bubbler Awards shines a light on the companies who have made great strides to accommodate the interests of a shifting workforce. There’s a common perception that Millennials are discontent or disinterested in traditional forms of employment. We are eager to showcase the reality of how many Wisconsin-based companies are adjusting and creating environments that allow young professionals to call this state home. Ignite and NEWaukee were please to present Skyward, Inc of Stevens Point with a 2016 Bubbler Award.

The nomination and selection process establish a framework for existing and emerging young professionals throughout the state to collaborate and brand Wisconsin as a workplace destination for Millennials. The evaluation centers on what Millennials are looking for in today’s workplace including: competitive salary and benefits, opportunity for advancement, work-life balance, and employee and community engagement. The application will close on February 28th, 2018 and the Bubbler Awards winners will be announced on March 14th, 2018. For more information on the 2018 Bubbler Awards, please visit http://www.ypweek.com/bubbler-awards/2018.

YPWeek Wisconsin 2018 is presented by the following organizations: Catalyst, City of Waukesha, Clark County Economic Development Corporation, Coastal Young Professionals Network, Connect Madison, Current, Current: Young Professionals of Greater Green Bay Chamber, Greater Beloit Rising Professionals, Ignite Young Professionals, Marshfield Young Professionals, NEWaukee, Northwoods Young Professionals, Platteville Public Library, Propel Oshkosh, Pulse Young Professionals Network, Today’s Professionals, Tri-County Young Professionals Network, Viroqua Chamber-Main Street, Waukesha County Business Alliance, Wave: Young Professionals of Marinette & Menominee, Y-Link, Young Professionals of Chequamegon Bay, Young Professionals of Coulee Region, Young Professionals of Fond du Lac, Young Professionals of Manitowoc County, Young Professionals of Racine, Young Professionals of the Chippewa Valley, YPWeek Madison, and YPWeek Wausau.

For more information about YPWeek Wisconsin 2018, please visit: www.ypweek.com.