Nine addresses. 

Four states. 

Zero clues on how to make meaningful connections in our newest town.

When my husband and I moved to Knoxville, we were nearing double digits on the number of times we’d packed up our lives and headed off for new adventures. From college to chasing job opportunities, we’d lived in several different places but everywhere was more of a pitstop than a destination.

While I had become an expert at packing boxes and first days at new jobs, I didn’t have the slightest clue how to make connections. Sure, I can attend a networking event, run around the room introducing myself and walk out with multiple business cards but I wanted connections that went deeper than brief meetings at chamber of commerce events and trade show booths. 

And that’s when Young Professionals of Knoxville (YPK) entered the picture. 

While I had heard about YPK when we first moved to town, I really started looking into the organization after meeting a YPK member during my time in the Leadership Oak Ridge program. We’d connected at previous chamber and community events, but Leadership Oak Ridge gave us the time to talk about our shared experiences moving from out of state, getting settled, and making Tennessee home.

My very first YPK event was a YPK 101. I’ll be honest in saying it was absolutely overwhelming and completely awesome all at once. While my main motivation was to meet people in a professional setting, on a deeper level, I just wanted to make some friends. I left that evening knowing more about the organization and having talked with at least ten new people in a setting that didn’t seem forced or strictly sales-oriented. I felt like this was a group of people that wanted to make a difference in the community and have fun while doing so.

One of the things I love about YPK is you get out what you put in. If you’re looking for professional development or resume-building opportunities, we have them. If you’re wanting to get out more in a social setting or help build and improve the Knoxville community, we have that, too!

It’s been about a year and a half since my first YPK event and some of my favorite experiences in Knoxville have included my fellow members. I’ve had the chance to grow in my skills as a professional, contribute to the organization as a committee and board member, and get to know the Knoxville community better. I don’t think I’ll ever be an expert at making cold-call style connections, but I know thanks to my YPK involvement that there’s likely to be a friendly face in the crowd.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richelle Ballenger is a nonprofit marketing director by day and shameless dog mom by night. A Minnesota native, Ballenger and her husband moved to Knoxville in 2017 and she joined the Young Professionals of Knoxville in the fall of 2019. When she’s not working or volunteering, you'll usually find her at a local brewery, the dog park with Taz, their spoiled rotten Gordon Setter, or camped out with a good book and copious amounts of coffee.

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