For March’s 2013 networking event, young professionals gathered at a Capital Region staple – the original Wolf’s 1-11 in Colonie. Remember when we were at the Wolf’s 1-11 on Broadway close to a year ago? This year’s event drew in close to 100 attendees, filling the back room that was set aside just for CAYP with a spread of nachos, wings, mozzarella sticks and all your other favorite pub foods.

A big "Thank You" to the team at Berkshire Bank for the March sponsorship!

The event was graciously sponsored by Berkshire Bank — America’s most exciting bank. What makes them so exciting you ask? Well, for starters, check out their Harlem Shake videos. If that’s not enough for you, they also have remote deposit and great rates on a home equity line of credit.

This month, I met a new CAYP member whose excitement for making connections was truly palpable. Devin Cremean’s friendly personality showed that he was eager to meet new people and to talk about his work at Realty USA. And he understands why CAYP is so important: relationships!

“One of the greatest values in business is the value of relationships, and CAYP offers a strong network to keep you connected with relationships throughout your career.” — Devin Cremeans

If you missed this month’s event, there’s another chance to experience business networking in a relaxed sports bar setting at April’s event at the Recovery Sports Grille Malta.

CAYP attendees enjoying the evening

The Fort Orange Club is an exclusive establishment in Albany, but last month it was open to all CAYP members for our February event. Young professionals gathered in the main dining room as amaraderie filled the air alongside passed hors d’ouvres and a toasty fireplace.

As you may already know, the beauty of CAYP’s monthly networking events is that you’re guaranteed to always see some new faces. Just ask Jack:

“I’ve been to a few CAYP events, and I’m always pleased that I meet new people each time. But it’s not always a room full of strangers. I see a couple familiar faces, and then they introduce me to their connections. That’s how your network grows.” – Jack Sullivan, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments

Halfway through the evening, a representative from the Fort Orange Club tooks attendees on a tour of the building. One thing is for sure – you would never guess how big this building is from the outside. Be sure to check out the pictures on our Facebook page!

Sit down. Relax. Put your feet up.

As always, CAYP likes to give great praise to our supportive sponsors. This month, we would like to thank law firm Martin, Shudt, DiLorenzo & Johnson for making the event possibel. CAYP hopes that if the need arises, you will consider choosing our sponsors to serve your needs. Are you interested in having your business or organization sponsor a CAYP event? Contact us here.

Make sure to join us again next month on March 20th at Wolf’s 111 for our next networking social! Remember, the event opens at 5:30 and is free for members, $10 for non-members.

The crowd at Revolution Hall.

CAYP kicked off 2013 in a big way, returning to the always popular Troy venue, Revolution Hall. It seems that many individuals in the Capital Region are making resolutions dedicated to their professional life, as nearly 100 individuals gathered for the lively event. As it would be, this first event of the year was the first CAYP event for many. In addition to our regular members, we saw an unprecedented amount of new faces join us for the evening.

“I was invited to attend the CAYP event this past month by a friend of mine who is a member. I went with no expectations as to what it would be like,” said Don Denz, Residence Director at Siena College. “I was pleasantly surprised to see how welcoming everybody was and to see how a group of young people from a variety of different professions could network and connect with each other on a personal level.”

The event was sponsored by Judi Henrikson of Realty USA, who was available to educate individuals on the process of buying a home.

January's sponsor, Judi Henrikson of Realty USA

In addition to the great food and drinks provided by Revolution Hall, members were able to learn about and sign up for the very first CAYP for a Cause volunteer project with the Capital District Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, February 9. Committee chair, Kate Fruscione from the Business Review, donned a pink hard hat as she rallied up members to join the cause.

“I joined CAYP because I wanted to meet more people that had an interest in promoting and being a part of the Capital Region, ultimately giving back and helping to make it thrive,” said first time member, Meaghan Johnson, Career Counselor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “The mixer at Revolution Hall did all of that, and I was able to sign up for the Habitat build day!”

Thank you to all who came out and made our January event the perfect start to the New Year. If the rest of the events continue with this momentum, we’re in for a great 2013. We’ll be back in Albany next month at the Fort Orange Club on February 20. Join us, and don’t give up on that resolution just yet!

The CAYP Crowd at our 2012 Holiday Party

Tucked away in the Gazebo room at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham, Capital Region young professionals and their guests celebrated the holiday season with food, libations and laughs. Attendees enjoyed meeting new friends as they sat down for a chicken parm dinner and listed to local comedian Greg Aidala.

First-time CAYP attendee Kyle Schoen, Event Specialist at Christian Brothers Academy, was eager to share his thoughts on the evening:

“I had a wonderful time at the event.  I attended this networking event with my fiancé.  We both hands down concurred it was an amazing event on a professional level as well as on a personal level.  In our networking travels that glorious evening, we amassed quite the collection of business cards that I’m positive we will refer back to in the future. The food was delicious, the comedian was hysterical and I will forever treasure my picture that was taken on the red carpet.  I am definitely glad I did not miss out!”

The evening was graciously sponsored by the graduate admissions and continuing education department of The College of St. Rose. If anything will propel your career forward, it’s coupling networking with ongoing learning. St. Rose offers both part-time and full-time programs and welcomes working professionals pursuing a graduate degree. Check out more about their programs here.

Don’t think the celebration is over. Make sure you come out to our first event of 2013 at Revolution Hall in Troy on January 23rd!

Board member Courtney Meyers (left) with two CAYP members

Yum!

Much like sushi, CAYP rolls together just the right ingredients to create a perfectly satisfying experience — talented young professionals, generous local business sponsers and tasty hors d’oeuvres all wrapped in an amazing venue. For November’s networking social, CAYP members, as well as non-members, gathered at Sake Japanese Steakhouse in Latham. This attractive venue provided a centrally located spot for young professionals to meet and exchange stories about their professional and personal lives.

November’s event was proudly sponsored by Pinnacle Recruiting and Fast Feet Fitness. Pinnacle Recruiting is a technology staffing firm. If you’re looking for work, or have a position to fill, reach out to one of their principals, Chris Wessell. As the new year is approaching, consider a consultation with Fast Feet Fitness, a personal training group comprised of former collegiate athletes.

Young Professionals David Plagenza and Zach Hasselbarth

Sounds like a good time, right? Believe it or not, next month will be even better. Make sure to order your tickets for our holiday party on December 14th at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham – music, food, a comedian, a red carpet and, most importantly, a great crowd!

Our attendees definitely had their elevator speech down by the end of this event.

While speeding on the highway will connect you to a ticket, speed networking sends you home with tickets to connections. Capital region young professionals satisfied their need for speed off the road at a joint speed networking event with the Colonie Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012.

In case you haven’t seen how it goes down, Colonie Chamber members sat on one side of a table while CAYP members sat across from them on the other side. After one minute of introductions and chatter, CAYP members rotated seats allowing for new pairs of people to meet and exchange elevator speeches. A little like musical chairs for adults.

The best thing about speed networking is that you’re guaranteed to go home with cards from individuals you can follow up with. Of course, we didn’t want it to be all hustle and bustle, so after the structured speed networking there was plenty of time for traditional mingling over appetizers and a chocolate fondue fountain.

Attendees left this event with stacks of business cards.

New CAYP member Michael Feuer, Client Advisor at Burst Marketing, gave us some feedback on his experience:

“The CAYP speed networking event was the most beneficial event I have been to yet. I was able to network and converse with  a multitude of local professionals looking to generate business. A few of the connections I made at the event have already met and scheduled future meetings with me since attending.”

If you missed this event, you have a chance to redeem yourself – CAYP’s next event will be November 14th at Sake Japanese Steakhouse in Latham. Check out the details here!

CAYP's October crowd at Wheatfields in Clifton Park

CAYP made another Clifton Park comeback for October’s networking event. This month, we ventured over to Wheatfields bistro and wine bar. With chilly weather and shorter days coming upon us, networking by a warm fireplace only made sense. Wheatfields greeted us with a sampling of what their full menu has to offer — and one lucky CAYP attendee was the winner of a gift certificate to do just that!

This event welcomed a lot of new faces. I met a professional actor, learned about how I can run a marathon (or half) to help raise money for cancer research and got an insider’s perspective from an HR pro on what employers are really looking for these days. At what other networking event can you have all these different kinds of conversation?

October’s month’s event was possible due to the generous sponsorship of LaMarche Safranko Law, PLLC. Should you ever need legal representation, they specialize in giving their clients the kind of personal attention that’s necessary during those stressful times. And did I mention they’re some incredibly down-to-earth professionals?

Is it hot in here? Or is it just the networking opportunities?

This event also marked the announcement of CAYP for a Cause, a new way to get involved with CAYP. This sub-committee will meet regularly in order to get involved with ways to help give back to our community. If you’re interested in getting involved, be sure to sign up! The list is growing pretty fast, and it’s great to see that so many young professionals are eager to donate their time and energy to help out others.

If you made the mistake of missing all that went on this month, don’t let it happen next month! Our next event is November 14th at Sake lounge in Latham.

CAYP officially celebrated its fifth birthday on July 20th, 2012. Although  there wasn’t a cake with candles, our host, Angelo’s 677 Prime, supplied a dashing assortment of delectable appetizers and hors d’ouvres. In a chic private room tucked away upstairs, over 90 of the area’s young professionals smiled for the Albany Alive camera as they entered the event across its famous red carpet.

The event was sponsored by The Business Review and the UAlbany Weekend MBA Program, a 22-month cohort program that offers all required courses on Fridays and Saturdays and even incorporates an international trip. Sarah Martin, the MBA’s Program Assistant, attended her first CAYP event as the sponsor’s representative. Here is what she had to say:

I had a great time at Prime the other night! It was a great group of young, up-and-coming professionals. The upscale venue, and the relaxed atmosphere made it a great first-time CAYP experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and open to hearing about the UAlbany Weekend MBA program, and how it can help power up their careers. Even though this was my first CAYP event, I felt that I was able to comfortably network and meet a diverse group of enthusiastic and friendly individuals.

Matt Mazzone receives CAYP's Contribution Award

CAYP would not have made it to its fifth year if it hadn’t been for enthusiastic members and their contributions. CAYP recognized this by awarding two CAYP members with our annual Friend of CAYP trophies. The winner of the Contribution Award went to Matt Mazzone of Mazzone Hospitality for hosting numerous events at his organization’s serveral fine dining establishments, including the evening’s 677 Prime. The Spirit Award was presented to Chris Wessell of Pinnacle Recruiting for his overal enthusiasm for CAYP and for consistently spreading the word about CAYP to new young professionals.

With a new year comes new leadership. CAYP announced that several of their board members will be stepping off to persue other volunteer and career ventures. Theresa Petrone, CAYP’s former president, bid her farewells and took a look back to the past — when CAYP was in its infancy and consisted of gatherings of 30 people! CAYP’s incoming president, Jessica Collette, took the stage to express her excitement about leading such an amazing organization.

Jessica announced that many new and exciting changes will be happening with CAYP in the upcoming months. Make sure you watch out for upcoming announcements. You don’t want to miss any of the events and benefits that CAYP has in store!

Farewell to former president Theresa Petrone and vice president Ryan Hanley