There is no doubt that the Central Valley’s young professionals are already taking on leadership roles in our community. If you see yourself as one of those future leaders, we want to help you get there. To strengthen the ties between young professionals and our community’s key players FLYP launched the Community Leader Luncheon series.

Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals (FLYP), in partnership with the City ofFresno, is now accepting applications for theDowntownAcademy.

Applications are available at www.flypinfo.com/downtown-academy 

The Downtown Academy is a collaborative program designed to connect key business, government and community leaders with a group of 30 forward thinking professionals brought together to explore the following question:

“How can we transform Downtown Fresno into a vibrant place where people can live, work and play?”

Participants in theDowntownAcademywill meet once a month from 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p. m. to learn about the challenges and changes that are occurring in Downtown Fresno.

The interactive class will be led by the City of Fresno Downtown and Community Revitalization Director Craig Scharton and PBID CEO Kate Borders.  Class days will consist of a walking tour and conclude at a Downtown restaurant (food provided) for discussion and additional speakers.

In addition to monthly class days, Academy members will be required to attend a two day field trip toPasadenaandSanta Monicato see functioning downtowns and bring fresh new ideas back toFresno. The cost of the trip is included in the class tuition.

The application period will close April 30, 2012.  Priority will be given to FLYP members. The Downtown Academy Class of 2012-2013 will be announced May 15, 2012 at www.flypinfo.com 

Tuition:

FLYP Member: $200

FLYP Non Member: $250

The DowntownAcademyhas a strict attendance policy with only two allowed absences. Being more than 20 minutes late for a class day will count as a half day absence. The field trip is mandatory and will take place July 13^th and 14^th 2012.

 *TheDowntownAcademyClass Agenda was created by the City ofFresno’s Downtownand Community Revitalization Director Craig Scharton.

 Mayor Swearengin has made Downtown Fresno a top priority in her administration and has called on theFresnocommunity to, “Face it or Fix it!”DowntownAcademyis FLYP’s way of answering that call to action. If you have any questions regarding the class or the payment plan, please email Sarah Moffat at smoffat@flypinfo.com.

FLYP has purchased a block of 25 tickets for May 10th (Thirsty Thursday) Game vs. the Iowa Cub’s. The tickets will are located in the Cru Club, formerly the 500 Club. The CRŪ Club offers the best of both worlds- a first-class dining experience combined with the excitement and energy of Triple-A baseball. Ticket holders will have access to the elegant indoor bar and restaurant as well as one of the most comfortable seats in the ballpark outside. In addition to the luxurious surroundings, you’ll be served at your seat by Grizzlies staff so you won’t have to miss any of the action. All of this, plus a fantastic selection of local, artisan CRŪ wines can be yours as a member of the exclusive CRŪ Club. The CRŪ Club also features more than a dozen televisions and is fully air-conditioned.

Event Cost
Member: $25.00
Non-Member: $35.00

Register Now!

Membership is for one year, beginning on your date of registration. Your membership will automatically renew each year. You will receive a renewal notice prior to the expiration of your membership.

Become a FLYP Lifetime Member and enjoy the following benefits:

- Avoid paying annual membership fees
- Commemorative Plaque
- Special FLYP Item
- Recognition at events and on website

Lifetime Membership ($250) Name (Last, First Middle) Employer Name

Annual Membership ($35) Name (Last, First Middle) Employer Name

Student Membership ($20) Name (Last, First Middle) School Name

FLYP Membership Includes:

• Fresno Live Discount Card: Support local business and receive great discounts by using this card at over 150 locations in Fresno and Clovis
• Discounted admission to Downtown Academy, Speaker Series and Forums, Professional Development Workshops
• Discounted registration to recreational sports leagues organized by FLYP
• Online access to “Members Only” area of the FLYP website.
• Opportunities to promote your events and projects on the FLYP Blog
• Set up your profile, network with other members, and access the FLYP Membership directory
• Discounts on FLYP apparel
• Eligibility to serve on Board of Directors, Committees, and various community partnerships
• Discounted Membership to The Downtown Club

Corporate Memberships:

Please email Jake Soberal for more information regarding Corporate Memberships – JSoberal@flypinfo.com

FLYP in partnership with Fresno Rotary is excited to announce the launch of its first Mentorship Program for young professionals in the Fresno area. This program is designed to connect FLYP Members with influential community leaders from the Rotary Club of Fresno to enhance both their abilities to lead, serve and connect within their areas of influence.  The goal of the program is to help FLYP members develop into Fresno’s future leaders by engaging in the community through relationships with seasoned professionals, knowledgeable and connected to their specific industry.

Selected FLYP members will be matched with industry specific mentors from the Rotary Club of Fresno for a year-long commitment, consisting of two hours per month. Mentees and Mentors will develop relationships through a series of one-on-one meetings, attending both FLYP and Rotary events, as well as participating in a culminating service project of their choice that benefits the community.

Who are Mentors?

• Mentors play a vital role in creating a positive, constructive experience for both mentor and mentees to grow through the program.
• FLYP has a strategic partnership with Fresno Rotary for Mentors in the FLYP-Rotary Mentorship Program.
• Mentor pairings are based upon industry knowledge in relation to experience and skills sought by mentees  Other considerations include chemistry, availability, and mutual gain between the mentor and mentee
• Participation in a few FLYP events is also a requirement for Mentors.

Who are Mentees?

• Mentees are seeking wisdom from someone with experience in their pursuits.  A mentee must be driven to contact mentees to arrange meetings in order to benefit from the program.
• FLYP is offering mentor pairings to paid FLYP members who are available & interested in the opportunity.
• Mentee pairings are based upon communicated needs and opportunity to develop networks with a mentor.  Other considerations include chemistry, availability and mutual gain between the mentee and mentor.
• Participation in a few Rotary events is a requirement for Mentees

When?

• Meeting times between mentor and mentee are self-driven by mentorship pairing and initiated by mentee.
• The commitment is 2 hours per month for one year
• The mentorship partnership will run from October,2011 – September,2012

Where?

• Meeting locations are determined according to the preference of the mentor and mentee team.  These meetings can be virtual, event-driven or in-person depending on the preference, needs and availability of the mentor and mentee team. 

 Requirements for FLYP Mentees

• Paid FLYP Members
• Willing to attend at least 2 Rotary events
• Self-driven to set meetings with Mentors
• Participation and coordination of culminating project

Application Due: DEADLINE EXTENDED! – Get your Application in now!

If you any question or are interested in applying for the FLYP-Rotary Mentoring Program please download the application below and submit to Csilva@flypinfo.com no later than September 1, 2011.

DOWNLOAD: Rotary Mentorship Application

Experts from the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, are leading a six-part series designed for front-line supervisors and managers–those new to the role, those needing a refresher in the core skills, those recently promoted a technical role to a supervisory role, and others interested in acquiring or refining their supervision skills.

The series begins on September 18 and takes place on six consecutive Fridays (no class on 10/16/09) from 8 am to 11 am on the university campus. Instructors for the series are Laurie Taylor-Hamm, MBA; Debbie Young, MBA; Julie Olson-Buchanan, M.A., Ph.D.; Jim Schmidtke, Ph.D.; and Ida Jones, J.D. The fee for the Certificate Award in Supervisory Skills Training: Increasing Individual Effectiveness and Impacting Organizational Results is $595 for all six classes. Enrollment is for the entire series; registration for individual class sessions is not available.

For details, contact the Division of Continuing & Global Education, (559) 278-0333, email cgeinfo@csufresno.edu, or visit the website at  http://www.csufresno.edu/cge/supervisoryskills

The owner of the Fresno Grizzlies has provided us with his Fresno Fave Five – Enjoy!

1.  Fresno Grizzlies’ Monday Madness and Parker

• In these tough times, this is the most value-packed deal anywhere and we’re extremely excited to offer it to our community. At every Monday home game, fans can get 2 tickets, 2 hot dogs, 2 sodas, 2 Wild Water Adventure Park passes and 2 Blackbeard’s mini-golf passes for just $22.  That’s more than $100 in value. There aren’t many places where you can get that kind of bang for your entertainment buck. In addition, Parker, the Fresno Grizzlies’ mascot, is quite simply the best mascot in all of Minor League Baseball, if not on the face of the planet. He really epitomizes the Grizzlies experience, where there’s fun to be had by everyone. He’s definitely worth the price of admission all by himself!
  

2.  Concerts at Table Mountain

• I attended the Counting Crows concert (including performances by Augustana and Michael Franti) at Table Mountain and it was simply the best concert I’ve attended in recent years. The music was eclectic and electric and the view from the seats was excellent.  This is another in a long series of great concert performances sponsored by Table Mountain.  What a perfect venue for concerts they have there.
  

3.  Kings Canyon National Park

• Even if you never get out of the car, the less than a one-hour car ride to the entrance of Kings Canyon National Park is incredibly beautiful. In the wintertime, it is a great place to play in the snow.
  

4.  Kayaking, paddling or dinner cruising

• You can drive up to one of the lakes and rent a boat – or figure out which lucky friend of yours lives on one of the many beautiful man-made lakes in the area! Several of the best evenings with friends have been spent taking a boat ride on a warm summer evening!
  

5.  Museums/Culture

• I often hear people saying that there is nothing to do in Fresno, but there are numerous museums, all of which are quality institutions (particularly the Fresno Art Museum) and there are numerous opportunities to see quality performances by the Fresno Philharmonic, the Fresno Grand Opera and Roger Rocka’s. If people take advantage of the entertainment options available to them, there is no shortage of activity!
  

Oh – and by the way – this is the last week of Fresno Grizzly baseball for 2009! Go out and support your team!

FLYP PD thought this event might interest you- check it out, and let us know your thoughts-

Complimentary Workshop Coming soon:

Tuff Selling Strategies for Tuff Times

If your company struggles with too many “think it overs”, much activity but not many closings, ineffective prospecting, price battles, or unpaid consulting. Then this complimentary workshop is for you. You’ll learn why Cold Calling is ineffective and what to do about it, why your salespeople spend so much time “chasing” prospects, and you’ll gain a new perspective on the sales process.

Thursday August 20th
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sandler Training Center Fresno

2331 Fresno St. Suite 121
Fresno, Ca. 93721
559-412-8178
800-928-0238

Register for this Event

So you are looking for a job- a lot of people are! What is going to seperate yourself from everyone else?

Check out these videos put on by the Fresno based Denham Resources to help you become a better interviewee.

http://www.youtube.com/DenhamResources

After I published my Fresno ‘Fave Five’ I received a lot of feedback saying that I missed some of the best parts of Fresno. Due to my oversight – I have allowed some guest bloggers to provide you with their ‘Fave Five’.

The first guest is Jenn Blair- and her ‘Fave Five’ are:

1. People- I love how Fresno is such a closely knit community and everyone is very friendly and honest. There is a great sense of doing what is right for our Valley.
2. Parks and Lakes- I love the outdoors and enjoy being so close to so many beautiful natural resources such as Yosemite, Millerton, Shaver, and Bass Lakes.
3. Entrepreneurialism- Fresno is the leader in food and water technology. It’s pretty cool to say that we feed the majority of the US with our agriculture.
4. Big City Things- Fresno is the 4^th largest city in Fresno and has so many cool things to do. Whether you are into getting a good bite to eat, rooting on our local Grizzly baseball team in downtown Fresno, or visiting a cool museum, Fresno has it all.
5. Traffic- There is none! I grew up in Southern California and I dread visiting because of the traffic. You can get from North Fresno to South Fresno in 10 minutes.

Oh…and if you were wondering who Jenn Blair is – Here you go:

Jennifer currently serves as Chairman of the Board of FLYP and Ex-Officio Board Member of the Greater Fresno Chamber. Jennifer Blair graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara.  In 2004 she relocated to Fresno from her hometown of Southern California. During her 4+ years in Fresno she  she has been active in Fresno Area Business Networking, the Greater Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the Central California Chamber of Commerce and the Commission of the Status of Women for California.