Desiree Lindgren and Sydney Renae are two people to know in Grays Harbor.
It’s not just that they’re good people, but professionally they know their stuff and they work hard. Just ask Renae about her calendar. She might show you the multi-colored spreadsheet she has on her iPhone. Seeing it makes you feel lazy.
After a year of working to create, and sustain Grays Harbor Young Professionals (GHYP), the tight-knit duo is proving the drive they have to make networking better and easier is real.
According to Renae, a wedding and event planner who owns Renae’s Rendevous, and also tends bar a few nights per week at The Tap Room, the group is up to about 60 members. While the group is meant for the younger crowd — 20s to 30s — there is no age limit.
Rick Moyer, who was photographing the group’s one-year anniversary Wednesday night at The Tap Room, sounded proud of the 24-year-old Lindgren and 25-year-old Renae, who started GHYP.
“Let me just say when I saw Desi and Renae had started up the young professionals, I was like thrilled because we haven’t had anything like that for a long time,” Moyer said. “And the energy they bring to the community is life-giving, I think.
Renae explained what GHYP is exactly.
“The goal/mission of GHYP is to create a community of like-minded peers to share ideas on development and growth in our county,” Renae said. “We’re working on expanding our connection with local high schools and (Grays Harbor College) to help bridge the gap between schooling and career and show students they can build fulfilling careers here in Grays Harbor.”
Lindgren, a real estate agent for Windermere Real Estate in Aberdeen, explained how GHYP started.
“I worked for an accounting firm as an administrative assistant and they had opened an office in Thurston County,” Lindgren said. “So we and a couple of the accountants there attended the Thurston Young Professionals in Olympia. I liked the idea so much that I wondered if Grays Harbor had one of those and I realized we didn’t, so I just decided it was time to start it and I didn’t want to start it on my own.”
Lindgren said she needed someone like Renae, and so she reached out to her.
“She kind of got it kicked off and moving and now it’s our one-year anniversary,” Lindgren said. “I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”
Stuart Ball said he joined GHYP mostly because there weren’t a lot of younger people who were doing community events, volunteering or out there networking.
“There were no events, essentially, for the younger group — just getting out of college,” Ball said. “I always noticed we were missing that demographic when I would go up to community cleanup events. I saw a lot of people my parents’ age and not really anybody in their 20s to 30s.
Ball said he brought it up to Renae, who is a “really good friend” of his, and it was then he found out she was working on bringing GHYP to life.
“And the rest is history,” Ball said.
The group not only networks, but it coordinates clean-up efforts when the weather is nice, and provides a relaxed space for people to network, according to Lindgren. To do that, they head to the local bars and restaurants in town.
“We try to do laid back (events) at local bars and we switch our location every time,” Lindgren said. “And we have a wide variety of different professions for people to network with.”
Lindgren said her favorite element of GHYP is boosting people socially.
“I love building people’s confidence in the same way I had my confidence built at Thurston Young Professionals, and giving a space to feel comfortable and network with people who are like-minded.”
Moyer, who owns Moyer Multimedia LLC., said the energy the two women bring to the community is “life-giving.” And he really likes that the group doesn’t just meet on social media.
“It is so great to have a physical meeting place where you can network with people, look in their eye and find out about their business,” Moyer said while standing steps away from the bar’s patio, which was full of young, eager name-tagged professionals. “And it’s amazing how many of these folks here are networking together and they’re making their business better because they’re working with another business. It’s great.”
Bryce Romero, who was brought on early to GHYP, also owns The Tap Room. He was glad to host the anniversary, just as he was glad to host GHYP’s first meeting.
“We got a good crowd tonight for the meeting,” Romero said. “That’s good.”
Kati Kachman, president of Aberdeen City Council, sat on the patio and conversed with the other people who were there. While Kachman, who’s also president of Aberdeen Rotary Club, isn’t a member of GHYP, she knows Renae and Ball, another long-time member of GHYP.
“I know Stuart and Sydney from (Aberdeen) Rotary Club and they invited me to tonight’s event,” Kachman said in an email Wednesday night. “I think Sydney and Desi are doing a wonderful job bringing Harbor professionals together. The turnout shows there is a younger demographic of people wanting to be a part of the community, make connections and do good for our area.”
Kachman added how the group coordinates clean-up efforts, and, as of Wednesday, was assisting with the Major General Eldon Bargewell statue dedication this Saturday at noon in Hoquiam.
“So I think they will make a big impact on the community and show some of the other generations that millennials and Gen-Z have a passion for service work and care about our local area,” Kachman said.
On Sunday, GHYP will clean from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Morrison Riverfront Park — on the banks of the Chehalis River and right by the Rotary Log Pavilion.
One member who’s made a particular impact this past quarter, was Dakota Mullikin. The Aberdeen native works as a client accounting specialist for Inspire Advisors, and she was chosen as GHYP’s “Star of the Quarter.” Mullikin said why she joined. That started with Thurston Young Professionals, as well.
“When I saw there was an opportunity to do something more local, I thought that was really exciting,” Mullikin said. “Desiree and Sydney have grown such a beautiful community outpouring of young professionals. It’s really cool to see so many people just coming together and excited to be in Grays Harbor.”
Renae spoke about Mullikin winning the honor.
“Oh gosh. Dakota’s such a rock star,” Renae said. “I was so glad when she got nominated for that, because she just accepted her role as a full-time CPA after it was kind of sitting on her desk for a while. Now she gets to take advantage of it and she fully deserves it. She’s an excellent role model for the community, so she earned that.”
In addition to the socializing, occasional drinks the crowd imbibed on Wednesday, they also had a raffle. The prizes, according to Renae, were a “huge” jar of chocolate covered espresso beans from Inspire Advisors; a mug, jacket, and shirt from Think of Me Boutique; two GHYP T-shirts from Jacknut Apparel; and roughly 10 season passes and 10 single-game tickets to Grays Harbor Gulls Football Club.
Renae, in high spirits after people started clearing out here and there, was happy to discuss the night’s turnout.
“I’m honestly really impressed with tonight’s turnout,” Renae said. “I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish with it. It’s nice to see everybody’s shining face, and happy to be here and support us. I think this is probably one of the best turnouts we’ve had and I hope for more of them.”
Renae loves how she found Lindgren, because they’ve changed each other’s lives.
“Desi and I have quickly become best friends through our work together and I hope that it’s a constant example to other young people that you can find your best friend when you build your career, and I’m gonna cry. I couldn’t do it without her, not even a little bit,” Renae said.
To get in contact with GHYP, contact GHYP’s Facebook, Instagram, and-or exchange a business card.
“Join us, we would love to have you,” Lindgren said. “The more the merrier.”
Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at Matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.
A group of members of Grays Harbor Young Professionals listen as their founders thank them for all they do, announce the raffle prizes, and the group’s “Star of the Quarter.” The group started from Desiree Lindgren, far right, and Sydney Renae, right. Now, GHYP has about 60 members. (Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World)
Upon entering The Tap Room, raffle prizes were on a nearby table, along with a Grays Harbor Young Professionals (GHYP) welcome sign and tulips, which were for Desiree Lindgren, GHYP’s founder, and Sydney Renae, who helped her start it. (Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World)
