Making Connections
Young Professional Network helps others connect.
Most professional organizations are designed to create connections between members. Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® (DMAAR) Young Professional Network (YPN) sees its role a little differently, though.
“Our goal goes beyond connecting with other young REALTORS®,” says Tony Berry, YPN President. “We see our purpose as hosting events to connect anyone in the industry and to create opportunities for people from one industry to connect with individuals in another.”
YPN members tend to be just that—young real estate professionals. However, membership is targeted toward “new” real estate professionals, not just young people. “We always say YPN stands for ‘YOUR Professional Network’ because we don’t target our events or our membership for a specific age group,” Berry says. “Participating in YPN is just a great opportunity to become more active in the industry.”
YPN members not only benefit from the support of local DMAAR members, but they are able to attend special YPN sessions at national conferences as well. Through the mentorship of other real estate professionals and the networking events the group organizes each year, YPN members receive the tools and skills for successful careers in real estate.
“We host a variety of events throughout the year, from fun events for all ages to educational events for professional development,” Berry says.
One of the most popular YPN events is the Dragon Boat Dash, which is returning this June after a year’s hiatus. Held at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines, the race raises funds for charity while offering entertainment for the entire family. Food trucks, music, and games will add to the fun of the 12-team dragon boat competition.
Teams of 25 competitors will race across the lake and back while a drummer beats a cadence. All proceeds will benefit the Gregacy for the Kids nonprofit, established in honor of local REALTOR® Greg Steward, founding member of DMAAR’s YPN group, who passed away in 2023. The organization benefits local children who have lost a parent.
“Greg was the one who came up with the idea for the original Dragon Boat Dash,” Berry says, “so we wanted to honor him with this year’s event.”
No experience is required, and teams can still sign up to participate in the race (see links). Berry says it’s a popular team-building activity for companies while also benefiting the community.
In addition to fun activities, YPN also hosts a number of educational events throughout the year. “The summer bash is typically our family-oriented event each year, and then we hold a number of educational events and a year-end social event that also raises money for charity,” Berry says.
Lunch and Learn meetings are always popular, like February’s market update with Les Sulgrove, the Stat Guy (see March BUILD) and the design trends session held in conjunction with the HomeShowExpo provide opportunities for area professionals to learn about different aspects of the industry.
“We have about half a dozen events on the calendar this year, ending with our annual Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl, which is always a popular event,” Berry says.
“We’ve been fortunate to have some key sponsors that support YPN so we can host all these events,” he says. “Having two or three sponsors for each thing makes it possible for us to focus on planning the events.”
When the Des Moines YPN group began in 2018, there were four primary goals: to create fun events and help members build networks, to provide a variety of educational opportunities for members, to offer space for members to network with their peers and share ideas, and to help new members get involved in local, state, and national associations.
Now, six years later, those goals remain the same and are more important than ever. “We’ve figured out over the past few years which events people really benefit from, which things they like to attend, and we focus on those,” Berry says.
YPN may have started to help new real estate professionals make connections within the industry, but it’s become much more.
The group is helping others make connections, too. And they’re having fun along the way.
Learn More. To learn more about the national YPN organization, visit YPN.realtor.
To get involved in YPN or to learn more about the upcoming Dragon Boat Dash, check out these pages: