There are moments in life that touch you but even more special are the ones that touch others. Over the past month we at Airport Business and the AviationPros Group were blessed to experience both types of moments. We knew from its inception that our 40 Under 40 program was something special and one that would recognize young professionals who are making a difference today and preparing to be the future leaders of aviation. With companies and associations paying increasingly more attention to mentoring Young Professionals we saw an opportunity to partner with them to create opportunities to promote and educate this special group of people.
Over the past year we have worked with the Airport Consultants Council (ACC) on a collaborative partnership to help pick the winners, promote their Young Professionals group (they call YP’s) and grow this incredible group of YP’s. With well over 300 nominations the process was long and extremely difficult but we are very proud of this year’s winners.
With all the action on LinkedIn congratulating our winners, it is evident that our 40 Under 40 program has become a coveted honor in aviation! I was honored to be asked to speak at their annual meeting in Newport Beach about this partnership and am very excited to work with ACC to grow this partnership together. ACC really helped elevate this award to another level and we look forward to continuing this partnership!
A few month back the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) reached out and asked us to partner with them on their young professionals (a group of young people they call YoPro’s) reception at the 2015 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas. With more than 400 new-comers registered for the YoPro events, there is no doubt of the need for more of these types of opportunities in aviation.
The opening night YoPro networking event was an incredible success on many levels. I was in awe of these incredible young people who inspired me. Having a pocket full of free drink tickets to give out, I was met with the same response over and over: “That is not what I am here for,” “Thanks but can I get a bottle of water?” “No thanks, I would rather have you introduce me to some possible mentors.”
The following morning these inspiring YoPro’s showed up for a 9 a.m. session (remember this is Las Vegas and the first session of the day). There was a standing room only on the show floor for our joint NBAA/Airport Business-AviationPros session titled: “Elevate to New Heights: Young Processionals and the Future of Aviation.” The panel could have kept the interactive session going all day featuring NBAA writer Lowen Baumgarten moderating. Airport Business’s Editor Ronnie Garrett gave the opening remarks on our 40 Under 40 program. The panel featured Jo Damato from NBAA, Sarah Barnes from Paragon Aviation (a 2014 40 Under 40 winner), Brad Thress from Textron Aviation and Rob Mark our new partner for “On the Mark” video series.
Want to see more? We had professional film crew and spent the rest of the day interviewing industry leaders on mentorships, what they look for in Young Professionals and other forms of priceless advice from industry leaders. With incredible demand and insightful content, we will be releasing a video of the interactive session between the panels and attending YoPro’s. We are compiling a series of videos from our interviews with industry leaders on mentoring, Young Professionals and the future of aviation. Look for them on AviationPros.com or sign up to receive the videos at: www.aviationpros.com/video/12139944/who-was-really-in-command-of-malaysian-flight-17
What have you done to help the future of aviation? Airport Business and AviaitonPros.com is committed to the industry’s young professionals. We believe if we reach out to educate and support the incredible young people in the industry we can rest assured that aviation will be in good hands when it’s time to turn over the reins.
Reach out to a young professional today and offer up some sage advice or support. Trust me! It will touch you and more importantly will touch someone else!
