Local chambers woo young professionals

Herald News, March 18, 2008

By HEATHER HADDON

CLIFTON -- A Corona in his hand and salsa music blaring in the background, Michael Magwood spent a recent Wednesday evening conducting business.

Earlier this month, the Clifton chiropractor attended the second event for young professionals hosted by the North Jersey Regional Chamber of Commerce in Clifton. Instead of a boardroom, the mixer took place at a nightclub, Bliss Lounge on Allwood Road.

"It's all about planting seeds," said Magwood, 33, as he exchanged business cards with an IT consultant at the neon-lit bar.

Increasingly, traditional business associations are hunting for ways to attract younger participants. Membership has fallen in chambers of commerce as big companies consolidate, move or cut back on paying dues because of declining profits, said Brian Guravage, program manager at the North Jersey Regional Chamber. In the last year, Guravage's organization lost 100 companies, he said.

For decades, chambers of commerce provided a principal way for businesses to mingle.

Now, as baby boomers age, the 100 chambers across the state are trying to cultivate young blood. But they have stiff competition from free online networking sites like linkedin.com, dozens of niche business groups and organizations for young, working singles.

In Passaic County, a third of the people in the labor market were between the ages of 20 and 34, according to the 2000 Census.

One state organization creating buzz among that age group is New Jersey Young Professionals.

Since 2004, 10,000 people between the ages of 21 and 39 have signed up for the social networking group's online forums and events across the state.

The hundreds of people flocking to its evening bar-crawls and hiking excursions mostly look to make friends, but they also translate into business connections.

"There's no need for icebreakers," said Peter Lawson, a 32-year-old financial broker from Totowa who met two new clients at one young professionals event.

Laura Occhipinti, the organization's 30-year-old founder, believes chambers have lost their relevancy for Generations X and Y.

"The best place to network is at happy hour," said Occhipinti, a Waldwick native. "Networking at a structured event where everyone is older than you -- that's not us."

James Dykes, president of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce, agreed that his organization's strength isn't throwing mixers for specific age groups. These days, the 99-year-old chamber focuses on helping city businesses navigate red tape, he said, as few executives have time to devote to networking.

But the area's two other large chambers, North Jersey Regional and the Tri-County in Wayne, both recently started holding events for younger professionals -- with mixed success. Three months ago, North Jersey Regional offered an online "Webinar" conference to members that didn't generate much interest. But evening social events have yielded more success.

Last fall, a networking night co-sponsored by the Tri-County Chamber brought out hundreds of people to a Montclair dance club. At the event at Bliss Lounge in Clifton, a Washington Mutual banker in Elmwood Park said he made a contact that he hopes to translate into a new $3 million account.

Magwood, the Clifton chiropractor, recruited four new clients during the evening.

Many young professionals use face-to-face groups to complement Web networking. Joe Tate, for example, has a MySpace page for his Clifton e-commerce business selling figurines. The 25-year-old doesn't believe the Web can provide the direct support of other young people struggling to improve their businesses.

"In an age where we're doing everything online, (face to face) is more relevant, if anything," said Tate, a member of the New Jersey Young Entrepreneurs, a group that meets monthly in Montclair. "You get a personal feeling you don't get other places."