A group of more than 100 young professionals tuned in to the Fifth Annual NWA Young Professional Summit on November 11-13. The Summit was formed in 2016 when the Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders organization and Rotary Clubs of NWA realized the need to create a leadership summit for young professionals in Northwest Arkansas.

Summit Focused On Three Areas of Development
This year’s theme was IGNITE YOUR PASSION – Change Agents with sessions focused on discovering personal success, strengthening professional prosperity, and turning passion into philanthropic actions that help NWA thrive.

The Summit kicked off with Blake Binns, founder and CEO of Good Advice, a company that grows and scales businesses to 1,000 Raving Fans. Good Advice’s use of practical, tangible strategy develops a strong core customer base for its clients as well as developing employees who are motivated, engaged, and who achieve meaningful results. Blake also hosts the Good Advice Podcast, a U.S. top 50 entrepreneurial podcast updated twice weekly.

Blake spoke about Elevating Your Inner Change Agent. He asked simple questions like Do you want to be a force of change? Do you want to build your legacy? Then he explained the steps every change agent must take to both recognize and embrace their own gifts, while overcoming the challenges that everyone must face.

Another main session was with Mike Malone, Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs for Runway Group, LLC. Mike talked about the region and all the work that is going on behind the scenes, and how we are building the best region in the United States.

Young Professionals were able to tune in to several breakout sessions of their choice throughout the Summit. Some of the sessions included lessons on Leadership, Personal Branding, Diversity and Inclusion, Managing a Startup, Navigating Conversations, Service Learning, Gaining Influence Within Your Community, and Making Connections at the Local Level.

If you were not able to attend this year’s YP Summit, don’t worry! Click here to find out how you can get on-demand access to all the sessions.