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PAGE 4<br />
Contents<br />
4// John Gronen “Dubuque Forward”<br />
PAGE 6<br />
6 // <strong>YP</strong> Symposium Recap<br />
10 // NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY: WHAT IT MEANS<br />
TO ME<br />
12 // <strong>YP</strong> Sponsors<br />
13 // Upcoming Events<br />
PAGE 10<br />
JOIN THE CONVERSATION<br />
#<strong>YP</strong>DUBUQUE
John<br />
Gronen<br />
Wednesday, <strong>December</strong> 15th<br />
“Dubuque Forward”<br />
Over the past 20 years, we at Gronen have had the privilege to<br />
work on many different types of projects. From large to small, we<br />
understand that it is more than just bricks and mortar—it’s about<br />
creating a sense of community where people can thrive. Learn more<br />
about a few recent projects and the impact they have had on the<br />
community, as well as what is in store for the future.<br />
Gronen, in Dubuque, Iowa, is a company<br />
specializing in historic rehabilitation projects<br />
seldom approached by other developers.<br />
Adaptive re-use of classic but neglected<br />
buildings has been the main focus, although<br />
they are very experienced in new construction<br />
as well. Since the formation of the company<br />
in 1999, Gronen has restored over 1,500,000<br />
square feet of commercial and residential<br />
space in Dubuque, with development costs in<br />
excess of $200,000,000. The firm also manages<br />
approximately one hundred sixty residential<br />
units; a mix of Affordable Housing, Workforce<br />
Housing and Market Rate Housing. As well, they<br />
offer upwards of one-quarter million square<br />
feet of commercial space in these redeveloped<br />
buildings. The completed projects have brought<br />
new life into the urban areas they inhabit,<br />
creating historic store fronts filled with eating<br />
establishments, retail and office space, as well as<br />
providing space for non-profit organizations that<br />
serve the downtown community. These projects<br />
have truly been catalytic for Dubuque’s urban<br />
core.<br />
The company uses an integrated project<br />
management approach. This involves close<br />
coordination amongst all teams – architectural/<br />
design, construction management, engineering,<br />
accounting/legal and property management – for<br />
a well-planned, high-quality, seamless delivery.<br />
This process has proven extremely effective, and<br />
has resulted in projects coming in on time and on<br />
budget.<br />
The company’s redevelopment of historic structures<br />
is accomplished through the use of creative, though<br />
complicated, funding sources. Gronen specializes<br />
in the layering of various rehabilitation tax credits,<br />
Historic Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits, and<br />
other private and public incentives.<br />
Gronen has garnered numerous awards over the<br />
past 25+ years on the local, state, and national levels.<br />
These awards range from their first award (Ken Kringle<br />
Historic Preservation Award) for their restoration<br />
of 2015 Washington Street, to the prestigious<br />
Tony Goldman Award | National Trust for Historic<br />
Preservation for the transformation of the Schmid<br />
Innovation Center | CARADCO Lofts.<br />
The Gronens have added tremendous value to the<br />
Dubuque community with their involvement in<br />
the Four Mounds Foundation. John was one of the<br />
Founders and still serves as its President. Created in<br />
1987 as a way to support and maintain the centuryold<br />
gentleman’s farm known as Four Mounds, this<br />
non-profit organization has: preserved and restored<br />
the five homes, twelve outbuildings, and 56-acre<br />
grounds; developed an Inn/Conference Center;<br />
acquired a 40-acre farm for youth education and<br />
community gardens; and partnered with the City,<br />
school district, and others to develop the Housing<br />
Education And Rehabilitation Training (HEART)<br />
program. This program gives at-risk youth the<br />
opportunity to provide quality, affordable housing in<br />
downtown Dubuque, through hands-on experience in<br />
historic rehabilitation. The HEART program has been<br />
transformational both for its participants and for the<br />
neighborhoods where they have worked.
Recap!<br />
Nikki Bauer, Sales Professional<br />
with Express Employment<br />
Professionals and <strong>YP</strong> Co-Director of<br />
Signature Events, was awarded the<br />
2021 Meghan Hackett Leadership<br />
Award at the Dubuque Young<br />
Professionals Symposium on<br />
Wednesday, Nov. 17.<br />
Nikki has been a long-standing<br />
member of the <strong>YP</strong> Board. She is a<br />
resilient and outstanding leader<br />
both professionally and personally.<br />
Nikki brings creativity, enthusiasm,<br />
and compassion to everything she<br />
is part of - qualities that define a<br />
great leader.<br />
Congratulations, Nikki! <strong>YP</strong> is thrilled to honor you and your leadership.<br />
This award is named after Meghan Hackett, who was instrumental in the formation of Dubuque<br />
<strong>YP</strong> and was an influential leader. Awarded annually at the <strong>YP</strong> Symposium, the recipient must<br />
demonstrate leadership skills, a can-do attitude, and a willingness to help others.
Opening Keynote<br />
MATT BOOTH:<br />
“TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD”<br />
We’ve heard over and over again that attitude is<br />
everything. Is it true? Matt Booth, Certified Speaking<br />
Professional, opened the <strong>YP</strong> Symposium with<br />
thought-provoking questions about attitude.<br />
Attitude is the start of everything, and our<br />
attitudes determine our thoughts and,<br />
ultimately, our actions. So, how do we examine<br />
our attitude, and how do we take control of our<br />
attitude?<br />
Matt first broaches the subject of attitude with<br />
a story about a woman he would see each day<br />
at the front desk of where he worked out. He also<br />
felt that she was sad, angry, or depressed. And,<br />
anytime anyone would ask her, “How are you?” She<br />
would immediately go into all the bad things that were<br />
happening. Matt decided, instead of asking the age-old “How<br />
are you?” Why don’t we start by asking, “Tell me something<br />
good!”<br />
Starting our conversations with this simple statement<br />
forces a person to dig deep and think about the good<br />
instead of the negative. Framing our questions to<br />
others to initiate a positive response instead of a<br />
negative can directly impact your attitude. How many<br />
times after you speak with someone who is having<br />
a terrible day and telling you all about it makes you<br />
feel like you are having a terrible day. Frame your<br />
questions to others differently, and your day could<br />
see a positive outlook by triggering someone else’s positive outlook first.<br />
Matt discussed that each of us, as a human, has a choice to make when it<br />
comes to our attitude. The example was a Vulture or a Hummingbird. Matt<br />
states, “It is predetermined what the vulture and hummingbird will feed upon.<br />
But it is not the same for you… As you fly over your personal and professional<br />
landscape, you have a choice to make. You decide what will feed your attitude.”<br />
Matt’s message about the vulture and<br />
hummingbird opened eyes about the choices we<br />
make each day and how our attitude, although<br />
others can affect it, how we handle it and control<br />
it. A vulture and a hummingbird have no choice<br />
in what they feed upon. It is part of nature. We,<br />
as humans, get to control what feeds us. We<br />
have the option not to listen to the negative,<br />
and we have the choice to stay positive and help<br />
others be positive. Matt said,” Your attitude. Your<br />
choice.”<br />
Matt also talked about eye contact. He described<br />
the many different ways people over the years<br />
have told him to connect to his audience using<br />
eye contact. From<br />
staring straight at them<br />
to using spots on the<br />
wall to focus on. He<br />
never felt that any of<br />
these worked well. He<br />
established his own and<br />
taught us how when he<br />
is giving a presentation<br />
and is looking at<br />
different people from<br />
around the room, he focuses one of his eyes on<br />
one of their eyes. “It is called ‘eye contact’ not<br />
‘eyes contact,’” said Matt. This helps give that<br />
connection without making a person feel like you<br />
are staring them down. Matt had the group of<br />
young professionals try this with partners at the<br />
table to wonderful results!<br />
During Matt’s keynote, he asked everyone to<br />
participate in an activity, which led each person<br />
to assign a positivity percent to those they spend<br />
the most time with and then assign themselves a<br />
percent as well. Matt’s activity led to one major<br />
conclusion, “The people you surround yourself<br />
with affect your attitude.”<br />
When we surround ourselves with negativity, it<br />
can bring each of us down. When we surround<br />
ourselves with positivity, it can lift us up, which<br />
can lift others up. This, again, goes back to our<br />
attitude being our choice. Do we choose to<br />
surround ourselves with negativity? Or will we<br />
choose to surround ourselves with positivity? As<br />
leaders, what can we do to help lift others up by<br />
choosing a positive outlook?<br />
Matt talked about “navigating the negativity.”<br />
We live in a negative world. From news to social<br />
media, we are surrounded by negativity. How<br />
do we navigate this? Think about the basics<br />
that make up what you<br />
consider a good life and<br />
steer your ship in that<br />
direction. Your attitude<br />
is part of navigating the<br />
negativity.<br />
In context to businesses,<br />
attitude is usually looked<br />
at on a secondary<br />
basis. For example,<br />
suppose a person is great at a particular task<br />
but has a negative attitude. In that case, many<br />
businesses choose to keep that person because<br />
they are good at that task, and they overlook the<br />
negativity. Matt tasked all young professionals<br />
to look at attitude as an asset as we grow and<br />
become leaders and managers. Don’t let the fact<br />
someone is good at one task allow their attitude<br />
to drag everyone else down. Again, attitude is<br />
an asset and should be taken into consideration<br />
when evaluating an employee.<br />
Matt’s honest, positive, and energetic keynote<br />
started the 2021 <strong>YP</strong> Symposium off to a great<br />
start!
Breakout Sessions Recap<br />
PAM MUNN:<br />
“MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS”<br />
During Pam’s session, she asked the audience to reflect on “What<br />
do you bring to the table? What are you good at?” She encouraged<br />
everyone to focus on things they love about themselves and<br />
owning it, because our authenticity is what drives us forward. We<br />
need to look at what we imagine our future being while keeping<br />
our authenticity intact and being true and understanding what our<br />
sovereign journey is.<br />
MICHAEL & ALISHA LEYTEM:<br />
“CATCHING GOLD | IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION<br />
AND COACHING SKILLS”<br />
Michael and Alisha tell the audience that the first step to improving your<br />
communication is to be intentional and concise. If you are not, you can<br />
be misunderstood. They discuss the negatives of being vague, and the<br />
benefits of getting to the point in your communication. As well as taking<br />
the time to listen and get to know the person you are talking to.<br />
Michael and Alisha talk about the importance of communication during<br />
the stages of feedback. They suggest that you make your feedback<br />
obvious versus actionable to help communicate. There are three different<br />
stages, the resistor, the receiver, and the requester. They discuss how<br />
critical it is to understand which person you’re communicating with is.<br />
MATT BOOTH:<br />
“A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN A NEGATIVE WORLD”<br />
Pam led an interactive session where the audience was engaged<br />
and vulnerable. In the end, she focused on how bad a** we all<br />
really are!<br />
Matt begins the session with talking about the effect you have on others. He asks, “how do you make<br />
other people feel when they think of you, or when you walk into a room?” He goes on to say that our<br />
attitude is our choice, it determines your thoughts, which in turn, determines your destiny.<br />
Matt takes the audience through an evaluation of their N.E.E.D.S and tips on how that will help them<br />
live positively. N.E.E.D.S stands for Negativity, Energy, Engagement, Direction, and Source of Power. He<br />
explains how each of these areas will help create a positive attitude. He then transitions into taking<br />
your NEEDS and developing goals around what you want for your future. Writing down goals creates<br />
your road map for the future and remaining positive will help you achieve your goals.
Breakout Sessions Recap<br />
CHAD GRALL:<br />
“DIFFERENTIATING FROM COMPETITION/AND TACTICS<br />
TO EFFECTIVE PROSPECTING”<br />
Chad takes the time to break some preconceived notions. He talks<br />
about how sales styles, pitches, or any other tactics won’t work for<br />
you in sales if it does not fit you. You can learn everything there is to<br />
know about those tips, but it will never work if you’re trying to make<br />
something work that doesn’t fit you.<br />
Chad talks about not being afraid of objections, because that’s when the<br />
sales calls actually begin. The intention of the person you are trying to sell is<br />
not to sell them something, they want you to solve their problem. It’s your job to<br />
help them solve that problem.<br />
MICHAEL LEYTEM:<br />
“LEARNING HOW TO IDENTIFY AND BUILD A CULTURE OF<br />
LEADERSHIP.”<br />
The session started with Michael asking the room about what a strong “Leadership<br />
Culture” looks like? Answers included: Winning/celebrations, fun, laughter, positive<br />
vibes, trust, continuous improvement, shared vision, balance, family oriented.<br />
Michael then talked about the difference between artifacts (words on the wall,<br />
visuals, website, marketing materials), norms (behaviors, common language), values<br />
(mission, purpose, strategic goals) and assumptions (perceptions, beliefs, thoughts,<br />
feelings). A “leadership culture” must be present across all these levels of the<br />
pyramid.<br />
Michael then walked through his “C.A.T.C.H. & Release®” model.<br />
He ended with a memorable analogy of a tree where the branches and leaves<br />
are all the outward, public external-facing aspects of culture and the roots are<br />
the underpinning factors such as behaviors and how companies handle change<br />
or adversity. A company needs strong roots to weather inevitable challenges and<br />
survive over the long term.<br />
To stand out, Chad says, “it’s never crowded along the extra mile.” What can you do to<br />
differentiate yourself from the crowd? It’s always good to understand your competition,<br />
but what can you do that is that extra mile? Even just 1% more such as handwritten notes,<br />
getting to know your audience, and being unique. It’s valuable to be able to meet who you<br />
are talking to where they are. Changing your style based on your audience.<br />
ALISHA LEYTEM:<br />
“MINDFULNESS AND WELLBEING AT WORK”<br />
Alisha begins with the benefits of mindfulness in how you work, and explains what mindfulness is<br />
not. She says to the group, “Mindfulness is opposite of being on autopilot- it’s simply being present”.<br />
Alisha took the time to walk through four different tools to help with self-reflection, to show how to<br />
be present during the workday, and why it is important. The tools she shows are how to work with<br />
your breathing, having intentional mindful moments with chair yoga, meditation, and practicing<br />
GOLD journaling.<br />
Alisha reminds everyone, “Intention is the state of being - goals are where you are going.”
Closing Keynote<br />
DR. LIANG CHEE WEE:<br />
“GRACE: GRATITUDE THROUGH REFLECTION,<br />
APPRECIATION, COMPASSION, AND EQUITY”<br />
Dr. Liang Chee Wee, President of Northeast Iowa<br />
Community College, gave the closing keynote at the 2021<br />
Dubuque <strong>YP</strong> Symposium. Dr. Wee focused on Grace:<br />
Gratitude through Reflection, Appreciation, Compassion,<br />
and Equity.<br />
Dr. Wee’s message of GRACE and its key components<br />
were rooted in his family. Specifically, his parents. Both<br />
of his parents are gone now, but Dr. Wee said they live<br />
in him each day and in his legacy. Through messages like<br />
GRACE, he can empower young community leaders and<br />
continue his parents’ work. Dr. Wee discussed why having<br />
GRACE as young leaders, future leaders, and community<br />
members is what makes us each better professionally and<br />
personally.<br />
G – Gratitude. Dr. Wee talked about<br />
how gratitude is an attitude. And,<br />
through Reflection, Appreciation,<br />
Compassion, and Equity, we can all be<br />
gracious individuals.<br />
R – Reflection. Dr. Wee told a<br />
story about his grandmother, and<br />
though she didn’t have the money<br />
or education when she sold bread,<br />
she still gave bread to those who had no money for free. Dr. Wee said that as he<br />
reflected upon the stories of his grandmother, mother, and father, it became clear<br />
that they used grace and gratitude in everything they did. Looking back to teach us<br />
in the future is an integral part of grace. Dr. Wee said the message his family always<br />
focused on was, “Look for the good. Be the good. Do the good.”<br />
A – Appreciation. Dr. Wee’s father, Mr. Wee, was a well-known mediator in the<br />
village Dr. Wee was raised in. Even local gangs came to eat at the same table because<br />
of the appreciation and respect that Mr. Wee<br />
had in his community. Dr. Wee stated that even<br />
many years later, those that knew his father<br />
still called him “Mr. Wee’s son” instead of by<br />
his name. This was a sign of appreciation and<br />
to show how special it was to have a father like<br />
him. Showing appreciation to those around<br />
you, professionally and personally, is vital in<br />
being a gracious person. Saying thank you and<br />
explaining what you are saying thank you for<br />
shows an appreciation that many may not<br />
receive. Often, we use thank you quickly and<br />
move on from it. To truly show our appreciation,<br />
it is crucial to<br />
slow down and<br />
explain what<br />
we are thankful<br />
for to the<br />
person we are<br />
speaking to.<br />
C –<br />
Compassion.<br />
Dr. Wee quoted<br />
an unknown<br />
source in<br />
explaining<br />
compassion,<br />
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”<br />
Showing compassion for others and sharing<br />
what little we may have is a gracious act that<br />
we can sometimes forget. Having compassion<br />
does not make an individual weak but shows<br />
their strength and their grace. Dr. Wee quoted<br />
Leonard Nimoy saying, “The miracle is this: the<br />
more we share, the more we have.”<br />
E – Equity. Dr. Wee stated, “Different<br />
perspectives, talents, cultures, and gifts<br />
continue to add richness and learning to my<br />
being.” Dr. Wee, who grew up in the Chinese<br />
culture, discussed how culture should be<br />
discussed and demonstrated with grace. Being<br />
kind to each other is a key component of grace<br />
and the type of legacy we all want to leave<br />
behind.<br />
Dr. Wee reiterated Matt Booth’s message on<br />
attitude and said that though we see a lot of<br />
negativity, he believes there are far more good<br />
things than bad things. If we live our lives with<br />
GRACE, we can see a better future for ourselves<br />
and others.<br />
Creating a<br />
community<br />
of gracious<br />
individuals<br />
will only make<br />
us stronger.<br />
Dr. Wee said<br />
he has hope<br />
because of<br />
each person<br />
sitting in the<br />
room on Nov.<br />
17. Hope that<br />
we are taking<br />
the time to learn and be better professionals<br />
and better humans. He added, “Humankind<br />
must have kind humans.”<br />
Dr. Wee concluded his keynote by<br />
communicating that we should experience the<br />
freedom and grace of sharing and receiving life’s<br />
blessings. He quoted a dear friend of his saying,<br />
“Give till it feels really good.”
National<br />
Adoption Day<br />
WHAT IT MEANS TO ME<br />
By Kevin Meyers, Kunkel & Associates and<br />
<strong>YP</strong> President<br />
November 20 is National Adoption Day. What<br />
does this mean to you, to me, to anyone? As<br />
I sit here gathering my thoughts about what<br />
National Adoption Day means to my wife,<br />
Stephanie, and me, it also happens to be my<br />
son Gage’s “Gotcha Day.”<br />
The 2021 Annual Dubuque Young<br />
Professionals Symposium had the underlying<br />
message of being positive and taking care<br />
of yourself and others. I connected to this<br />
overall message immediately, and it helped<br />
as I put pen to paper, well, hands to keyboard,<br />
writing about our adoption story. I could go<br />
on for pages about the meaning of today, the<br />
importance of “Gotcha Day,” and so much<br />
more, but I will keep this short and sweet.<br />
quickly. It was only about six weeks after we were<br />
“approved” to adopt that we matched with our birth<br />
mom Heather. Six months later, we found ourselves<br />
driving to Florida, a month into the pandemic, to<br />
meet our son Gage.<br />
Not even a year later, we got a call from the adoption<br />
agency here in town. The adoption agency told us,<br />
“I know this is early and not part of your plan, but<br />
I have a birth mom I think you’d be a great match<br />
with.”<br />
Without even a second thought, we said, “yes, let’s<br />
do it.” About six months later, we were blessed again<br />
with our son Will.<br />
We have both forever changed as a couple and as<br />
individuals in large part because of the experiences<br />
that led us to be the parents of two amazing boys.<br />
I have learned that all the clichés of being a parent<br />
are true. I have learned that no hurdle is too big to<br />
get over. I have confirmed that we make plans, and<br />
God laughs.<br />
Not long after getting married, my wife,<br />
Stephanie, and I wanted nothing more than<br />
to grow our family and share the love we have<br />
to give with children. Unfortunately, we could<br />
not do so biologically, but what a blessing in<br />
disguise that turned out to be! We had a lot<br />
of nights where we sat around talking, solving<br />
the world’s problems, being sad and upset<br />
that things weren’t working out for us. But it<br />
wasn’t long until we took action to put us on<br />
the path that we knew was meant for us, the<br />
path of parenthood.<br />
Steph and I explored the adoption route and<br />
we’re extremely fortunate to be blessed very<br />
The amount of love and support we’ve been shown<br />
is exponential. I cannot express enough the thanks I<br />
have for everyone who showed up for us through our<br />
journey. Whether it was the driveway beers the day<br />
before we left for Florida or the prayers we got from<br />
the random aunt or older woman at church that I’ll<br />
probably never meet, I can’t thank everyone enough.<br />
For my wife and me, adoption has been one of the best<br />
things to happen to us. We both hope that in some<br />
small way, our story can help anyone who is struggling<br />
to remember that there is always another way, and<br />
though sometimes it may be difficult, keep your head<br />
high and stay positive, and your life could change for<br />
the better in a moment.
Upcoming Events<br />
John Gronen<br />
Wednesday, <strong>December</strong> 15th<br />
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM<br />
Holiday Inn Dubuque<br />
Amanda Goodman<br />
<strong>YP</strong> Luncheon<br />
Wednesday, January 19th<br />
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM<br />
Holiday Inn Dubuque<br />
<strong>YP</strong> Night at the Museum<br />
Thursday, January 27th<br />
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM<br />
Dubuque Museum of Art
Thanks<br />
Reading<br />
FOR<br />
For more information on <strong>YP</strong> Dubuque please contact the Dubuque Area Chamber at<br />
office@dubuquechamber.com or 563.557.9200<br />
Young Professionals Dubuque is a program of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce