December YP Connector

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Contents
4// John Gronen “Dubuque Forward”
PAGE 6
6 // YP Symposium Recap
10 // NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY: WHAT IT MEANS
TO ME
12 // YP Sponsors
13 // Upcoming Events
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#YPDUBUQUE

John
Gronen
Wednesday, December 15th
“Dubuque Forward”
Over the past 20 years, we at Gronen have had the privilege to
work on many different types of projects. From large to small, we
understand that it is more than just bricks and mortar—it’s about
creating a sense of community where people can thrive. Learn more
about a few recent projects and the impact they have had on the
community, as well as what is in store for the future.
Gronen, in Dubuque, Iowa, is a company
specializing in historic rehabilitation projects
seldom approached by other developers.
Adaptive re-use of classic but neglected
buildings has been the main focus, although
they are very experienced in new construction
as well. Since the formation of the company
in 1999, Gronen has restored over 1,500,000
square feet of commercial and residential
space in Dubuque, with development costs in
excess of $200,000,000. The firm also manages
approximately one hundred sixty residential
units; a mix of Affordable Housing, Workforce
Housing and Market Rate Housing. As well, they
offer upwards of one-quarter million square
feet of commercial space in these redeveloped
buildings. The completed projects have brought
new life into the urban areas they inhabit,
creating historic store fronts filled with eating
establishments, retail and office space, as well as
providing space for non-profit organizations that
serve the downtown community. These projects
have truly been catalytic for Dubuque’s urban
core.
The company uses an integrated project
management approach. This involves close
coordination amongst all teams – architectural/
design, construction management, engineering,
accounting/legal and property management – for
a well-planned, high-quality, seamless delivery.
This process has proven extremely effective, and
has resulted in projects coming in on time and on
budget.
The company’s redevelopment of historic structures
is accomplished through the use of creative, though
complicated, funding sources. Gronen specializes
in the layering of various rehabilitation tax credits,
Historic Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits, and
other private and public incentives.
Gronen has garnered numerous awards over the
past 25+ years on the local, state, and national levels.
These awards range from their first award (Ken Kringle
Historic Preservation Award) for their restoration
of 2015 Washington Street, to the prestigious
Tony Goldman Award | National Trust for Historic
Preservation for the transformation of the Schmid
Innovation Center | CARADCO Lofts.
The Gronens have added tremendous value to the
Dubuque community with their involvement in
the Four Mounds Foundation. John was one of the
Founders and still serves as its President. Created in
1987 as a way to support and maintain the centuryold
gentleman’s farm known as Four Mounds, this
non-profit organization has: preserved and restored
the five homes, twelve outbuildings, and 56-acre
grounds; developed an Inn/Conference Center;
acquired a 40-acre farm for youth education and
community gardens; and partnered with the City,
school district, and others to develop the Housing
Education And Rehabilitation Training (HEART)
program. This program gives at-risk youth the
opportunity to provide quality, affordable housing in
downtown Dubuque, through hands-on experience in
historic rehabilitation. The HEART program has been
transformational both for its participants and for the
neighborhoods where they have worked.

Recap!
Nikki Bauer, Sales Professional
with Express Employment
Professionals and YP Co-Director of
Signature Events, was awarded the
2021 Meghan Hackett Leadership
Award at the Dubuque Young
Professionals Symposium on
Wednesday, Nov. 17.
Nikki has been a long-standing
member of the YP Board. She is a
resilient and outstanding leader
both professionally and personally.
Nikki brings creativity, enthusiasm,
and compassion to everything she
is part of - qualities that define a
great leader.
Congratulations, Nikki! YP is thrilled to honor you and your leadership.
This award is named after Meghan Hackett, who was instrumental in the formation of Dubuque
YP and was an influential leader. Awarded annually at the YP Symposium, the recipient must
demonstrate leadership skills, a can-do attitude, and a willingness to help others.

Opening Keynote
MATT BOOTH:
“TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD”
We’ve heard over and over again that attitude is
everything. Is it true? Matt Booth, Certified Speaking
Professional, opened the YP Symposium with
thought-provoking questions about attitude.
Attitude is the start of everything, and our
attitudes determine our thoughts and,
ultimately, our actions. So, how do we examine
our attitude, and how do we take control of our
attitude?
Matt first broaches the subject of attitude with
a story about a woman he would see each day
at the front desk of where he worked out. He also
felt that she was sad, angry, or depressed. And,
anytime anyone would ask her, “How are you?” She
would immediately go into all the bad things that were
happening. Matt decided, instead of asking the age-old “How
are you?” Why don’t we start by asking, “Tell me something
good!”
Starting our conversations with this simple statement
forces a person to dig deep and think about the good
instead of the negative. Framing our questions to
others to initiate a positive response instead of a
negative can directly impact your attitude. How many
times after you speak with someone who is having
a terrible day and telling you all about it makes you
feel like you are having a terrible day. Frame your
questions to others differently, and your day could
see a positive outlook by triggering someone else’s positive outlook first.
Matt discussed that each of us, as a human, has a choice to make when it
comes to our attitude. The example was a Vulture or a Hummingbird. Matt
states, “It is predetermined what the vulture and hummingbird will feed upon.
But it is not the same for you… As you fly over your personal and professional
landscape, you have a choice to make. You decide what will feed your attitude.”
Matt’s message about the vulture and
hummingbird opened eyes about the choices we
make each day and how our attitude, although
others can affect it, how we handle it and control
it. A vulture and a hummingbird have no choice
in what they feed upon. It is part of nature. We,
as humans, get to control what feeds us. We
have the option not to listen to the negative,
and we have the choice to stay positive and help
others be positive. Matt said,” Your attitude. Your
choice.”
Matt also talked about eye contact. He described
the many different ways people over the years
have told him to connect to his audience using
eye contact. From
staring straight at them
to using spots on the
wall to focus on. He
never felt that any of
these worked well. He
established his own and
taught us how when he
is giving a presentation
and is looking at
different people from
around the room, he focuses one of his eyes on
one of their eyes. “It is called ‘eye contact’ not
‘eyes contact,’” said Matt. This helps give that
connection without making a person feel like you
are staring them down. Matt had the group of
young professionals try this with partners at the
table to wonderful results!
During Matt’s keynote, he asked everyone to
participate in an activity, which led each person
to assign a positivity percent to those they spend
the most time with and then assign themselves a
percent as well. Matt’s activity led to one major
conclusion, “The people you surround yourself
with affect your attitude.”
When we surround ourselves with negativity, it
can bring each of us down. When we surround
ourselves with positivity, it can lift us up, which
can lift others up. This, again, goes back to our
attitude being our choice. Do we choose to
surround ourselves with negativity? Or will we
choose to surround ourselves with positivity? As
leaders, what can we do to help lift others up by
choosing a positive outlook?
Matt talked about “navigating the negativity.”
We live in a negative world. From news to social
media, we are surrounded by negativity. How
do we navigate this? Think about the basics
that make up what you
consider a good life and
steer your ship in that
direction. Your attitude
is part of navigating the
negativity.
In context to businesses,
attitude is usually looked
at on a secondary
basis. For example,
suppose a person is great at a particular task
but has a negative attitude. In that case, many
businesses choose to keep that person because
they are good at that task, and they overlook the
negativity. Matt tasked all young professionals
to look at attitude as an asset as we grow and
become leaders and managers. Don’t let the fact
someone is good at one task allow their attitude
to drag everyone else down. Again, attitude is
an asset and should be taken into consideration
when evaluating an employee.
Matt’s honest, positive, and energetic keynote
started the 2021 YP Symposium off to a great
start!

Breakout Sessions Recap
PAM MUNN:
“MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS”
During Pam’s session, she asked the audience to reflect on “What
do you bring to the table? What are you good at?” She encouraged
everyone to focus on things they love about themselves and
owning it, because our authenticity is what drives us forward. We
need to look at what we imagine our future being while keeping
our authenticity intact and being true and understanding what our
sovereign journey is.
MICHAEL & ALISHA LEYTEM:
“CATCHING GOLD | IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNICATION
AND COACHING SKILLS”
Michael and Alisha tell the audience that the first step to improving your
communication is to be intentional and concise. If you are not, you can
be misunderstood. They discuss the negatives of being vague, and the
benefits of getting to the point in your communication. As well as taking
the time to listen and get to know the person you are talking to.
Michael and Alisha talk about the importance of communication during
the stages of feedback. They suggest that you make your feedback
obvious versus actionable to help communicate. There are three different
stages, the resistor, the receiver, and the requester. They discuss how
critical it is to understand which person you’re communicating with is.
MATT BOOTH:
“A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IN A NEGATIVE WORLD”
Pam led an interactive session where the audience was engaged
and vulnerable. In the end, she focused on how bad a** we all
really are!
Matt begins the session with talking about the effect you have on others. He asks, “how do you make
other people feel when they think of you, or when you walk into a room?” He goes on to say that our
attitude is our choice, it determines your thoughts, which in turn, determines your destiny.
Matt takes the audience through an evaluation of their N.E.E.D.S and tips on how that will help them
live positively. N.E.E.D.S stands for Negativity, Energy, Engagement, Direction, and Source of Power. He
explains how each of these areas will help create a positive attitude. He then transitions into taking
your NEEDS and developing goals around what you want for your future. Writing down goals creates
your road map for the future and remaining positive will help you achieve your goals.

Breakout Sessions Recap
CHAD GRALL:
“DIFFERENTIATING FROM COMPETITION/AND TACTICS
TO EFFECTIVE PROSPECTING”
Chad takes the time to break some preconceived notions. He talks
about how sales styles, pitches, or any other tactics won’t work for
you in sales if it does not fit you. You can learn everything there is to
know about those tips, but it will never work if you’re trying to make
something work that doesn’t fit you.
Chad talks about not being afraid of objections, because that’s when the
sales calls actually begin. The intention of the person you are trying to sell is
not to sell them something, they want you to solve their problem. It’s your job to
help them solve that problem.
MICHAEL LEYTEM:
“LEARNING HOW TO IDENTIFY AND BUILD A CULTURE OF
LEADERSHIP.”
The session started with Michael asking the room about what a strong “Leadership
Culture” looks like? Answers included: Winning/celebrations, fun, laughter, positive
vibes, trust, continuous improvement, shared vision, balance, family oriented.
Michael then talked about the difference between artifacts (words on the wall,
visuals, website, marketing materials), norms (behaviors, common language), values
(mission, purpose, strategic goals) and assumptions (perceptions, beliefs, thoughts,
feelings). A “leadership culture” must be present across all these levels of the
pyramid.
Michael then walked through his “C.A.T.C.H. & Release®” model.
He ended with a memorable analogy of a tree where the branches and leaves
are all the outward, public external-facing aspects of culture and the roots are
the underpinning factors such as behaviors and how companies handle change
or adversity. A company needs strong roots to weather inevitable challenges and
survive over the long term.
To stand out, Chad says, “it’s never crowded along the extra mile.” What can you do to
differentiate yourself from the crowd? It’s always good to understand your competition,
but what can you do that is that extra mile? Even just 1% more such as handwritten notes,
getting to know your audience, and being unique. It’s valuable to be able to meet who you
are talking to where they are. Changing your style based on your audience.
ALISHA LEYTEM:
“MINDFULNESS AND WELLBEING AT WORK”
Alisha begins with the benefits of mindfulness in how you work, and explains what mindfulness is
not. She says to the group, “Mindfulness is opposite of being on autopilot- it’s simply being present”.
Alisha took the time to walk through four different tools to help with self-reflection, to show how to
be present during the workday, and why it is important. The tools she shows are how to work with
your breathing, having intentional mindful moments with chair yoga, meditation, and practicing
GOLD journaling.
Alisha reminds everyone, “Intention is the state of being - goals are where you are going.”

Closing Keynote
DR. LIANG CHEE WEE:
“GRACE: GRATITUDE THROUGH REFLECTION,
APPRECIATION, COMPASSION, AND EQUITY”
Dr. Liang Chee Wee, President of Northeast Iowa
Community College, gave the closing keynote at the 2021
Dubuque YP Symposium. Dr. Wee focused on Grace:
Gratitude through Reflection, Appreciation, Compassion,
and Equity.
Dr. Wee’s message of GRACE and its key components
were rooted in his family. Specifically, his parents. Both
of his parents are gone now, but Dr. Wee said they live
in him each day and in his legacy. Through messages like
GRACE, he can empower young community leaders and
continue his parents’ work. Dr. Wee discussed why having
GRACE as young leaders, future leaders, and community
members is what makes us each better professionally and
personally.
G – Gratitude. Dr. Wee talked about
how gratitude is an attitude. And,
through Reflection, Appreciation,
Compassion, and Equity, we can all be
gracious individuals.
R – Reflection. Dr. Wee told a
story about his grandmother, and
though she didn’t have the money
or education when she sold bread,
she still gave bread to those who had no money for free. Dr. Wee said that as he
reflected upon the stories of his grandmother, mother, and father, it became clear
that they used grace and gratitude in everything they did. Looking back to teach us
in the future is an integral part of grace. Dr. Wee said the message his family always
focused on was, “Look for the good. Be the good. Do the good.”
A – Appreciation. Dr. Wee’s father, Mr. Wee, was a well-known mediator in the
village Dr. Wee was raised in. Even local gangs came to eat at the same table because
of the appreciation and respect that Mr. Wee
had in his community. Dr. Wee stated that even
many years later, those that knew his father
still called him “Mr. Wee’s son” instead of by
his name. This was a sign of appreciation and
to show how special it was to have a father like
him. Showing appreciation to those around
you, professionally and personally, is vital in
being a gracious person. Saying thank you and
explaining what you are saying thank you for
shows an appreciation that many may not
receive. Often, we use thank you quickly and
move on from it. To truly show our appreciation,
it is crucial to
slow down and
explain what
we are thankful
for to the
person we are
speaking to.
C –
Compassion.
Dr. Wee quoted
an unknown
source in
explaining
compassion,
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
Showing compassion for others and sharing
what little we may have is a gracious act that
we can sometimes forget. Having compassion
does not make an individual weak but shows
their strength and their grace. Dr. Wee quoted
Leonard Nimoy saying, “The miracle is this: the
more we share, the more we have.”
E – Equity. Dr. Wee stated, “Different
perspectives, talents, cultures, and gifts
continue to add richness and learning to my
being.” Dr. Wee, who grew up in the Chinese
culture, discussed how culture should be
discussed and demonstrated with grace. Being
kind to each other is a key component of grace
and the type of legacy we all want to leave
behind.
Dr. Wee reiterated Matt Booth’s message on
attitude and said that though we see a lot of
negativity, he believes there are far more good
things than bad things. If we live our lives with
GRACE, we can see a better future for ourselves
and others.
Creating a
community
of gracious
individuals
will only make
us stronger.
Dr. Wee said
he has hope
because of
each person
sitting in the
room on Nov.
17. Hope that
we are taking
the time to learn and be better professionals
and better humans. He added, “Humankind
must have kind humans.”
Dr. Wee concluded his keynote by
communicating that we should experience the
freedom and grace of sharing and receiving life’s
blessings. He quoted a dear friend of his saying,
“Give till it feels really good.”

National
Adoption Day
WHAT IT MEANS TO ME
By Kevin Meyers, Kunkel & Associates and
YP President
November 20 is National Adoption Day. What
does this mean to you, to me, to anyone? As
I sit here gathering my thoughts about what
National Adoption Day means to my wife,
Stephanie, and me, it also happens to be my
son Gage’s “Gotcha Day.”
The 2021 Annual Dubuque Young
Professionals Symposium had the underlying
message of being positive and taking care
of yourself and others. I connected to this
overall message immediately, and it helped
as I put pen to paper, well, hands to keyboard,
writing about our adoption story. I could go
on for pages about the meaning of today, the
importance of “Gotcha Day,” and so much
more, but I will keep this short and sweet.
quickly. It was only about six weeks after we were
“approved” to adopt that we matched with our birth
mom Heather. Six months later, we found ourselves
driving to Florida, a month into the pandemic, to
meet our son Gage.
Not even a year later, we got a call from the adoption
agency here in town. The adoption agency told us,
“I know this is early and not part of your plan, but
I have a birth mom I think you’d be a great match
with.”
Without even a second thought, we said, “yes, let’s
do it.” About six months later, we were blessed again
with our son Will.
We have both forever changed as a couple and as
individuals in large part because of the experiences
that led us to be the parents of two amazing boys.
I have learned that all the clichés of being a parent
are true. I have learned that no hurdle is too big to
get over. I have confirmed that we make plans, and
God laughs.
Not long after getting married, my wife,
Stephanie, and I wanted nothing more than
to grow our family and share the love we have
to give with children. Unfortunately, we could
not do so biologically, but what a blessing in
disguise that turned out to be! We had a lot
of nights where we sat around talking, solving
the world’s problems, being sad and upset
that things weren’t working out for us. But it
wasn’t long until we took action to put us on
the path that we knew was meant for us, the
path of parenthood.
Steph and I explored the adoption route and
we’re extremely fortunate to be blessed very
The amount of love and support we’ve been shown
is exponential. I cannot express enough the thanks I
have for everyone who showed up for us through our
journey. Whether it was the driveway beers the day
before we left for Florida or the prayers we got from
the random aunt or older woman at church that I’ll
probably never meet, I can’t thank everyone enough.
For my wife and me, adoption has been one of the best
things to happen to us. We both hope that in some
small way, our story can help anyone who is struggling
to remember that there is always another way, and
though sometimes it may be difficult, keep your head
high and stay positive, and your life could change for
the better in a moment.

Upcoming Events
John Gronen
Wednesday, December 15th
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Holiday Inn Dubuque
Amanda Goodman
YP Luncheon
Wednesday, January 19th
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Holiday Inn Dubuque
YP Night at the Museum
Thursday, January 27th
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Dubuque Museum of Art

Thanks
Reading
FOR
For more information on YP Dubuque please contact the Dubuque Area Chamber at
office@dubuquechamber.com or 563.557.9200
Young Professionals Dubuque is a program of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce