by Angil Wanner, President

In 2009, an active member of the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network, Jerry Haas, had a dream of bringing together young professionals from the upper Midwest to Bismarck for the first ever Great Plains Young Professionals Summit which would provide opportunities to network and exchange ideas. This would be a three day event full of outstanding speakers covering topics from professional development, social networking, community development, personal growth, and leadership for the future. With the support of business partners in the Bismarck-Mandan community, this dream became a reality. In May 2010, the event had 120 young eager professionals in attendance. The GPYP Summit went on to be successful as well in other communities in North Dakota such as Fargo in 2011 and Minot in 2012.

The Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network has the honor of being the hosting city in 2013 with an even more spectacular line up of speakers. The summit will take place May 30-June 1with the majority of the program taking place at Bismarck State College. We have three phenomenal keynote speakers for the event.

• Stacey Dragila – One of the foremost athletes in the early years of women’s pole vaulting, winning the gold medal at the first three major pole vaulting championships. Her best vault of 4.83 m set in 2004 was significantly higher than other female vaulters of her generation. She will share her story of determination, effort and success. Her presentation will inspire you to dig deeper and make your dreams a reality.
• Coach Dale Brown – Brown’s straightforward, determined approach, combined with his knowledge of the game, excellent recruiting skills, and positive philosophy made his dream a reality. Equally amazing was his 25-year career as the Louisiana State University men’s basketball head coach, becoming the winningest coach in LSU basketball history and the second winningest coach in SEC history.
• Craig Valentine – An award-winning speaker and trainer, he has traveled the world helping hundreds of organizations reap the profitable rewards that come from embracing change. He is the author of many well-known books and is also Founder of the Communication Factory, LLC. and co-Founder of the World Champions’ Edge.

The Great Plains Young Professionals Summit would not be possible if not for the generous support of our sponsors and the dedicated group of over 30 volunteers from the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network. We will “Transform Tomorrow”.

If you would like more information on becoming a sponsor, please check out the website at www.gpypsummit.com or email Jerry Haas at jhaas@petrohunt.com.