When the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce decided in 2007 it was time to honor young professionals by recognizing their contributions to our communities, the Young Professionals Initiative was born. 

To expand awareness of the group, they chose to partner with CityLife Magazine (our sister publication) to promote and publish this impressive group. Together, we published in CityLife for seven great years until the magazine was re-branded and is now the leading women’s magazine in Northwest Louisiana. At that time, the leadership of YPI recognized the maturity, professionalism and community involvement of The Forum and its readers and that it was the best vehicle for reaching this exceptional audience. Our readers have embraced the YPI and our new partnership and have spread their success far and wide among the nearly 50,000 readers of our publication.

This year, we reach a 10-year milestone and are proud to see how much the event has grown and the diversity of the candidates and professions. In the first year alone, more 150 applications were considered, and the event has continued to swell, needing larger event space. At the end of this year, that will be a total of 400 inspiring individuals making a positive impact in our community. 

Our affection for and awareness of these exceptional men and women continues to bloom as we see their personal growth, promotions, awards, job changes, and additional volunteerism and leadership roles in the community. This we all should support and applaud. We look forward to continuing and growing our partnership and the recognition of these outstanding individuals. 

The gala will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Shreveport Convention Center. Sponsorships are available by contacting the Shreveport Chamber at
677-2500. Look for ongoing publication of each year’s winners in upcoming issues of The Forum. Tag and share photos from our Web site at www.theforumnews.com.

– Jay Covington, Publisher/Editor