After starting Manitowoc’s young professional group, Brian Johnson now works for Green Bay’s.
Brian Johnson is a busy guy.
The 33-year-old commutes from Manitowoc to his job as a manager for the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s career education programs, and serves on a variety of organizations within Northeast Wisconsin. He and his wife Kristin are the parents of a toddler and expect another baby this fall.
So when he took control of the chamber’s young professionals network nearly three years ago, it was the perfect fit — who better to lead the somewhat-directionless program than a young professional?
Colleagues laud Johnson’s success at turning around Current — it now consists of more than 500 members and is well regarded for its diverse programming.
Current aims to retain and attract young professionals and provide development and networking opportunities while initiating their involvement in the business community. According to Johnson’s co-worker, Jeanne Agneessens, much of Johnson’s success with Current can be attributed to a significant factor: he can lead young professionals because he is one.
"Brian really knows how to ‘model the way’; it’s not only the way he perceives it should be, but he lives it," says Agneessens, program manager for the Chamber’s Leadership Green Bay, another program which is designed to foster leadership skills through a variety of community and service opportunities. Johnson participated in the 2007–08 Leadership Green Bay.
"One of the keys to being a great leader — and it was evident from the day Brian interviewed — [is that] he uses his vision," says Agneessens, who works with Johnson on the chamber’s career education programming. "He really wanted to make this community better. He [puts in] a lot of late nights at the expense of [his personal life]. He is reading the books and doing the discussions, and people realize that. He makes sure our young professionals get value.
"You don’t last in a position like this without passion; it’s what drives him. He’s just someone to watch; he’s just beginning. We’re very lucky to have him here at the chamber — he is the best of what a young person can be in this community."
Green Bay isn’t the first community to benefit from Johnson’s passion — he first learned how to lead young professionals when he helped initiate and then served as chair for two years of the Chamber Manitowoc County’s SAIL young professionals program.
When he joined the Green Bay chamber as an employee, he brought a wealth of hands-on experience when it came to working with young professionals. He knew what it took to get a program such as Current off the ground, and he also knew the volunteer’s perspective firsthand. That experience served him well because it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Current.
"When I first came on board, Current was floundering a bit," says Johnson. "We discussed what we were going to do to get it back on track. Our group was trying to identify objectives for the year and we were all over the place."
Johnson says the process provided many ideas, but the committee needed direction. It settled on a five-year plan that targeted first-year, third-year and five-year goals.
"We’re almost at three years and we’re right on target," he says.
The first-year goal centered on developing a stronger membership base, which at the time was around 200 participants, and providing more creative and balanced programming.
"All organizations are struggling for membership, but Current is growing because of the programming we put on," says Johnson. "It serves the needs of employers and meets the professional’s needs. Traditional service clubs are losing membership because they need to address a different generation and its needs. With young professionals, it’s hard to capture their interest."
Three years ago, Current’s programming was "pretty heavily focused on the social," says Johnson. The committee was adamant that the area’s young professionals needed to be recognized as a valuable asset in the community, but it also realized that the social aspect of Current attracts and retains members.
"If [young professionals] don’t meet other [young professionals], they won’t want to stay here," says Johnson. "The other thing [the social aspect] does is expose them to venues and events within the community that they may not have visited on their own, so that they can say, ‘There are a lot of things to do here; I don’t need to go to Minneapolis or Chicago to be content.’"
Johnson explains that almost every Current event mixes the social with a learning component and often at an interesting location; previous events have been held at Heritage Hill State Historical Park, Green Bay Botanical Garden and The Art Garage. Current also steers clear of the more traditional service club mold, where members have to attend a certain number of meetings or fork out a lot for meals at those meetings.
"Young people don’t want that and many young professionals are not in a position to make that kind of a commitment," says Johnson. "The nice thing about [Current] is that you pick and choose your level of involvement. We don’t meet regularly — [Current] is event driven."
Agneessens points out that Johnson’s expertise and willingness to use technology is another attribute that helps him connect with other young professionals.
"He’s tech savvy; he stays on top of that and utilizes it to the best of its ability," she says. "He’s doing it all internally because knows how; that instant ability to contact and network is fascinating and extremely valuable."
Another characteristic Agneessens credits for Johnson’s success is his ability to get the job done while also building consensus within a group.
"Brian works hard at that and he always has all the facts before he makes a decision — and he can pull others into what he envisions," she says.
Nancy Thompson, chair for The New North’s Attract, Develop and Retain committee, says Johnson’s ability to look at every facet of an issue before making a decision is an incredibly valuable attribute.
"I really rely on him for that; Brian is always very good at bringing up another angle — not so much devil’s advocate but, ‘Hey guys, have we thought about that?’" says Thompson, a management recruiter for The H.S. Group, Inc.
Johnson "is the one person who will keep you from going to groupthink; if everyone is marching in one direction, he’s not afraid to [offer] a diverse thought."
