June 19, 2024 • 26 mins
Sam Elliott, the Vice President of Development for the Young Professionals of Knoxville (YPK), shares his journey from a pilot to a pivotal community leader, detailing the impact of YPK in fostering a vibrant network for young professionals in Knoxville. Discover how YPK's connections, development, and service initiatives are crafting a promising future for the city’s young talent and how young professionals can get involved, grow their skills, and contribute to their community.
Show Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction.
(01:07) Sam's background in aviation and community leadership.
(02:17) Exploring volunteer opportunities and community involvement in Knoxville.
(03:23) How the city supports a community-driven mindset.
(03:51) Overview of Young Professionals of Knoxville and their activities.
(05:22) Professional development events hosted by YPK.
(06:27) Leadership experiences within YPK.
(07:34) YPK’s affinity groups and personal connection opportunities.
(08:10) Discussion on Knoxville’s transformation into a tech and educational hub.
(09:28) Retaining young talent in Knoxville with strategic initiatives.
(10:33) YPK’s expansion into surrounding areas.
(14:05) Community service projects and their impacts.
(16:32) Regional expansion plans into Oak Ridge.
(17:11) Future partnerships and growth for YPK.
(18:44) Importance of community and professional development.
(25:13) Closing remarks and appreciation for Sam Elliott.
Links Referenced:
Young Professionals of Knoxville website: https://www.ypknox.com/
Reach Sam via Email: advancement@ypknox.com
Connect with ConnectTheKnox
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Just Homes Realty Group: www.justhomesgroup.com
Find my Home Buyers & Home Sellers Guide here: https://linktr.ee/thejuliahurley
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Julia (00:05):
Hi everybody, and welcome to
another episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your host, Julia Hurley,
connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Today's guest is someone that I have
had the pleasure of meeting just
recently in Knoxville, Yet has a major
impact on the future of Knoxville.
And I want to make sure that I bring this
(00:26):
information to each and every one of you.
Meet Sam Elliott, the
director of Knoxville's YP
program, Young Professionals.
Sam, so much for joining us today.
Sam (00:37):
Thank you for inviting me.
It was great to have met you out
in the world, in real life, instead
of like online or something.
Julia (00:43):
Well, in IRL, in real
life, that took me a very long
time to figure out that hashtag.
Tells you how old I am a little bit.
Well, we appreciate your time today.
And of course, we always start with
the same question, as our listeners
really want to know Where are you from?
Tell us about yourself and then
we'll kind of delve into a natural
conversation to lead into YP.
Sam (01:03):
Perfect.
So, um, like you said,
my name is Sam Elliott.
I'm the Vice President of Development
for the Young Professionals of Knoxville.
I'm originally from Central Kentucky.
I went to college there and my degree
was in professional flight in aviation.
So I'm a pilot and I fly for
a private company in town.
But, uh, after teaching at the university
in Central Kentucky for about a semester.
(01:26):
I did an internship for a year in Kansas.
I wanted to move closer to
home, be closer to my family.
Knoxville is where I found a job and
I've been here for about eight years now.
Yep.
And, uh, basically only in the
last two years have I gotten really
involved in the wide variety of
opportunities that Knoxville has.
I'm a big and big brother, big sister.
I used to volunteer weekly
(01:46):
with Young Williams.
I'm on the board for an organization
called the CASA of East Tennessee,
which is the Court Appointed
Special Advocates Program.
Helps children in foster care
and juvenile court situations.
But the majority of my free time in
the last two years has been with YPK,
the Young Professionals of Knoxville.
Julia (02:01):
That is an extensive resume
for only being here eight years.
Sam (02:05):
Let's, let's point out that like two
years of hard work will get you there.
It's just been, I've, I had a lot
of free time in the last two years
and I said, I'm going to, I'm going
to endeavor to, you know, To make
as much of an impact as possible.
Julia (02:17):
I love that.
I love that.
And so many other young
people should hear that.
So say that again.
Sam (02:23):
There are plenty of opportunities,
especially in Knoxville, to get involved,
to impact the community for the better,
be it about animals, be it like one on
one mentoring, be it children, be it
the elderly, the volunteers being in
Knoxville and UT being the volunteer,
us being the volunteer state just means
that we have an abnormally large number
of nonprofit programs in the city.
(02:46):
And there's there's a
program for everybody.
Julia (02:48):
I have also noticed that Knox
County, Knoxville City bring the
opportunity to hub for not for profits
and we we run so many different companies
out of Knox County in and of itself
that bringing that opportunity for
business owners and business leaders.
and thought leaders to come together
naturally brings an opportunity
to volunteer and give back.
Sam (03:08):
Yeah, and um, the city's
done a really good job of
fostering that kind of mentality.
The chamber, the chamber
does the same thing.
The greater Knoxville area, which I
would say like Oak Ridge and, and Loudoun
and Blount County all kind of fit in.
They're all the same.
There's opportunities, all
you have to do is just ask.
Julia (03:23):
This is exactly where we
usually end our conversation with
most interviewees as we talk about
where do you see the opportunities
in Knoxville for young people.
So, Someone who is leading young
people in through Knoxville.
Tell us about YPK.
Tell us about, one, the age limit,
because I've already aged out.
Tell us about the age
restrictions, but not really a
restriction, just a suggestion.
(03:44):
And then tell us about what the goals
are for this program and really and
truly how it intertwines with others.
Sam (03:51):
Um, the Young Professionals
Knoxville was founded in 2007.
We're the brown, the brainchild
of a leadership Knoxville class.
And they got done with the program
and said, you know, we really need an
environment where the next generation
of Knoxville's leaders can engage
with each other and talk and, and
work through, um, the next steps.
Um, so in my position as development
(04:13):
vice president, I've had the opportunity
to go and present to numerous business
organizations and clubs and things.
And I've found that I encounter, more
often than not, I encounter someone who
is a former member or was on the board.
I've encountered a few presidents
or CEOs of organizations, um, and
they all have, have fond memories.
So, after 2007, we hang, we
(04:35):
were hanging out around 100
members, all the way up to COVID.
COVID, we, we, we bottomed out.
We tried to do a lot of
things online if we could.
And it just didn't, I mean, it's
a social organization at heart.
And post COVID, everybody
wanted to get out.
Everybody wanted to see the city.
Everybody wanted to get
involved with something.
And so we rebounded so hard.
(04:55):
We had to restructure the entire
way we managed the program.
So we're a not for profit 501c6.
And, um, we've reached, we're approaching
300 members, so we, 100 down to about 40,
and then we rebounded in the last couple
years to quite a lot of involvement.
YPK was founded on three basic
principles, connect, develop, and serve.
(05:15):
So, we connect our members to each
other and to the community by social
networking events every month.
We have monthly socials and
then we engage with community
organizations to, to facilitate that.
Um, we develop people's skills.
So we have a professional
development committee.
Uh, we run at minimum quarterly,
typically more than that, uh, kind
(05:36):
of like seminars and, and development
programs that maybe expose you to
something that you've never done before.
Uh, for example, you know, Like,
we did one recently, uh, we got one
recently that's coming up that's, uh,
Introduction to Real Estate Investing.
So, if you've ever thought about how, what
are the first steps, that kind of thing, I
think you can speak to that a little bit.
(05:57):
Um, the big one for me is, um, I said I'm
a pilot, and so my leadership experience
has been a lot of, uh, Two people in a
high stress work environment accomplishing
a mission in a shorter period of time.
Um, being vice president means that I
have three directors who report to me,
and they each have two committees, so
there's six committees, and it's all a
flow through program, and, um, it's been
(06:20):
an adjustment, and it's one of those
things that I'm glad that we've done
the seminar so I can learn a little bit
about how, Other organizations operate.
We've done Connect, we've done
Develop, and then Service.
Every month we do a service project.
Most recently we helped
with fish pantries.
We do river cleanups, we do,
um, second harvest food bank.
So there's something every month
going on, uh, where we give back.
(06:42):
And originally that's where I started.
I helped with the committee for
the community outreach program
and got involved more with the
leadership as it progressed.
The last pillar, that's the
secret pillar in my opinion, is
the affinity groups that we run.
They're membership led.
So, for example.
I love to do trivia with my friends and
so once a month I host a YPK trivia team
(07:04):
and we're actually really really good.
So I've been really impressed by
our win streak so far but, um, it
gives the opportunity for people
who have maybe a hobby that they
they're looking for people to do.
to engage with.
At least once a year somebody does a
hiking club, and everybody that wants
to go hiking goes hiking, and now they
all know each other, they all have each
other's numbers, and they have their own
kind of like subset of hiking people off
(07:26):
to the side doing their own projects.
So the goal is inspire Knoxville's
young professionals to connect,
develop, and serve the greater area.
And I think we do a really good job.
One of the things that I always
tell people is YPK is Is whatever
you put into it, you'll get out.
So if you are interested in making
friends, you'll make friends.
If you're interested in figuring out
how to volunteer, you'll figure it out.
(07:46):
If you're interested in
developing your professional
skills, you'll, you'll do that.
If you're looking for something in
particular, you'll find it here.
Julia (07:52):
That's a big increase.
So tell me, help everybody understand,
Knoxville is an aging community.
It was.
I'm not, Knoxville was an aging community.
Knoxville has rebranded
itself over a decade.
Truly a total rebrand.
It is now a hub and a mecca for
tech companies, for education.
Our schools are increasing.
(08:12):
Uh, the University of Tennessee is adding
new majors to make sure that we stay on
top of what's going on in today's times.
We have a lot of hiring going
on in these massive corporations
that are relocating here.
And that requires a different level of
conversation and communication with a
younger generation to understand What are
you seeing as far as growth opportunities
for the same young professionals
(08:33):
who are employed here to stay here?
Sam (08:35):
So most young
professional organizations
are subsets of their chamber.
We're the only one that we can find
that's not owned by the chamber, but
we have a very close relationship,
and we love the chamber, and they
love us, and we like We partner
together and, uh, on multiple projects
throughout the year, that kind of thing.
They have kind of said to us, you
know, your mission and the way we
(08:56):
see it is to create an environment
where people want to stay.
Because, you know, people 25 to
35 have historically struggled
to stay in Knoxville recently.
And that's the majority of our membership.
85 percent of us are 25 to 35.
You asked about the age limit.
Uh, it's just 21 and over.
That's the only gateway.
And the word professional
(09:17):
also, professional just means
you get paid for what you do.
So you don't have to feel like you have
to be in finance or marketing or something
like that to, to do those programs.
We have plenty of those members, but
we have, People from all walks of life.
I'm a pilot.
I don't need a network.
I don't need to do those kind of things.
I'm here for the social aspects.
What we've seen, and because I'm the
development person, I do all these
surveys and I see all the results, is
(09:38):
that people moving to Knoxville find
us by basically just googling us.
They're like, hey, I'm new to the area.
I need to figure it out.
Over 70 percent of us are, have been
in Knoxville for less than five years.
So the majority of our members are
people who moved to Knoxville, Need
to find that sense of community and
they reach out and they find us.
What is interesting to me is how
(10:02):
reflective the data is of if you
feel connected to the community and
you are involved in some kind of
volunteer opportunity, the likelihood
that you're going to stay in that
community dramatically increases.
And that's what we've worked
with the chamber to work on.
It's like if I feel like I have friends
and I have a way to volunteer and I feel
like this is my city, I'm going to stay.
(10:22):
I'm more likely to look locally
for job opportunities if I need to
change my job than look elsewhere.
I think we really excel at,
at that, is helping people
find their, find their home.
Julia (10:33):
I love that.
You excel at helping people find
their community, their tribe.
Sam (10:37):
I think so.
I think so.
I mean, I've, I've been in YPK
for, really involved for two years
and I've made lifelong friends.
I can tell you right now.
Like, these people will be
with me for the rest of my
life.
Julia (10:47):
We all know that real estate
is location, location, location.
Our team at Just Homes Group has the
true expertise, pairing buyers and
sellers with the right opportunities.
Whether you're looking to buy or
sell a home right here in Knoxville,
Lenore City, Clinton, or Farragut,
(11:09):
we have the expertise throughout
every Knoxville surrounding area.
Ha, ha, ha.
Call Just Homes Group today.
Tell everybody a little bit
about the opportunities there.
We have so many relocations.
A lot, 90 percent of our podcast
listeners are not from Knoxville.
We interview people with Knoxville, but
90 percent of the people that subscribe
to this podcast live somewhere else.
(11:31):
So they're either Googling things about
Knoxville and our podcast shows up,
or they're clicking on something where
we're talking about literally connecting
Knoxville to the nation, not the other
way around, but we want to make sure
that the people that we interview.
are Knoxville centric.
And this information is really valuable.
What does it cost to be a member?
Are there tiered memberships?
Talk a little bit about what
that buy in is, as well as
(11:52):
kind of the time commitment.
Sam (11:54):
Our memberships start
at 200 for the first year and
100 for every year after that.
What we've discovered, and part of my
job, is employers see the benefit and are
more likely, are very likely actually to
sponsor a membership for, for someone.
And so part of my job is going to
organizations and saying, like, listen,
like, I have the stats that show that
if people feel connected to their
(12:16):
community, they're going to stay.
Would you be interested in purchasing
memberships to give to your new
employees for the first year to keep
them involved and that kind of thing?
And it's sold really well.
So 200 is the base membership, but a lot
of employers are willing to pay for it.
Especially if you're in
an organization that maybe
appreciates the networking value.
(12:38):
Not that that's the primary goal,
but there are a lot of people out
there that are, you know, interested
in expanding their network.
Julia (12:44):
So you said the 200 was the
initial, like the base membership.
Talk about all of the opportunity.
What, what if somebody's looking in here
and they're like, Hey, they're kind of,
they may be in the same situation you are
of, I do something for a private company.
I'm not necessarily an employee, so I'm
not necessarily looking for networking.
What is the level of
membership that one can attain?
And if they do have, I'm not
(13:05):
going to say the word unlimited.
None of us have unlimited time to
give, but in the, in the grand scheme
of things with a 24 hour workday among
myself compared to others, I have quite
a few extra hours really and truly.
So kind of what are the variables there?
Sam (13:18):
The 200 is the base first year and
the 100 after that, there aren't really
levels or tiers, but your time is, is,
is an interesting question because like I
said before, it's whatever you're willing.
To put into it is what
you'll get out of it.
So, um, I have a lot of free time.
I have the ability, like now,
I'm technically at work, but I'm
(13:39):
waiting for my passengers to return.
And, um, you can be as
involved as you want to be.
Now, we have people that
come for the monthly socials.
Um, in a week, I'm doing
a big cookout at the lake.
Like, I know I've got a bunch
of people signed up that they're
here for the social aspect.
They want to make friends.
And if you wanted to be involved in
(14:00):
party setup and professional development
courses, you become part of a committee.
And so we have roughly 10 committees,
um, stretching from social to
recruitment to professional
development to community outreach.
And the idea is to give people the
opportunity to input themselves
into different, and different is
probably the best word for it.
(14:22):
scenarios that maybe
you don't see every day.
The kicker for me was always that,
you know, if I wanted to go to the
meeting, I could go to the meeting.
If I didn't want to go to the meeting,
I didn't really have to because
I wasn't in charge of anything.
If you want to step up and be
a leader, then yeah, we will
take your time and we'll give
you a lot of rewarding projects.
I'm motivated by a job well done.
(14:43):
And so that really pushes me
to make the best event, it's
like, the best event possible.
I got it, I got started last year by,
um, every year we do a giving event.
So, uh, last year it was a brunch, it
was at Strongstock Farms, which is a
beautiful venue if you've ever heard of
it, and we did a, it felt very, I don't
want to say Bridgerton, because we are
(15:03):
all just kind of like, A bunch of tired
people, but we played Bridgerton music,
there was croquet, there was badminton,
and there was a, a beautiful back, uh,
like farm, farm to table kind of style.
Um, and we, we raised money for a
program called Nourish Knoxville.
Um, this year we haven't announced
who ours is going to be, but
we do big projects like that.
There's also, um, if you've ever
(15:24):
wanted to help plan an event.
Um, that services hundreds of people
and has like a professional venue.
We do one of those every year as well.
Um, so if that's what you're
looking for, if you're looking for
something different, we provide that.
We're about to start our latest
leadership cohort for the
leadership certificate program.
We do our own mini version
(15:45):
of like leadership knocks.
And it's once a week for eight weeks.
And you get to talk to all these
community leaders who are kind of
pillars of the community when you
think of Knoxville's leadership.
Um, so the first, first one's tomorrow.
It's a panel of CEOs from around
the city who are coming to speak
to our small cohort about how they
(16:05):
have developed their own leadership
skills and developed their own styles.
Um, so.
The time commitment is
whatever you want it to be.
If you want to show up once
a month, we'll take you.
If you want to show up to every
single committee meeting, I
mean, you won't do anything else.
I think we have, we have,
what, 10 committees?
So there are 10 meetings,
10 evening meetings a month.
(16:27):
If you wanted to do everything, um, what
I recommend is find the one that fits you.
Julia (16:32):
Are you all just Knoxville?
Sam (16:33):
We span into Farragut and we
started doing it, we started kind of
walking into Oak Ridge area because
the Anderson County, uh, Young
Professionals Organization has dissolved.
Um, we work with kind of already
pre established organizations.
Part of my job is, is to make
those connections with like,
organizations like ETEC or the
(16:54):
young, the West Young Professionals.
Um, so that we can, you know, we
all have similar goals, right?
We're all trying to make Knoxville better.
We're all trying to make Knoxville home.
And, um, there's a lot of good
organizations out there that we can
benefit from and they can benefit from us.
Julia (17:11):
I know that the University of
Tennessee has a new outreach program, and
it's based on rural community development.
Meaning, the, very specific
to, um, veterinarians.
So, they will pay for you
to go to school to become a
physician, a veterinary physician.
They'll pay for the entire thing if you'll
spend five years in a rural community.
(17:32):
giving back to that community.
And that is one of those situations
where they're trying to grow the rural
area, smaller town leadership per se.
So I feel like that is a situation that
may be a good fit there for you to not,
not necessarily if you need a hundred
veteran areas in your organization today.
However, that being said, that may be an
idea to take off and branch to connecting
(17:53):
with that organization and saying, Hey,
listen, we have professionals from all
industries Is there a possibility that
that grant may extend to other things if
we can get this leadership off the ground
in Oak Ridge, in Lenore City, in Farragut?
Not to say that those are
outlying smaller spaces, but they
are lacking of younger people.
(18:15):
And Reaching that situation is something
that Knoxville, being the hub, kind
of like Atlanta's the hub, Nashville's
their hub, and going outside the spokes
and creating those spaces for those
professionals to also feel as involved
as the kids and the young people in it.
Downtown Knoxville.
I mean, you definitely feel that
disconnect when you're not in downtown.
(18:38):
So, tell me about those outreach
communities and what, what that looks like
and how people can get involved in those.
Sam (18:44):
We've been trying to listen more
and more to our membership and expand
the locales that we do our events in.
Um, a lot of people live on the
west side and maybe can't make
it downtown for certain events.
So we've started straying further and
further from just central, which I think
is a big benefit because not a lot of
people live, in the grand scheme of
things, not a lot of people live downtown.
Like, we all drive to downtown.
(19:04):
So, doing things, we have a Coffee and
Connections next week, um, out in, um,
On Ebenezer, which is on the west side.
So we're excited to expand that direction.
It's funny that you mention, like, the
veterinarian thing, programs like that.
One of our sponsors this year is the
UT Medical Center, and there's been
(19:25):
discussions, not necessarily with
them, but other organizations who
Who want to maybe create, uh, young
professionals for a specific career path.
So an organization for just new doc,
new doctors, just financial people.
And we're kind of the, we're the
biggest organization in town.
And so people come to us and ask for
(19:45):
our, not necessarily guidance, but,
you know, What lessons have we learned
over the, however many dozen, like a
dozen plus years that we've been here
and how we can help them better their
organization by partnering that way?
Part of my initiative is, is
this year has been twofold.
It's been to be more well known and going
to those organizations and speaking to
(20:07):
the community so that when I go to a room,
I say I'm from the young professionals
of Knoxville and more and more people
are saying, yes, I've heard of you.
Yes, I've heard of you.
The second goal for myself this year
has been development, delivering
on, on, and establishing protocols
going forward because we've just
adopted our new leadership structure.
And before we can branch out and like,
help these other organizations, we
(20:28):
need to make sure that we're running.
At full speed and and creating
quality events for everybody.
I think there's a lot of opportunities
for an organization like ours to expand.
And I'm excited to look to see what
it looks like going forward because
of organization like programs like
you were talking about going out
in the community going out rurally
and kind of engaging or having.
(20:48):
Like, sister organizations out
there that we can partner with,
um, is a, is a lovely goal.
I love that idea.
Julia (20:55):
I think we can all agree,
and every conversation with every
person we've had on the podcast has
absolutely had that same thought.
We can all agree that if younger people
aren't interested, In these communities,
the work that's been paved for them,
the road that's been paved will, will
not, will not be a road that's traveled,
and we need to make sure that Knoxville
is the hub, we know that it is, but
it's got to solidify itself first, and
(21:17):
then reaching out to the other spaces,
and then pulling younger people in.
Um, as a connectivity conversation
is definitely a goal worth having.
I love that they've come to you with
an idea of doing physicians only,
or finance only, or realtor only.
I think that is, um, I think that
is a valuable conversation to
do, especially for physicians.
(21:37):
I work with a company, um, as my real
estate firm, not just the podcast company,
but I work with a company in New York.
whose specific job is to place
positions in rural communities.
And I think that when people say the word
rural, that I live in Lenoir City, you
know, my family's from Loudoun County.
Loudoun County is considered a
rural community, yet it's within
(21:59):
seven miles of the Knox County line.
And people don't understand
what rural means sometimes.
But this company specifically does young
physicians, especially pediatricians,
which are very lacking in places like
right on the border of Tennessee and
Kentucky, where there are less than 15,
000 residents in an entire county area.
(22:20):
And it's very difficult in conversation
to convince someone of that young
of an age to move to an area.
that small with no city
community right out of college.
So those kinds of, that's a really
interesting process for you to take on.
I think that if anybody could do it, you
probably could be the person to do it.
So I definitely have faith in that.
I'm behind that 100%.
(22:40):
I think that's great.
Um, I think it's a great idea.
And you've given me so much information
that we have literally taken our
almost 30 minutes of time, which
I appreciate all of with you, and
I want to do a quick fire round.
I always do this, so it's a surprise at
the end, and you are obligated to answer.
However, if you don't want to offend
anybody, you can give a top three.
(23:00):
So, favorite Knoxville restaurant?
Sam (23:02):
Babaloo.
Julia (23:03):
Ooh, why?
What makes that your favorite?
Sam (23:06):
They do this steak with like, pesto
on top of it that anytime I'm like, I
need protein, I'm like, ah man, I wish
I was at Bob Lou to have that steak.
And it's just, it's very
conveniently like, placed.
Julia (23:17):
Fair enough, fair enough.
Favorite gas station?
Sam (23:19):
Gas station?
Uh, Casey's?
Julia (23:21):
I will drive out of my way,
depending on what area of town I am in,
to either go to Weidel's or Casey's.
There could be a gas station on the corner
and I'll be like, I don't know that brand.
I'm going to go four more miles
down the road and hope my red
light doesn't run me out of gas.
Sam (23:38):
It's just on the way to my gym.
It's so conveniently placed
on the way to my gym.
Julia (23:42):
Where's your gym?
Favorite gym?
Sam (23:43):
Uh, Frankie's Body Shop on Broadway.
It used to be a, um, a car
repair shop that's now a gym.
So it's very gym, it's very car themed.
It's one of like the two main locations
that if you're doing professional
bodybuilding that you're gonna go.
Um, so there's a lot of trainers.
So there's, there's very few people like
me who's not a professional bodybuilder.
Uh, so they have professional bodybuilders
and the other end of the spectrum is
(24:04):
people doing PT, uh, like older people.
And so there's just a, there's
a big, there's a big discrepancy
between what people are doing.
Um, but I, I like the gym.
I like the smallness of it, I guess.
Julia (24:16):
I like it.
Favorite bar.
Sam (24:18):
Pour.
Julia (24:19):
I like Pour as well.
Sam (24:20):
Or Maple Room.
Julia (24:21):
And then favorite pub or brewery.
Sam (24:23):
Yeehaw seems like a cop out
because everybody loves Yeehaw.
Gypsy Barrel House.
Julia (24:28):
Gypsy Barrel House.
What's your favorite beer on tap?
Sam (24:30):
I don't love beer, but
I like the Rain Dancer Cider.
Julia (24:34):
Okay.
Sam (24:35):
When I allow myself.
Yeah.
Gypsy's also opened a new location in
Oak Ridge that we're probably going
to do an event at later in the year.
And it's a mini golf.
So it's a bar and a mini golf course.
Julia (24:45):
Winning the day.
Sam (24:46):
Yeah.
That's a dream.
That's a dream.
Julia (24:48):
That's a dream.
I love that.
I love that.
I see you just taught me something new.
So that's, that's
something for us to go try.
I love that.
Cause we're in town.
Highway 91, which is also Oak
Ridge Highway, which is also a 321.
If there's anybody out there
that just got confused, call
me, I'll walk you through it.
It's on a map, I'll show
it all to you, don't worry.
Lots of names for roads that
don't exist anymore, and that's
what they're going to tell you.
So, it's
Sam (25:10):
Everybody's got a
different name for the road.
Julia (25:12):
Everybody has a
different name for a road.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Really quickly for everybody
to wrap it up, where can people
contact you if they want more
information and want to get involved?
Sam (25:21):
Sure.
So our website's www.ypknox.com or you can
reach out to me at advancement@ypknox.com.
Julia (25:29):
I love it.
Thank you so much.
Sam (25:31):
I'll definitely direct you to the
right people if you, if it's not me.
Julia (25:34):
I love you.
You're like, you're a pilot.
You're also, you're like, you know
enough about the guys that do this.
You're like, I can do this.
I can direct this.
I can do it.
I love you.
You can do it.
I have every faith you can do it.
Thank you for your time today.
I am very excited to
see how much you grow.
And if you make it into the Loudon
County area, give us a phone call.
We're always, always happy to assist.
I'll probably sponsor
one of my own employees.
(25:54):
So I think that that's
an opportunity there.
Didn't even know you could do it.
So I learned a lot today, everybody.
I hope you learned a lot today.
I'm Julia Hurley, your
host for Connect the Knot.
Connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning into the show.
Make sure to like and subscribe.
Leave a five star review on your
podcast player of choice, and if you
(26:16):
would like information on moving to
Knoxville, send me a private message.
As always, this is Julia Hurley
connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Hi everybody, and welcome to
another episode of Connect the Knox.
I'm your host, Julia Hurley,
connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Today's guest is someone that I have
had the pleasure of meeting just
recently in Knoxville, Yet has a major
impact on the future of Knoxville.
And I want to make sure that I bring this
(00:26):
information to each and every one of you.
Meet Sam Elliott, the
director of Knoxville's YP
program, Young Professionals.
Sam, so much for joining us today.
Sam (00:37):
Thank you for inviting me.
It was great to have met you out
in the world, in real life, instead
of like online or something.
Julia (00:43):
Well, in IRL, in real
life, that took me a very long
time to figure out that hashtag.
Tells you how old I am a little bit.
Well, we appreciate your time today.
And of course, we always start with
the same question, as our listeners
really want to know Where are you from?
Tell us about yourself and then
we'll kind of delve into a natural
conversation to lead into YP.
Sam (01:03):
Perfect.
So, um, like you said,
my name is Sam Elliott.
I'm the Vice President of Development
for the Young Professionals of Knoxville.
I'm originally from Central Kentucky.
I went to college there and my degree
was in professional flight in aviation.
So I'm a pilot and I fly for
a private company in town.
But, uh, after teaching at the university
in Central Kentucky for about a semester.
(01:26):
I did an internship for a year in Kansas.
I wanted to move closer to
home, be closer to my family.
Knoxville is where I found a job and
I've been here for about eight years now.
Yep.
And, uh, basically only in the
last two years have I gotten really
involved in the wide variety of
opportunities that Knoxville has.
I'm a big and big brother, big sister.
I used to volunteer weekly
(01:46):
with Young Williams.
I'm on the board for an organization
called the CASA of East Tennessee,
which is the Court Appointed
Special Advocates Program.
Helps children in foster care
and juvenile court situations.
But the majority of my free time in
the last two years has been with YPK,
the Young Professionals of Knoxville.
Julia (02:01):
That is an extensive resume
for only being here eight years.
Sam (02:05):
Let's, let's point out that like two
years of hard work will get you there.
It's just been, I've, I had a lot
of free time in the last two years
and I said, I'm going to, I'm going
to endeavor to, you know, To make
as much of an impact as possible.
Julia (02:17):
I love that.
I love that.
And so many other young
people should hear that.
So say that again.
Sam (02:23):
There are plenty of opportunities,
especially in Knoxville, to get involved,
to impact the community for the better,
be it about animals, be it like one on
one mentoring, be it children, be it
the elderly, the volunteers being in
Knoxville and UT being the volunteer,
us being the volunteer state just means
that we have an abnormally large number
of nonprofit programs in the city.
(02:46):
And there's there's a
program for everybody.
Julia (02:48):
I have also noticed that Knox
County, Knoxville City bring the
opportunity to hub for not for profits
and we we run so many different companies
out of Knox County in and of itself
that bringing that opportunity for
business owners and business leaders.
and thought leaders to come together
naturally brings an opportunity
to volunteer and give back.
Sam (03:08):
Yeah, and um, the city's
done a really good job of
fostering that kind of mentality.
The chamber, the chamber
does the same thing.
The greater Knoxville area, which I
would say like Oak Ridge and, and Loudoun
and Blount County all kind of fit in.
They're all the same.
There's opportunities, all
you have to do is just ask.
Julia (03:23):
This is exactly where we
usually end our conversation with
most interviewees as we talk about
where do you see the opportunities
in Knoxville for young people.
So, Someone who is leading young
people in through Knoxville.
Tell us about YPK.
Tell us about, one, the age limit,
because I've already aged out.
Tell us about the age
restrictions, but not really a
restriction, just a suggestion.
(03:44):
And then tell us about what the goals
are for this program and really and
truly how it intertwines with others.
Sam (03:51):
Um, the Young Professionals
Knoxville was founded in 2007.
We're the brown, the brainchild
of a leadership Knoxville class.
And they got done with the program
and said, you know, we really need an
environment where the next generation
of Knoxville's leaders can engage
with each other and talk and, and
work through, um, the next steps.
Um, so in my position as development
(04:13):
vice president, I've had the opportunity
to go and present to numerous business
organizations and clubs and things.
And I've found that I encounter, more
often than not, I encounter someone who
is a former member or was on the board.
I've encountered a few presidents
or CEOs of organizations, um, and
they all have, have fond memories.
So, after 2007, we hang, we
(04:35):
were hanging out around 100
members, all the way up to COVID.
COVID, we, we, we bottomed out.
We tried to do a lot of
things online if we could.
And it just didn't, I mean, it's
a social organization at heart.
And post COVID, everybody
wanted to get out.
Everybody wanted to see the city.
Everybody wanted to get
involved with something.
And so we rebounded so hard.
(04:55):
We had to restructure the entire
way we managed the program.
So we're a not for profit 501c6.
And, um, we've reached, we're approaching
300 members, so we, 100 down to about 40,
and then we rebounded in the last couple
years to quite a lot of involvement.
YPK was founded on three basic
principles, connect, develop, and serve.
(05:15):
So, we connect our members to each
other and to the community by social
networking events every month.
We have monthly socials and
then we engage with community
organizations to, to facilitate that.
Um, we develop people's skills.
So we have a professional
development committee.
Uh, we run at minimum quarterly,
typically more than that, uh, kind
(05:36):
of like seminars and, and development
programs that maybe expose you to
something that you've never done before.
Uh, for example, you know, Like,
we did one recently, uh, we got one
recently that's coming up that's, uh,
Introduction to Real Estate Investing.
So, if you've ever thought about how, what
are the first steps, that kind of thing, I
think you can speak to that a little bit.
(05:57):
Um, the big one for me is, um, I said I'm
a pilot, and so my leadership experience
has been a lot of, uh, Two people in a
high stress work environment accomplishing
a mission in a shorter period of time.
Um, being vice president means that I
have three directors who report to me,
and they each have two committees, so
there's six committees, and it's all a
flow through program, and, um, it's been
(06:20):
an adjustment, and it's one of those
things that I'm glad that we've done
the seminar so I can learn a little bit
about how, Other organizations operate.
We've done Connect, we've done
Develop, and then Service.
Every month we do a service project.
Most recently we helped
with fish pantries.
We do river cleanups, we do,
um, second harvest food bank.
So there's something every month
going on, uh, where we give back.
(06:42):
And originally that's where I started.
I helped with the committee for
the community outreach program
and got involved more with the
leadership as it progressed.
The last pillar, that's the
secret pillar in my opinion, is
the affinity groups that we run.
They're membership led.
So, for example.
I love to do trivia with my friends and
so once a month I host a YPK trivia team
(07:04):
and we're actually really really good.
So I've been really impressed by
our win streak so far but, um, it
gives the opportunity for people
who have maybe a hobby that they
they're looking for people to do.
to engage with.
At least once a year somebody does a
hiking club, and everybody that wants
to go hiking goes hiking, and now they
all know each other, they all have each
other's numbers, and they have their own
kind of like subset of hiking people off
(07:26):
to the side doing their own projects.
So the goal is inspire Knoxville's
young professionals to connect,
develop, and serve the greater area.
And I think we do a really good job.
One of the things that I always
tell people is YPK is Is whatever
you put into it, you'll get out.
So if you are interested in making
friends, you'll make friends.
If you're interested in figuring out
how to volunteer, you'll figure it out.
(07:46):
If you're interested in
developing your professional
skills, you'll, you'll do that.
If you're looking for something in
particular, you'll find it here.
Julia (07:52):
That's a big increase.
So tell me, help everybody understand,
Knoxville is an aging community.
It was.
I'm not, Knoxville was an aging community.
Knoxville has rebranded
itself over a decade.
Truly a total rebrand.
It is now a hub and a mecca for
tech companies, for education.
Our schools are increasing.
(08:12):
Uh, the University of Tennessee is adding
new majors to make sure that we stay on
top of what's going on in today's times.
We have a lot of hiring going
on in these massive corporations
that are relocating here.
And that requires a different level of
conversation and communication with a
younger generation to understand What are
you seeing as far as growth opportunities
for the same young professionals
(08:33):
who are employed here to stay here?
Sam (08:35):
So most young
professional organizations
are subsets of their chamber.
We're the only one that we can find
that's not owned by the chamber, but
we have a very close relationship,
and we love the chamber, and they
love us, and we like We partner
together and, uh, on multiple projects
throughout the year, that kind of thing.
They have kind of said to us, you
know, your mission and the way we
(08:56):
see it is to create an environment
where people want to stay.
Because, you know, people 25 to
35 have historically struggled
to stay in Knoxville recently.
And that's the majority of our membership.
85 percent of us are 25 to 35.
You asked about the age limit.
Uh, it's just 21 and over.
That's the only gateway.
And the word professional
(09:17):
also, professional just means
you get paid for what you do.
So you don't have to feel like you have
to be in finance or marketing or something
like that to, to do those programs.
We have plenty of those members, but
we have, People from all walks of life.
I'm a pilot.
I don't need a network.
I don't need to do those kind of things.
I'm here for the social aspects.
What we've seen, and because I'm the
development person, I do all these
surveys and I see all the results, is
(09:38):
that people moving to Knoxville find
us by basically just googling us.
They're like, hey, I'm new to the area.
I need to figure it out.
Over 70 percent of us are, have been
in Knoxville for less than five years.
So the majority of our members are
people who moved to Knoxville, Need
to find that sense of community and
they reach out and they find us.
What is interesting to me is how
(10:02):
reflective the data is of if you
feel connected to the community and
you are involved in some kind of
volunteer opportunity, the likelihood
that you're going to stay in that
community dramatically increases.
And that's what we've worked
with the chamber to work on.
It's like if I feel like I have friends
and I have a way to volunteer and I feel
like this is my city, I'm going to stay.
(10:22):
I'm more likely to look locally
for job opportunities if I need to
change my job than look elsewhere.
I think we really excel at,
at that, is helping people
find their, find their home.
Julia (10:33):
I love that.
You excel at helping people find
their community, their tribe.
Sam (10:37):
I think so.
I think so.
I mean, I've, I've been in YPK
for, really involved for two years
and I've made lifelong friends.
I can tell you right now.
Like, these people will be
with me for the rest of my
life.
Julia (10:47):
We all know that real estate
is location, location, location.
Our team at Just Homes Group has the
true expertise, pairing buyers and
sellers with the right opportunities.
Whether you're looking to buy or
sell a home right here in Knoxville,
Lenore City, Clinton, or Farragut,
(11:09):
we have the expertise throughout
every Knoxville surrounding area.
Ha, ha, ha.
Call Just Homes Group today.
Tell everybody a little bit
about the opportunities there.
We have so many relocations.
A lot, 90 percent of our podcast
listeners are not from Knoxville.
We interview people with Knoxville, but
90 percent of the people that subscribe
to this podcast live somewhere else.
(11:31):
So they're either Googling things about
Knoxville and our podcast shows up,
or they're clicking on something where
we're talking about literally connecting
Knoxville to the nation, not the other
way around, but we want to make sure
that the people that we interview.
are Knoxville centric.
And this information is really valuable.
What does it cost to be a member?
Are there tiered memberships?
Talk a little bit about what
that buy in is, as well as
(11:52):
kind of the time commitment.
Sam (11:54):
Our memberships start
at 200 for the first year and
100 for every year after that.
What we've discovered, and part of my
job, is employers see the benefit and are
more likely, are very likely actually to
sponsor a membership for, for someone.
And so part of my job is going to
organizations and saying, like, listen,
like, I have the stats that show that
if people feel connected to their
(12:16):
community, they're going to stay.
Would you be interested in purchasing
memberships to give to your new
employees for the first year to keep
them involved and that kind of thing?
And it's sold really well.
So 200 is the base membership, but a lot
of employers are willing to pay for it.
Especially if you're in
an organization that maybe
appreciates the networking value.
(12:38):
Not that that's the primary goal,
but there are a lot of people out
there that are, you know, interested
in expanding their network.
Julia (12:44):
So you said the 200 was the
initial, like the base membership.
Talk about all of the opportunity.
What, what if somebody's looking in here
and they're like, Hey, they're kind of,
they may be in the same situation you are
of, I do something for a private company.
I'm not necessarily an employee, so I'm
not necessarily looking for networking.
What is the level of
membership that one can attain?
And if they do have, I'm not
(13:05):
going to say the word unlimited.
None of us have unlimited time to
give, but in the, in the grand scheme
of things with a 24 hour workday among
myself compared to others, I have quite
a few extra hours really and truly.
So kind of what are the variables there?
Sam (13:18):
The 200 is the base first year and
the 100 after that, there aren't really
levels or tiers, but your time is, is,
is an interesting question because like I
said before, it's whatever you're willing.
To put into it is what
you'll get out of it.
So, um, I have a lot of free time.
I have the ability, like now,
I'm technically at work, but I'm
(13:39):
waiting for my passengers to return.
And, um, you can be as
involved as you want to be.
Now, we have people that
come for the monthly socials.
Um, in a week, I'm doing
a big cookout at the lake.
Like, I know I've got a bunch
of people signed up that they're
here for the social aspect.
They want to make friends.
And if you wanted to be involved in
(14:00):
party setup and professional development
courses, you become part of a committee.
And so we have roughly 10 committees,
um, stretching from social to
recruitment to professional
development to community outreach.
And the idea is to give people the
opportunity to input themselves
into different, and different is
probably the best word for it.
(14:22):
scenarios that maybe
you don't see every day.
The kicker for me was always that,
you know, if I wanted to go to the
meeting, I could go to the meeting.
If I didn't want to go to the meeting,
I didn't really have to because
I wasn't in charge of anything.
If you want to step up and be
a leader, then yeah, we will
take your time and we'll give
you a lot of rewarding projects.
I'm motivated by a job well done.
(14:43):
And so that really pushes me
to make the best event, it's
like, the best event possible.
I got it, I got started last year by,
um, every year we do a giving event.
So, uh, last year it was a brunch, it
was at Strongstock Farms, which is a
beautiful venue if you've ever heard of
it, and we did a, it felt very, I don't
want to say Bridgerton, because we are
(15:03):
all just kind of like, A bunch of tired
people, but we played Bridgerton music,
there was croquet, there was badminton,
and there was a, a beautiful back, uh,
like farm, farm to table kind of style.
Um, and we, we raised money for a
program called Nourish Knoxville.
Um, this year we haven't announced
who ours is going to be, but
we do big projects like that.
There's also, um, if you've ever
(15:24):
wanted to help plan an event.
Um, that services hundreds of people
and has like a professional venue.
We do one of those every year as well.
Um, so if that's what you're
looking for, if you're looking for
something different, we provide that.
We're about to start our latest
leadership cohort for the
leadership certificate program.
We do our own mini version
(15:45):
of like leadership knocks.
And it's once a week for eight weeks.
And you get to talk to all these
community leaders who are kind of
pillars of the community when you
think of Knoxville's leadership.
Um, so the first, first one's tomorrow.
It's a panel of CEOs from around
the city who are coming to speak
to our small cohort about how they
(16:05):
have developed their own leadership
skills and developed their own styles.
Um, so.
The time commitment is
whatever you want it to be.
If you want to show up once
a month, we'll take you.
If you want to show up to every
single committee meeting, I
mean, you won't do anything else.
I think we have, we have,
what, 10 committees?
So there are 10 meetings,
10 evening meetings a month.
(16:27):
If you wanted to do everything, um, what
I recommend is find the one that fits you.
Julia (16:32):
Are you all just Knoxville?
Sam (16:33):
We span into Farragut and we
started doing it, we started kind of
walking into Oak Ridge area because
the Anderson County, uh, Young
Professionals Organization has dissolved.
Um, we work with kind of already
pre established organizations.
Part of my job is, is to make
those connections with like,
organizations like ETEC or the
(16:54):
young, the West Young Professionals.
Um, so that we can, you know, we
all have similar goals, right?
We're all trying to make Knoxville better.
We're all trying to make Knoxville home.
And, um, there's a lot of good
organizations out there that we can
benefit from and they can benefit from us.
Julia (17:11):
I know that the University of
Tennessee has a new outreach program, and
it's based on rural community development.
Meaning, the, very specific
to, um, veterinarians.
So, they will pay for you
to go to school to become a
physician, a veterinary physician.
They'll pay for the entire thing if you'll
spend five years in a rural community.
(17:32):
giving back to that community.
And that is one of those situations
where they're trying to grow the rural
area, smaller town leadership per se.
So I feel like that is a situation that
may be a good fit there for you to not,
not necessarily if you need a hundred
veteran areas in your organization today.
However, that being said, that may be an
idea to take off and branch to connecting
(17:53):
with that organization and saying, Hey,
listen, we have professionals from all
industries Is there a possibility that
that grant may extend to other things if
we can get this leadership off the ground
in Oak Ridge, in Lenore City, in Farragut?
Not to say that those are
outlying smaller spaces, but they
are lacking of younger people.
(18:15):
And Reaching that situation is something
that Knoxville, being the hub, kind
of like Atlanta's the hub, Nashville's
their hub, and going outside the spokes
and creating those spaces for those
professionals to also feel as involved
as the kids and the young people in it.
Downtown Knoxville.
I mean, you definitely feel that
disconnect when you're not in downtown.
(18:38):
So, tell me about those outreach
communities and what, what that looks like
and how people can get involved in those.
Sam (18:44):
We've been trying to listen more
and more to our membership and expand
the locales that we do our events in.
Um, a lot of people live on the
west side and maybe can't make
it downtown for certain events.
So we've started straying further and
further from just central, which I think
is a big benefit because not a lot of
people live, in the grand scheme of
things, not a lot of people live downtown.
Like, we all drive to downtown.
(19:04):
So, doing things, we have a Coffee and
Connections next week, um, out in, um,
On Ebenezer, which is on the west side.
So we're excited to expand that direction.
It's funny that you mention, like, the
veterinarian thing, programs like that.
One of our sponsors this year is the
UT Medical Center, and there's been
(19:25):
discussions, not necessarily with
them, but other organizations who
Who want to maybe create, uh, young
professionals for a specific career path.
So an organization for just new doc,
new doctors, just financial people.
And we're kind of the, we're the
biggest organization in town.
And so people come to us and ask for
(19:45):
our, not necessarily guidance, but,
you know, What lessons have we learned
over the, however many dozen, like a
dozen plus years that we've been here
and how we can help them better their
organization by partnering that way?
Part of my initiative is, is
this year has been twofold.
It's been to be more well known and going
to those organizations and speaking to
(20:07):
the community so that when I go to a room,
I say I'm from the young professionals
of Knoxville and more and more people
are saying, yes, I've heard of you.
Yes, I've heard of you.
The second goal for myself this year
has been development, delivering
on, on, and establishing protocols
going forward because we've just
adopted our new leadership structure.
And before we can branch out and like,
help these other organizations, we
(20:28):
need to make sure that we're running.
At full speed and and creating
quality events for everybody.
I think there's a lot of opportunities
for an organization like ours to expand.
And I'm excited to look to see what
it looks like going forward because
of organization like programs like
you were talking about going out
in the community going out rurally
and kind of engaging or having.
(20:48):
Like, sister organizations out
there that we can partner with,
um, is a, is a lovely goal.
I love that idea.
Julia (20:55):
I think we can all agree,
and every conversation with every
person we've had on the podcast has
absolutely had that same thought.
We can all agree that if younger people
aren't interested, In these communities,
the work that's been paved for them,
the road that's been paved will, will
not, will not be a road that's traveled,
and we need to make sure that Knoxville
is the hub, we know that it is, but
it's got to solidify itself first, and
(21:17):
then reaching out to the other spaces,
and then pulling younger people in.
Um, as a connectivity conversation
is definitely a goal worth having.
I love that they've come to you with
an idea of doing physicians only,
or finance only, or realtor only.
I think that is, um, I think that
is a valuable conversation to
do, especially for physicians.
(21:37):
I work with a company, um, as my real
estate firm, not just the podcast company,
but I work with a company in New York.
whose specific job is to place
positions in rural communities.
And I think that when people say the word
rural, that I live in Lenoir City, you
know, my family's from Loudoun County.
Loudoun County is considered a
rural community, yet it's within
(21:59):
seven miles of the Knox County line.
And people don't understand
what rural means sometimes.
But this company specifically does young
physicians, especially pediatricians,
which are very lacking in places like
right on the border of Tennessee and
Kentucky, where there are less than 15,
000 residents in an entire county area.
(22:20):
And it's very difficult in conversation
to convince someone of that young
of an age to move to an area.
that small with no city
community right out of college.
So those kinds of, that's a really
interesting process for you to take on.
I think that if anybody could do it, you
probably could be the person to do it.
So I definitely have faith in that.
I'm behind that 100%.
(22:40):
I think that's great.
Um, I think it's a great idea.
And you've given me so much information
that we have literally taken our
almost 30 minutes of time, which
I appreciate all of with you, and
I want to do a quick fire round.
I always do this, so it's a surprise at
the end, and you are obligated to answer.
However, if you don't want to offend
anybody, you can give a top three.
(23:00):
So, favorite Knoxville restaurant?
Sam (23:02):
Babaloo.
Julia (23:03):
Ooh, why?
What makes that your favorite?
Sam (23:06):
They do this steak with like, pesto
on top of it that anytime I'm like, I
need protein, I'm like, ah man, I wish
I was at Bob Lou to have that steak.
And it's just, it's very
conveniently like, placed.
Julia (23:17):
Fair enough, fair enough.
Favorite gas station?
Sam (23:19):
Gas station?
Uh, Casey's?
Julia (23:21):
I will drive out of my way,
depending on what area of town I am in,
to either go to Weidel's or Casey's.
There could be a gas station on the corner
and I'll be like, I don't know that brand.
I'm going to go four more miles
down the road and hope my red
light doesn't run me out of gas.
Sam (23:38):
It's just on the way to my gym.
It's so conveniently placed
on the way to my gym.
Julia (23:42):
Where's your gym?
Favorite gym?
Sam (23:43):
Uh, Frankie's Body Shop on Broadway.
It used to be a, um, a car
repair shop that's now a gym.
So it's very gym, it's very car themed.
It's one of like the two main locations
that if you're doing professional
bodybuilding that you're gonna go.
Um, so there's a lot of trainers.
So there's, there's very few people like
me who's not a professional bodybuilder.
Uh, so they have professional bodybuilders
and the other end of the spectrum is
(24:04):
people doing PT, uh, like older people.
And so there's just a, there's
a big, there's a big discrepancy
between what people are doing.
Um, but I, I like the gym.
I like the smallness of it, I guess.
Julia (24:16):
I like it.
Favorite bar.
Sam (24:18):
Pour.
Julia (24:19):
I like Pour as well.
Sam (24:20):
Or Maple Room.
Julia (24:21):
And then favorite pub or brewery.
Sam (24:23):
Yeehaw seems like a cop out
because everybody loves Yeehaw.
Gypsy Barrel House.
Julia (24:28):
Gypsy Barrel House.
What's your favorite beer on tap?
Sam (24:30):
I don't love beer, but
I like the Rain Dancer Cider.
Julia (24:34):
Okay.
Sam (24:35):
When I allow myself.
Yeah.
Gypsy's also opened a new location in
Oak Ridge that we're probably going
to do an event at later in the year.
And it's a mini golf.
So it's a bar and a mini golf course.
Julia (24:45):
Winning the day.
Sam (24:46):
Yeah.
That's a dream.
That's a dream.
Julia (24:48):
That's a dream.
I love that.
I love that.
I see you just taught me something new.
So that's, that's
something for us to go try.
I love that.
Cause we're in town.
Highway 91, which is also Oak
Ridge Highway, which is also a 321.
If there's anybody out there
that just got confused, call
me, I'll walk you through it.
It's on a map, I'll show
it all to you, don't worry.
Lots of names for roads that
don't exist anymore, and that's
what they're going to tell you.
So, it's
Sam (25:10):
Everybody's got a
different name for the road.
Julia (25:12):
Everybody has a
different name for a road.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Really quickly for everybody
to wrap it up, where can people
contact you if they want more
information and want to get involved?
Sam (25:21):
Sure.
So our website's www.ypknox.com or you can
reach out to me at advancement@ypknox.com.
Julia (25:29):
I love it.
Thank you so much.
Sam (25:31):
I'll definitely direct you to the
right people if you, if it's not me.
Julia (25:34):
I love you.
You're like, you're a pilot.
You're also, you're like, you know
enough about the guys that do this.
You're like, I can do this.
I can direct this.
I can do it.
I love you.
You can do it.
I have every faith you can do it.
Thank you for your time today.
I am very excited to
see how much you grow.
And if you make it into the Loudon
County area, give us a phone call.
We're always, always happy to assist.
I'll probably sponsor
one of my own employees.
(25:54):
So I think that that's
an opportunity there.
Didn't even know you could do it.
So I learned a lot today, everybody.
I hope you learned a lot today.
I'm Julia Hurley, your
host for Connect the Knot.
Connecting Knoxville to the nation.
Until next time.
Thank you for tuning into the show.
Make sure to like and subscribe.
Leave a five star review on your
podcast player of choice, and if you
(26:16):
would like information on moving to
Knoxville, send me a private message.
As always, this is Julia Hurley
connecting Knoxville to the nation.
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