On the June 8^th Executive Roundtable Event, a group of 25 YEP Hamilton Members had the privilege of having Mike Foley from Trinity Group and Jeff Feswick from Historia Building Restoration Inc. (Treble Hall) as our Executive guest speakers  at The Standard Lounge at Sizzle in Hess Village.  The conversation was encouraging, passionate and informative.  Since the conversation was so inspiring, we have decided to share our favourite top ten thoughts from Mr. Foley and Mr. Feswick to share with the group.

1)      Align yourself with people who are where you want to be: Find a mentor(s)! This doesn’t necessarily have to be as technical as it sounds.  Look for people that inspire you and have in effect “made it”. Invite them to grab lunch or coffee and chat, study them in meetings to see how they react to situations, work on community projects with them.  Learn through the experience and actions of those you respect and admire

Joe Accardi, Jeff Feswick and Mike Foley at YEP Hamilton Executive Roundtable

2)      Make your investments and have your skin in the game: We are in a unique situation in Hamilton where real estate in affordable in the downtown core and where anyone with a passion and drive can have a say in the future of the City.  So make some smart investments with both your time and money and ACT!

3)      Hamilton: It’s not a drive by….it’s a drive to.  As a group, we recognize Hamilton is “where its at” and our pride and passion for the City makes us see the potential it has. But obviously, many other people don’t see that….yet.  There has never before been such as organized mass of young professionals that are interested in making this city their home, and by extension, a success. That energy,  which is bigger than any single group or person is what is going to change the future of this City.

4)      Focus on what we have on common: As a City, let’s stop focusing on all the differences and diving factors we have and instead focus on areas where there are commonalities.  It is in these areas that we can start working together and build strong synergies to push the City forward.

5)      Do an honest assessment of who you are: You need to truly know yourself before making any personal and professional decisions, big or small

6)      The Art of Negotiation: The real estate and development world is based on win-win situations, trust and personal pride for one’s business.  In order to make sure you have a future in the industry one must master negotiating in a fair way that results in profits  and progress for all parties involved

7)      Chemistry, Baby! When looking for employees, partners or committees in the community, it is chemistry and mutual respect that are two of the most important aspects to have with the people you surround yourself with.

8)      The good thing about Hamilton is that is it at a low (yes, that’s a good thing!). We have the ability and the community pride and excitement to build it up and make it the success we would like it to be.  We need to be patient, but work hard and leave a positive legacy in The City.

9)      Don’t be Afraid to fail.

10)   Art and Artist are the future of Hamilton: It will be the art industry as a whole which makes Hamilton the next up and coming city (example like AGH, James N and Treble Hall among others are certainly leaders in making these changes).  It is our job to support these artists and businesses.  Spend your entertainment dollars here! There is certainly a lot to see and do!

There was many more thought provoking and energizing topics of conversation with Jeff and Mike.  If you attended that session and would like to share your favourite thoughts, please post to our Facebook wall Facebook.com/YEPHamilton

The Next YEP Hamilton Executive Roundtable Event is taking place on Tuesday July 19, 2011. Topic is Transportation

YEP Hamilton Division Members arriving at the Executive Roundtable

We are excited to bring to you an event with a focus around Real Estate in Hamilton. Finding the right location, affordable living and work spaces, and working with interesting spaces are all challenges young professionals face. The good news? Hamilton is rich with interesting, diverse and affordable spaces to call your own! Even if you and your  business are not in the market for real estate; it is important to be apart of and understand how we can make Real Estate and new Development industries huge successes in Hamilton. After all, the success of the Real Estate Market often dictates the success of the rest of the city.

We are grateful and excited to have two prominent Executives take the time to chat with us on Wednesday June 8 about the Real Estate and Development markets in Hamilton:

1) Michael Foley, Trinity Investment Group

2)   Jeff Feswick, President, Historia Building Restoration Inc. www.historiarestoration.ca

Jeff Feswick is President and Owner of Historia Building Restoration Inc. specializing in historic and commercial building restoration and renovations for the past 22 years.

Mr. Feswick is a former Past-President of the Hamilton Halton Construction Association (2006-2007) and member of the Board of Directors for over 10 years.  Jeff has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Ontario Construction Associations, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Construction Association. Prior to Regional amalgamation, Jeff served as Chairperson of the Dundas Heritage Advisory Panel, and was also a member of Hamilton LACAC, and served as a Board Member of the Bay Area Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program.

Jeff has also taken an active role as a community volunteer and patron of the arts serving as past Co-Chair of the 2006 Trillium Dinner at LIUNA; a Committee Member of the Bay Area Science and Engineering Competition since 2005; and member of the King William Art Walk Committee, and currently serves as the Chairperson of Arts Hamilton.

In December 2010, Jeff purchased the historic Treble Hall building at the corner of King St & John St. in the Downtown Core and his company Historia is in the process of restoring it to it’s former glory.

Jeff’s contact info: 905-577-3410 jeff@historiarestoration.ca

Location: The Standard Lounge, Sizzle, Hess Village

For this event we will have the following agenda.
7:00 – 7:30 – networking
7:30 – 8:00 – Intro + Learn about the each Executive’s respective company and industry.  What factors have contributed to their success?  What is Hamilton doing right now? What is Hamilton not doing now, that it must, to realize its potential?

8:00 – 9:00 – Questions from young professionals to the executives. Q and A along with conversation about topics about real estate in Hamilton, the future of real estate in Hamilton, to rent or buy questions, how we can help improve the aesthetic of Hamilton, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, and other items from earlier in the evening.

In order to maintain a conversational atmosphere, we only have 30 spots available. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience so shannon@beaumondeproductions.com, as we are booking on a first come, first served basis. In your RSVP please provide your name and company name, and the industry you best align with. It will be interesting for the executives and ourselves to see what industry representation we have. Also, if you know someone interested in attending YEP, please invite them out as your guest! We always welcome new people.  Please include their contact information in your RSVP as well!
Attendance is at no charge.

We are looking forward to another successful night to get those business questions answered, help develop our careers, engage our leaders, network and generate ideas to push Hamilton to its full potential. Hope to see you all out there.