Meet Our Newest Board Member: Justin Rammer
YPOS is expanding! That headline should be no surprise as we have sold out events and hosted many successful monthly happy hours totaling thousands of people, throughout the years. I have had the opportunity to be part of YPOS for almost five years and have watched YPOS expand into the organization it is today. It’s this very trajectory and expansion in mind that we knew we needed to expand our team. Announcing our newest board member: Justin Rammer.
Justin joins us as the acting YPOS Director of Membership and will be launching (and helping to drive) a couple of key YP initiatives in 2016 — stay tuned for details on that!
I was introduced to Justin a few years back as the point of contact and General Manager of one of YPOS’s strategic partners. Since then, Justin served on several YPOS event committees and collaborated with me and the other YPOS board members in order to expand some of our existing relationships.
Justin and I had a chance to catch up recently, where I got to pester him with a few questions… I’ve included the Q&A below for your enjoyment:
Jamie Shindler: Aside from the brief bio we included above, tell us something significant about yourself you want to share with our audience. Got some hidden talents? Sophisticated hobbies?
Justin Rammer: I am a certified Sommelier, have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Judo, and am an avid gamer at heart (clearly sophisticated, currently playing the Witcher 3 on Xbox One!)
JS: What’s been a professional goal you found rewarding, that you have been able to accomplish since graduating college?
JR: My biggest goal coming out of college was to become a General Manager for a restaurant, hotel or private club, I had thought that was going to be long endeavor. Turns out, I ended up completing that at 24 and look forward to my new goal of COO whether in hospitality or not, in my 30’s.
JS: Our happy hours/events consist of a relaxed setting with no name tags and tons of young professionals networking. How do you normally break the ice in a setting like this?
JR: I am honestly the worst when it comes to networking, I tend to be an introvert and wallflower. Irony with an extremely social job right? When the time comes to get the job done though, the basic introduction and handshake never seem to fail, followed by exchange cards quickly as possible and escape on to the next group of people!
JS: You are officially our 5th board member to join our team [we couldn’t be more excited!] Give our audience a brief teaser of your plans and skills to accomplish these plans, for YPOS, within this year.
JR: Game plan is to create a vetted and somewhat more exclusive membership program with serious value added. Coming from hospitality and memberships in private clubs, we want to be able to show off being a member of YPOS!
JS: We know that great advice can make a difference, do you have any words of wisdom you want to pass on to our audience’?
JR: Find a mentor, and meet with them twice a month. Learning from someone else’s successes and mistakes is a game changer.
We’re confident that Justin’s entrepreneurial focus and commitment to professional growth will to help take the YPOS community to the next level. Be sure to say hi when you see him at the next event!
