Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 52

in your community

Fourth Annual

GRYP Mentoring Program:

A Great Success!

T

Judson Meinhart, RKL, GRYP - Vice President

his past spring, with flowers
blossoming outside, a more
professional form of growth was
taking place inside the Chamber's Center
for Business Excellence. This year marks
the fourth year the Greater Reading Young
Professionals (GRYP) and Greater Reading
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(GRCCI) have teamed up to host the GRYP
Mentoring Program. This year's mentors, Pat
Giles and Justin Spannuth, brought their
diverse skills, talents and experiences to share
with fifteen young professionals from the Greater Reading area.
The two mentors met with their respective mentees six times over a
6-8 week period, and held a joint session towards the end of their
program schedule. Each meeting was approximately two hours,
although each mentor made themselves available to discussions
outside
of the structured
meeting times.
Giles, recently
retired from her position
as Executive Vice
President/Chief Impact
Officer at United
Way of Berks County,
shared that she saw the
invitation to serve as a mentor as "an opportunity to share some
of the knowledge I gained from a long career in Berks County."
She further commented, "I saw my mentor role primarily as a
facilitator and I think one of the best parts of the program was
the networking, sharing and support that took place among the
mentees themselves."
One of those mentees, Sonya Smith, Assistant Director for
Grants & Sponsored Projects at Kutztown University, agreed,
citing the opportunity "to meet mentees in the group and learn
from their working and personal experiences" as one of the reasons
she was drawn to the program. Smith was also drawn specifically
to Pat's group to "hear her experience and insight about moving
from a corporate setting to working in a non-profit and what
strengths she carried from that transition to United Way."

52 COMMERCE QUARTERLY SUMMER 2017

Transition was a theme among both
groups. Justin Spannuth, Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer of Unique Pretzel
Bakery, Inc., confessed he found himself
transitioning from teacher to student
throughout the course of the program.
Leaning on Jim Collin's Good to Great as
a guide for discussion topics, Spannuth
said, "The group was able to discuss and put
different perspectives on all the topics in
the book and on other items that make you
think differently. I'm sure I could discuss the
same topics many times to different groups and still come away
with great learning lessons." He added, "To teach something is like
learning it twice."
Thad Gelsinger, Attorney with Leisawitz Heller and current
Greater Reading Young Professionals President, was liberal in
doling out praise for the
partnership between
GRYP and GRCCI. "A
program like this wouldn't
be successful without
the dedication of the
Chamber's team. They
really spearhead the effort
and are the main reason
we're able to attract such
high caliber mentors from the community year after year." He
went on to add, "Partnerships like these allow us to deepen our
impact on the community and enrich the lives of more young
professionals, who are the real stars of the program."
Spannuth and Giles both agreed that getting to know their
mentees was both rewarding and impactful. "Without a doubt, it
was an absolute joy to get to know my mentees and the time spent
in each week's session flew by. It is extremely enjoyable to work
with a group of professionals that are looking to grow themselves
and engage in conversation about the many good and bad things
we all face," Spannuth said.
Giles added, "I hope, and expect, that a lasting value of their
experience will be the connections they've built with the others in
the program who they can continue to draw upon. Plus, they also
know I'll always be in their corner to support them in the future."



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017

Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 1
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 2
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 3
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 4
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 5
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 6
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 7
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 8
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 9
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 10
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 11
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 12
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 13
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 14
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 15
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 16
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 17
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 18
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 19
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 20
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 21
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 22
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 23
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 24
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 25
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 26
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 27
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 28
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 29
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 30
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 31
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 32
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 33
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 34
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 35
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 36
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 37
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 38
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 39
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 40
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 41
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 42
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 43
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 44
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 45
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 46
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 47
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 48
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 49
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 50
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 51
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 52
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 53
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 54
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 55
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 56
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 57
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 58
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 59
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 60
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 61
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 62
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 63
Greater Reading Chamber Commerce Quarterly Summer 2017 - 64
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2017
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