Words like “networking” and “opportunities” often fill the air at business socials — often carrying a pressure to impress and influence peers and superiors alike.

However, a new concept is taking hold to help young, fresh-faced executives in Vicksburg find their sea legs in the corporate world.

The Vicksburg Young Professionals Group got together Thursday night over jumbo shrimp and beverages at Pearl’s Oyster Bar inside Ameristar Casino to mix leisure and business in an ice-breaker of sorts for local professionals who, in most cases, were meeting contemporaries for the first time.

For information

To learn more about the Vicksburg Young Professionals Group, call the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce at 601-636-1012.

“We thought it would be a great opportunity for them to network and get to know each other,” said local attorney and Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce executive committee member Allison Brewer.

The group appeared to represent a cross-section of the local business community — men and women of multiple socioeconomic backgrounds and positions on the corporate ladder. Some are new to Vicksburg, in their first job out of college and benefiting from the social exposure.

“It’s been a little bit of a culture shock coming to Vicksburg,” said Casey Allen, 23, a Baton Rouge native hired last year by International Paper as a reliability engineer. “There’s not too many places for young people. It’s been nice; it’s a comfortable town.” 

Vicksburg native Landers Grant, 23, a newly minted Mississippi College grad and contract specialist with the Corps’ Architectural and Engineering Division, was one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees invited and spoke of the benefits of the relaxed atmosphere.

“This can show how many actually want to pick it up,” Grant said. “It builds your access to knowledge. I’ve grown up here and I want to make a career here as long as the opportunity stays here.”

“Relationships go a long way and it’s good to establish them,” said John Polles, 27, a Jackson native in business development and commercial sales with MMC Materials Inc. who was impressed by the turnout and the concept. “You can put faces with names. Some people who would have never set foot in this place are here. It’ll get more young people involved.”

Invitations were sent via e-mail to the Chamber’s member organizations and government entities, aimed at employees younger than 40 interested in the event, sponsored by the casino. Organizers took note of the brisk pace of responses in light of the area’s scant social offerings for the younger business set.

“We know they have a presence here,” Chamber executive director Christi Kilroy said, later reminding the 70 or so in attendance of their growing value to the community.

“The sky’s the limit,” Kilroy said. “Let us know what you want.”

Beatrice Williams, a desk clerk at the Courtyard by Marriott, said the chance to talk with others in the business “helps out a lot.”

“It’s really needed in Vicksburg,” Williams said.

According to the American Community Survey for 2005 to 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau, those aged 20 to 24 and 25 to 29 make up smaller proportions of Vicksburg’s population than those 45 to 49 and 50 to 54 by roughly a percentage point.

Though nearly 91 percent of those aged 25 to 34 possess a high school diploma or higher, only 19.6 percent have earned at least a bachelor’s degree.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com