What a night at Driftwood and Clay Art Market!

Our July RGYP Meetup was all about creativity, connection, and community. We had Hawaiian music in the greenhouse, BBQ, hands-on art tables, and a collaborative “rock snake” project that will live out front of Driftwood & Clay.

Beki and her team have built a space that’s full of life and local charm. After dealing with months of Main Street construction, it felt good to rally around this incredible small business and show what community support looks like in action.

This is how we grow—together, creatively, and with heart.

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us, and to Benny for the amazing live music. Can’t wait to see you at the next one.

What an incredible evening at the Royal Gorge Young Professionals June Meeting!

Last night’s event at Desert River Medicine was amazing. We had the honor of hearing from Dr. Shumon Rahman, who shared his powerful story and entrepreneurial journey into Direct Primary Care. His passion for reshaping the healthcare experience and building meaningful patient relationships is inspiring.

A huge thank you to Dr. Shumon for welcoming us into his space.

It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet a few new ones! These gatherings are what community and connection are all about.

Big thanks to everyone who came out, and shoutout to Homer's Gumbo Pot for the tasty food and refreshments.

Royal Gorge Young Professionals (RGYP): Where the coffee is strong and the conversations are... unexpectedly epic.

Another successful coffee meeting = complete. We touched on the realities of balancing parenthood, full-time jobs, and community involvement. Then somehow ended up on housing developments, planning and zoning, creative districts, city council, public art, and a deep dive into the nightmare fuel that is the huntsman spider. (Yes, kangaroos came up too. It made sense at the time.)

That’s the magic of RGYP. It’s not just a networking group—it’s a place where ideas, experience, and humor collide. A space where young professionals can laugh, connect, and lead—all while juggling real life.

Thanks to the The Bean Pedaler on Main Street and everyone who showed up, shared, and consumed mass quantities of caffeine. Let’s keep this momentum (and maybe leave the spiders out next time).

What a night at the new and beautiful Observer Ranch in Penrose, CO—a space that’s pushing the boundaries of what you typically expect to find in rural Colorado!

Big thank you to all who came out this morning for Coffee and Chat! Lots of great conversations and networking!

Keep your eyes out for our next Coffee and Chat happening later this month!

See you all on Thursday May 15th for our regularly scheduled Royal Gorge Young Professionals | May Meetup, this month at Observer Ranch.

Once again big thank you to Spencer with Cafe Belay for hosting us this morning!

Had a wonderful Royal Gorge Young Professionals | April Meeting!!

Another big thank you to our host Pueblo Community College Fremont Campus and to our wonderful speaker Catherine with Southern Colorado SBDC!

Be sure to mark our next meet up on your calendar Coffee and Chat with Royal Gorge Young Professionals!

Save the Date for the Royal Gorge Young Professionals | May Meetup happening at Observer Ranch, where we will hear from Dan about permaculture!

Royal Gorge Young Professionals - March Meeting was held at Cañon City Hall and we were thrilled with the strong turnout!

We had the privilege of hearing from two key leaders in The City of Cañon City: Ryan Stevens, City Administrator, and Rick Harrmann, Manager of Economic Development.

Together, the crowd dove into an engaging townhall style discussion on Economic Development.

We also explored how young professionals can get involved in shaping our community’s future—whether through civic engagement, public service, or simply staying informed and asking great questions.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, asked thoughtful questions, and continues to invest in the future of our community. Big thanks to Nick Yatsko at Solsage Food Truck for the food - especially the Pierogis!

REMEMBER: The future isn’t just something that happens—it’s something we build together. See ya next month!

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the Royal Gorge Young Professionals - February Meeting! A special shoutout to Phil Lund for the amazing talk on the future of small-town living and to Brendan Pardue for letting us use the stunning Gibson Mansion – what a place!

Big thanks to Beth Katchmar from Pizza Madness for the tasty pies and incredible insights on community leadership she shared!

Thank you to everyone for an evening of great conversation, drinks, and networking. Can’t wait for the next one!

Royal Gorge Young Professionals Meeting with Florence Emergent Campus was such a great event!

Thanks again to Emergent Campus for hosting us this month and providing so many opportunities to our rural area!

It’s wonderful to have such an amazing resource for office and incubation space, remote tech workers, and other entrepreneurs through Emergent Campus!

Stay tuned for next month’s meeting information!