ABOUT US

Our History

The Willamette Valley Younger Members Group (WVYMG) was founded in September of 2020 by five engineers in the Salem area who wanted a way to connect with other engineers their age and at a similar place in their careers. While there was an ASCE Younger Members Group based out of Portland, we identified a need for a similar group outside of the metro area, where people didn’t have to travel as far. Thus, the WVYMG was born!

Starting a professional group focused on networking and leadership development in the middle of a pandemic with everything shut down was not ideal. But, more than ever, we realized that younger engineers needed an outlet to reach out to their peers instead of being stuck at home. That first year involved a lot of virtual meetings, and outdoor events regardless of weather. We persevered, and our membership did, too. 

The WVYMG started with a mission dedicated to engaging, growing, and strengthening the younger civil engineers of the Willamette Valley. We started with monthly happy hours as our lone event. Today we have grown to include larger, family-friendly quarterly events, regular speaker meetings at local universities, K-12 outreach, and community volunteer events. We have seen our members grow and take on leadership positions in other organizations, including the ASCE Capital Branch and Oregon Section. And we have continued to see our membership grow. 

Here's to the future!