GlobeSt.com: So what's the difference between YREP and any other trade organization out there?

Dowling: The primary mission is to provide a venue, a means for young professionals in all aspects of the field to meet and network. The primary purpose is to help people's careers grow, to help them find their first jobs or new jobs. For people who are satisfied with their existing careers, the networking helps them do deals and gain access to companies that are in complementary business lines. Primarily, we target people who are in post-graduate work all the way up to the VP level, at which point we find they tend not to need our services anymore.

GlobeSt.com: Wouldn't it serve them better to access more mainstream associations?

Dowling: Everybody is better served gaining access to higher experience levels. YREP is a stepping stone into that environment, which comes over time as they attain the titles that permit access to those types of networking groups. Those events sometimes carry costs as high as $5,000 or $10,000 a seat, or the membership dues can be so high that a young professional may not have the means to pay for it. Also, at the early stages in your career, we've found that senior managers don't like paying for attendance by employees below the vice presidential level.

GlobeSt.com: What about the mentoring possibilities within a company? Wouldn't self-starters benefit under someone's corporate wing?

Dowling: Absolutely. Networking with people who have achieved senior levels within their respected fields is a critical aspect of everybody's career. But we've found that sometimes, people early in their careers don't gain access to the senior level.

GlobeSt.com: So such barriers can exist even within the walls of a single company?

Dowling: At its core, real estate is very private in nature. A lot of deals that got done were traditionally done via venues such as country clubs, again, with exclusive memberships and expensive dues. While today's environment is a little less exclusive, we still see the same trend, where networking and deals are still done at a high dollar cost that's prohibitive to younger professionals. But it's changing and increasingly the active dealmakers are the young, aggressive, MBAs. The careers of people in their 30s are skyrocketing, and that never would've happened under the reign of the old guard. But you have to make those connections early and build your Rolodex.

GlobeSt.com: So how does YREP help fill that need?

Dowling: We're sponsored by law firms, title companies, banks and they all cover the full cost of all of our events. They do that to gain access to the diversity of our group at an age level that they would normally not have access to. So it's a win-win situation for our members and our sponsors. Also, around the country we provide speaker events, and it's something I plan on focusing heavily on over the next couple of years in New York. A lot of people who have reached a level in their careers where they're viewed as mentors or experts are more than willing to come speak to young people, and we provide that venue. People are extremely receptive to it.