NEWPORT BEACH, CA—Last week, NAIOP SoCal Young Professionals Group held its second annual Y Games at Newport Dunes here. The winning team was a group of USC alumni led by captain Tom Sherlock, a principal with Talonvest Capital.

Sherlock tells GlobeSt.com, “The Y Games brings together over 100 industry professionals for a great afternoon of networking and fun competition.  NAIOP's YPG leadership did a great job orchestrating the day, so USC's grad students and I look forward to defending the Cup next year!”

A total of 18 teams each composed of seven to eight commercial real estate professionals competed in the event. Participants included companies from throughout the region competing in a trike race, football toss, golf, basketball, kayak race, water-balloon challenge and other events. This year, participants were also asked to bring donations of clothing for Working Wardrobes.

As GlobeSt.com reported earlier this week, the day included friendly competition, team building and networking with YPG alumni, students, NAIOP members and other real estate professionals. Jim Proehl, EVP and managing director for the western division of PM Realty Group, president of NAIOP SoCal and a team captain at the Y games, told us, “[The Y Games allow] us 50+-year-olds to pretend that we are still in our 20s and 30s like the Young Professionals. NAIOP SoCal's goal for establishing the YPG program was to find a way to get more young professionals better connected to the commercial real estate industry by building a strong network of real estate professional colleagues. These events along with our mentoring program that we started three years ago help connect our YPG to our more seasoned real estate professionals, which allows the young professionals to hear and see how real estate executives have built their careers.”

The YPG is NAIOP SoCal's professional development and leadership program. Each year, a select group of 35 real estate professionals unite to take part in the 12-month, 72-hour course designed to educate, develop, connect and elevate the commercial real estate industry's emerging leaders. The program offers instruction in critical components of the real estate industry, personal and professional development coaching from MBA-level instructors, extensive networking and relationship-building activities and guidance from leading industry executives through an intimate speaker series exclusive to YPG. Among YPG's nearly 300 alumni are C-level executives at their respective firms, principals who have founded their own companies and NAIOP SoCal board members.