"Show up, reach out and dig in," was the call to action Rebecca Ryan gave an audience of more than 200 members of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM) on Mon., Jan. 14 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. In an effort to shift thinking from "brain drain" to "brain gain" YPM invited Rebecca Ryan, author of the Hot Jobs-Cool Community Report, to share her findings with their members. Milwaukee ranked 10th in the report with cities like San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago and Denver beating us out. You can check out the full report at www.keepyoungtalent.com.

"Milwaukee is cool," said Ryan. "And that ranking is reflective of the beautiful lake front, breadth of diversity, short commute times, and easy access to parks, trails and recreation areas. Why is "cool" important? "Because for young talent, there is more to life than work. Anyone can get a good job, but young people value their time away from work. So communities and companies must work together to attract and keep young talent."

What does Milwaukee have to do to remain cool? Ryan believes that the following headlines will need to appear within the next 10 years:

• "Milwaukee adopts rail system eliminating 1,000 bus trips on Wisconsin Avenue"
• "Wisconsin leads nation in biotechnology and technology careers"
• "Wisconsin extends same-sex partner benefits"

In the true spirit of the up-start, high-energy YPM group, Ryan, a young professional herself, concluded with a call to action urging her peers to:

• Show Up -- The issues of young professionals will become mainstream in the years to come so it's important that we vote with our feet. Attend common council meetings, write a letter to the editor, get out to the ballet box.
• Reach Out -- It is up to Gen Xers and Gen Yer's "to do" diversity better. Get out and mingle with people outside your normal circles.
• Dig In -- Educate yourselves on issues, assume leadership positions and begin writing a new book about America's greatest generation.

As a founding member of YPM, OnMilwaukee.com invites you to provide feedback, ideas and thoughts that can help advance YPM's cause to improve metro Milwaukee's ability to attract and retain top talent. To view pictures and postcards from the event, click here www.onmilwaukee.com/dps/.