The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) introduces you to our “Young Professional of the Month,” Jared Reynolds. Each month the CYPN Steering Committee recommends a young professional in the community it thinks readers would enjoy getting to know better.
How old are you? 32.
Where do you live? Concord.
Where do you currently work? I work on the Community and Economic Development team at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
What’s your favorite part of your work day? I get to work with N.H. communities to create vibrant downtowns, increase civic engagement, improve quality of life, and make N.H. towns great places to start and grow businesses. I’m fortunate to live back in my home state, have a job with my alma mater, and work to improve communities in the area I grew up. That all makes for an exciting workday.
Where did you go to school? I attended the University of New Hampshire for my undergraduate degree and the University of Chicago for graduate school.
What do you like to do for fun? I enjoy New Hampshire’s mountains, and that was a huge draw for me when I returned to the state. This past summer I spent a lot of time hiking. My goal is to finish all the 4,000-footers in a year, and I have five left to go.
Last book you’ve read?The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. Yes, someone wrote an entire book on the shipping container, and it’s actually an interesting description of how the modern economy came to be.
How did you find out about CYPN and how has it benefited your business or you personally? When I moved to Concord, I wanted to meet new people and get more involved in the city. CYPN has been a great way to connect into Concord, meet new people and learn about what’s happening here.
What organizations are you involved with? Making Matters NH, Intown Concord, 1 Million Cups. I’m also participating in Leadership Greater Concord this year.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Concord? Hermanos. They have great food, and my first job was there, so I’m a loyal customer.
What’s your favorite place to go in Concord? I like to spend time downtown. We have an incredible downtown and I really like that I can walk there from my house.
What has been your favorite CYPN event so far? Lithermans. It was my first CYPN event, at a local brewery I hadn’t been to, and I met some great new people.
If you could visit any country, where would you go? This changes regularly. My current interest is to visit Mauritania and ride the iron ore train into the desert. It’s the longest train in the world and you ride in an empty carriage into the desert or on top of iron ore returning to the port.
Where is the best place you’ve visited? Ibo Island, Mozambique. It took many challenging days to get there but the reward was an incredible and relaxing place to spend time. It has an interesting history and architecture, from Arab traders to Portuguese colonists to the present day.
Who would you really like to meet? Paul Theroux. I’ve read most of his travel books and have always wanted to meet him and hear his insights on the world and the places he’s visited.
Tell us a few interesting facts about yourself! I grew up in N.H. but moved around before returning to the state last year. I spent a few years living in rural Alaska and two years serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a village in the Moroccan desert.
About CYPN: Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) is a professional and personal development initiative of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce that promotes the growth of Capital Region professionals in their 20s, 30s and 40s. CYPN will host a free networking event on Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 6-8 p.m. at Henniker Brewing Company in Henniker. Pre-register online at ConcordNHChamber.com/CYPN. Email events@concordnhchamber.com to sign up for future event updates.
