group Y is a gathering of marketing and communications professionals who meet once a month (usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday in South Los Angeles or Orange County) to network and socialize. I made the drive up this past Wednesday to their meeting at the Yardhouse at the Irvine Spectrum and I'm glad I did.

group Y was established by Liz Randall and Doug Schneider in Fall of 2006 as a vehicle to bring people together. Fostering these relationships, says Randall, can be a catalyst for a new job, a new working partnership, or just expanding your horizons.

About 30 people were on hand at the Yardhouse, and it was an interesting mix. I spent most of the evening talking to my old boss Brad MacDonald, Jardine Hammond, Vipe Desai, Mark Sperling, and Liz Randall -- people I've either known forever or who were actually coworkers in the past. But I did also meet some pretty cool new people, too -- which is kind of the point of the whole evening. (You can see more photos of the evening here.)

All in all, it was time well spent and I'm looking forward to the next meeting, where (eek gads) I'll be the moderator for one of group Y's panel discussions. If you want to come and watch me stammer my way through an hour, it will be March 19 at the Oakley World HQ. Log on to the group Y Web site for more info and to get involved -- it seems like a great group of like-minded people.

Brad MacDonald, Angie Smith, Jardine Hammond, and Doofus.

Vipe Desai and Mark Sperling.


Sabrina Hayat, Doug Schneider, and Kerry Konrady.