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In its ongoing efforts to be an engaged member of the communities in which it operates, Larson Design Group (LDG) encourages its team members to participate in trainings and programs that focus on community improvement and leadership. To that end, Matt Frick, Senior Engineering Associate in LDG’s Williamsport office, recently completed the prestigious year-long leadership and development program known as Leadership Lycoming.
An outreach program of the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lycoming is “a specialized training program designed to understand the needs of the community it serves and develop and motivate effective leaders committed to utilizing their skills and talents for the betterment of their community,” according to the program’s mission statement.
“Leadership Lycoming exposed me to many different aspects of the community,” Matt said. “For example, I entered the program looking for a way to help others and learned that homelessness in Lycoming County is a very serious problem. I believe that providing people the necessities should be an upfront initiative in every community, and through my involvement in Leadership Lycoming, I decided to become a part of Family Promise, which helps families find permanent residences and end the cycle of homelessness.”
Matt explained that each month of the program had its own theme for the activities the group participated in that day, from Community Service to Law Enforcement and Judiciary, Local and State Government, and Education. These days “featured speakers in a respective field and tours of different facilities around the community,” he said. At the beginning of the program, there was an overnight retreat at Gray’s Run Hunting Camp. While Matt said he initially was skeptical of “spending a night with 25 strangers,” it turned out that networking with the group was his favorite part of the program.
“I’m proud of Matt for taking on the challenge of a program like Leadership Lycoming,” said Brad Aurand, LDG’s Director of Site Engineering. “The skills he learned throughout the year-long endeavor and connections he made with other young professionals in the region will have immeasurable benefit as he continues to grow both personally and professionally.”
Founded in 1993, Larson Design Group is an emerging national architecture, engineering and survey firm with 10 offices in four states and a vision to elevate client relationships, enrich the careers and lives of its employee-owners, and enhance the communities in which it operates. LDG promotes stewardship in their communities as one of its core values, and each year provides stewardship time that employees can use for activities meant to improve and engage with the places in which they live and work. For more information, visit www.larsondesigngroup.com.