ND energy industry gains young professionals group

Group focuses on networking, education for young energy workers

BY KRIS BEVILL

What do Bismarck, N.D., Dubai, Hong Kong and Denver have in common? Each city now hosts a chapter of Young Professionals in Energy, a nonprofit group focused on delivering networking opportunities to young members of the global energy industry. Founded in 2005, the group currently consists of 25 chapters worldwide with thousands of members, including 12,000 members in its Houston chapter. The Bismarck chapter is one of the organization’s newest branches, but membership is growing quickly and the Bismarck branch may soon be one of several YPE chapters in the booming Bakken, a sign of the region’s significance in the global energy industry and the role that young professionals play in supporting that industry.

“I think it is good publicity for the area and shows we are a focus point in the industry,” says Adam Landstrom, founder and executive director of the Bismarck chapter. “Not very many of these groups are based in a small metro area.”

Landstrom is 27 years old and has worked in the energy industry as a landman since graduating from the University of North Dakota and passing the state bar exam in 2011. He