If the real estate trades have a unifying creed, it’s that “networking is everything.” But if you’re younger and newer to the business, you’re often faced with roomfuls of veteran pros who were playing golf together when you were still getting grounded and learning long division.

“It’s tough for 24-year-old guys to network with guys who already have connections,” said Justin Smith, an associate consultant with Burlington-based EBI Consulting. “They’ve had these relationships for like 20 years.”

So Smith and two like-minded colleagues have decided to try something new: they’re creating a smaller, informal group of professionals in real estate industries, mostly people in their 20s or 30s, who are all interested in socializing and building the kind of networks that their older peers have long established.

Similar to commercial real estate development association NAIOP, the group will gather to network and hear an expert discuss a chosen topic – except the events are after work instead of early in the morning, and Smith estimates a smaller crowd with fewer than 40 attendees. Also, the events are free.

Meet And Drink

The first meet-up, slated for April 16 at 6 p.m., will feature two speakers – attorneys from Bingham McCutcheon – who will speak on making transactions in the current economic mess, including issues such as acquiring distressed debt and doing foreclosures. The plan is to meet up at Grubb & Ellis offices for the talk and then move down the street to McFadden’s Pub.

A variety of professionals are on the list thus far, which includes people from consulting and financial firms, and construction and moving companies.

Jory Crowell, a financial analyst with Grubb & Ellis, and Shannon McCarthy, a marketer with CBT Architects, initially cooked up the idea with Smith after meeting at a NAIOP event.

Crowell said the trio wants to create a group that adds a different element to the current slate of networking options already on offer.

Word Of Mouth Membership

The idea is to keep the gatherings small for the time being, spreading invites through word of mouth, he said. And there is no age limit for who can attend – the crowd skews toward the under-40 set, but Crowell stresses they’re not excluding people based on age.

As for the speakers on deck, McCarthy said they’re trying to get knowledgeable people who can offer up something compelling and fresh to talk about, especially since many networking events have left some topics talked out. The speakers will focus on the way the commercial real estate market affects a variety of industries, and McCarthy said she’s confident they can keep up a string of good topics for upcoming meetings.

Smith said the first few meetings will be a testing of the waters, keeping the group smallish and informal until they can establish a routine. With any luck, the plan will help cement their networks the way their older peers have.

“We hope we can get that ball rolling,” he said.