We recently connected with Gretel Young and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gretel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe it takes courage, commitment, and consistency to be successful. Courage to get out of your comfort zone and face your fears. Commitment to see it through and not give up when things get tough. Consistency to continuously deliver a high level of effort in all you do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a Yelp Senior Community Manager for Phoenix Southeast. My role directly contributes to Yelp’s mission of connecting people with great local businesses. Through the execution of creative and fun events, strategic partnerships, and marketing campaigns, I help promote great local businesses while growing the local Yelp community. I am the go-to-gal for Yelp events, social media, business owner education opportunities, and all-things-Yelp as it pertains to the Southeast Valley.

My favorite part of the job is hosting events with local businesses for our Yelp Elite Squad members; the best and brightest Yelpers on the app. We’ve hosted events from educational coffee tasting and baking empanadas to herb planting and staycations and everything in between.

I am proud to have made a positive impact — big or small — on the lives of consumers and business owners alike. To learn more about my role, Yelp events, and the Yelp Elite Squad, head over to www.yelp.com/elite!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I started as the Yelp Community Manager for Atlanta OTP (Outside The Perimeter) in Georgia in 2019. In my two and a half years there, I hosted over 90 events with different local businesses, grew the local Yelp community, formed marketing partnerships with events around town and was promoted to Senior Community Manager through the pandemic. I recently moved to Phoenix East Valley with my family and two dogs to lead Yelp’s newest community, Phoenix Southeast. Taking everything I’ve learned with me, I’ve hit the ground running with 15 events in less than three months, all while still learning my way around my new home. The two communities couldn’t be more different, but the one thing they have in common is the love of supporting local businesses.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many companies, we at Yelp had to pivot during the pandemic. Events were canceled, and businesses were closed, yet they needed our support more than ever. It was challenging, but Yelp Community Managers came up with creative and intentional ways to continue Yelp’s mission while keeping the safety of our Yelpers and businesses in mind. We shined a spotlight on amazing local businesses by hosting virtual events and grab-and-go experiences, sharing resources to help support the community, featuring community and business owner stories on social media, and more. We slowly eased back into in-person events and scaled back where needed. We’re proud to have helped bring the community together through tough times.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yelp.com/elite
• Instagram: @YelpPhoenix
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretelyoung
• Yelp: https://gretely.yelp.com

Image Credits
Austin Sears Photography, Bennie Bates Photography, Birch Hollow Photography, Earth to Atlanta, and OT Creative