Chamber Connection
March 2019
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Hello Chamber,
What a meaningful and productive start to the new year we've had! While we viewed last year as largely a foundational period, we’ve hit the ground running in 2019 by implementing new programmatic and internal engagement for our members and the broader LGBTQ community. Here's a recap of the work we’ve been up to:
SPONSORED EVENTS
In January, we brought together our founding small business members to hold the first
Annual Founding Member Meeting. We gathered in a roundtable setting to discuss the needs and challenges of owning a small business. Building on our strategic partnership with
Babson College, we are developing resources to assist businesses’ growth, connection, and development over time.
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In February, we were privileged to partner with the
Trans Club of New England to hold a job fair at their
First Event Conference, where 20 of our corporate partners were represented. We worked with Mason Dunn, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (
MTPC), to offer readiness training to corporate recruiting teams so they could better serve the members of the transgender community they are hoping to hire. Thank you to the companies that attended First Event, and we look forward to more collaboration with TCNE throughout the year.
INTERNAL PROGRAMMING
To increase the visibility of our founding small businesses, we have begun a weekly
Member Monday business spotlight. Each Monday, a flyer and information about the selected small business is distributed to contacts at our corporate sponsors. Our hope is that this will spark new connections, using our membership as a jumping off point. Members that have been featured so far include
Gardner Resources Consulting,
BBsquared,
Spencer Brenneman,
Tomo360,
ThoughtAction LLC, and
N'Touch Productions.
The chamber has also opened discussions with the Operational Services Division and state Supplier Diversity Office. Our internal team and a group of small businesses attended a COMMBUYS training in February, which fostered a rich conversation centered on how our membership can help companies meet their supplier diversity requirements by applying for state and executive contracts. The
OSD website offers in-person trainings and webinars on the use of COMMBUYS. As we continue to work with the state, we will be able to push out more resources to our membership on this front.
OUR GROWING TEAM
We recently welcomed
Carly Davis to our chamber as administrative assistant. Carly is a graduate of Northeastern University where she majored in Media and Screen Studies. She is an experienced videographer and editor as well as having amazing administrative chops. We're excited to have her on our team! To schedule meetings or learn more about our upcoming programming, please contact Carly
via email.
To expand our chamber’s impact throughout the entire state — not just Greater Boston — we have developed the new role of ambassador and community liaison for Western Massachusetts. We're thrilled to announce that
Leena Akhtar, Founder and Principal of
The Greater Us
, has joined us in this role. Leena will begin growing our membership in Western Massachusetts, as well as identifying needs and areas of growth for LGBT-owned and allied small businesses in that area.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We welcome
Keith Wang, Vice President of Procurement and Strategic Sourcing at Tufts Health Plan, to our board of directors. Keith brings with him decades of supplier diversity and strategic sourcing experience and we are honored to have him serve on our board
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POSTING EVENTS AND JOBS
Members can now post events to our website through the
Membership Information Center. Once events are submitted, they are reviewed by our team and then added to our events page.
We’re also currently in the process of implementing a job board on our website that members will be able to post to. The board will be public and available to members of the LGBTQ community seeking employment. We'll send an update when the page is available.
STAY CONNECTED
We look forward to continuing this momentum with all of you.
Proudly,
Grace R. Moreno
Executive Director
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Small Business Grant
Application due March 25
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Does your business have an amazing story to share? Use it for the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest! FedEx recognizes and rewards unique small businesses with grants up to $50,000.
The program will include honoring the LGBT Business Trailblazer Award and the 2019 LGBT Corporate Ally Award winners.
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Business of Pride Event
May 9
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5:30–8:30PM
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Recognizing LGBT businesses in our community and their commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce.
The program will include honoring the LGBT Business Trailblazer Award and the 2019 LGBT Corporate Ally Award winners.
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Boston Pride Guide 2019
Ad reservation April 1
Artwork deadline April 15
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Want an ad in this year's Boston Pride Guide? The Guide is distributed in 25,000 print copies to over 510 locations in New England. As a member of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, you are eligible for a discounted ad price:
1/4 page $300 (reg. $325)
1/2 page $550 (reg. $600)
Full page $825 (reg. $900)
For discount code please contact chamber member Bill Berggren
via email or (617) 438-4364.
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