Chamber Connection
January 2020
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Hello chamber!
Welcome to the new decade! 2020 has just started, but we already have so much to share.
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NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK
We are beyond excited to publicly reveal our new brand identity with the launch of a redesigned logo and sonic experience. This announcement marks the next phase for the Chamber as it continues to gain momentum in the scope and success of its work across the Commonwealth.
While we’ll always value the logo we opened our doors with two years ago, it’s time for us to become more deliberate about our branding and messaging. This will allow us to more effectively achieve our goal of cultivating inclusive relationships amongst and between our member businesses and corporate partners.
Check out our animated new logo and sonic identity below — sound on!
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Conveying the Chamber’s commitment to inclusion, as well as nods to Massachusetts and the LGBTQ+ pride flag, the new logo’s bold color palette signals the organization’s unique approach to business.
Our chamber is powered by hundreds of brilliant LGBT-owned businesses, three of whom were instrumental in our identity upgrade. Brand strategy group
Spencer Brenneman spearheaded the process, working with us to articulate connection, growth, and representation as our brand promise, and defining our brand personality as strategic, innovative, bold, and committed. Designer
lightness and sound architect
OJC Artisan of Sound then took these core elements and translated them into visual and sonic identities, respectively.
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BRINGING 2019 TO A CLOSE IN STYLE
The Chamber celebrated last month with our first annual Boston Holiday Soirée. We thanked those who supported our mission through their hard work with an end-of-year celebration, during which we gave attendees a sneak peak of our new logo and sonic identity. It was the perfect way to top off a productive year, and we can assure you that the show tune sing-along lasted well into the night.
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FIRST EVENT JOB FAIR TOMORROW!
In partnership with the
Trans Club of New England (TCNE), the Chamber is hosting the First Event Job Fair this Friday! First Event is one of the longest running conferences in the US for transgender and gender expansive people and those who love and support them.
The job fair is free to the public. Attendees can check in with the TCNE registration desk to get their job fair badge if they're not already registered for the entire conference.
FIRST EVENT JOB FAIR
Date: January 31, 2020
Time: Noon–4PM
Location: Boston Park Plaza Hotel
Companies recruiting at the job fair include:
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Berkshire Bank
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Boston Medical Center
Boston Scientific
Brown Brothers Harriman
Dell
Eastern Bank
Federal Reserve Bank
Fenway Health
Foundation Medicine
Harvard University
HERC (Higher Education Recruitment Consortium)
Liberty Mutual
Lowell Community Health Center
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MassMutual
Mimecast
Northeastern University
Nuance Communications
Partners HealthCare
Pfizer Kendall Square
PTC
Sephora
Seyfarth Shaw
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
TD Bank
Thermo Fisher
Tufts Health Plan
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Vista Print/Cimpress
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Special thanks also to Tre’Andre Valentine, from
MTPC, and Irene Brank, from
MassMutual, for facilitating a workshop earlier this month to help recruiters prepare for the job fair.
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PRIDE IN OUR WORKPLACE COLLABORATION
We're thrilled to announce that the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce is forming an official partnership with
Pride in Our Workplace (PIOW).
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PIOW is a nonprofit focused on improving diversity and inclusion across work environments to better support the success of LGBTQ+ employees. Their work is centered around educational, community building, and networking events. They also provide professional development and resources for Human Resource Groups, Employee Resource Groups, and executive management.
Through this partnership, we can offer even more opportunities to our members, the first of which is a three-part panel series —
2020: The Year of Inclusive LGBTQ+ Leadership — beginning February 28.
ADVANCING INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
Date: February 28, 2020
Hear from change makers who recognize the power in their identities and work to advocate for inclusion in the workplace.
All partners of PIOW and MALGBTCC have access to this first collaborative event. If you are not a sponsor of either organization but would like to attend, please
email Carly Davis for more information.
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SURVEY FOR WESTERN MASS BUSINESSES
The Chamber is continuing to develop its region-specific strategy for Western Massachusetts, and we’re doing so by conducting a needs assessment survey. This survey seeks responses from any and all business owners in Western Massachusetts, along with LGBTQ+ individuals in the area, regarding how the Chamber can best serve your needs. Participants are automatically entered to win one of several raffle prizes, so if you are a Western Massachusetts resident please consider taking our survey!
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In February, we will be hosting a Western MA networking event, where we will review data gathered from the survey, so stay tuned for further information!
WESTERN MA NETWORKING & SURVEY REVIEW
Date: Wednesday, February 19
Time: 5:30–7:30PM
Location: Christopher Heights of Northampton
50 Village Hill Rd, Northampton, MA 01060
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HEALTH INSURANCE FOR MEMBERS
The Chamber is teaming up with Massachusetts Health Connector to help our members access more affordable healthcare plans. Chamber members with 50 employees or fewer can now purchase high-quality plans from leading health and dental carriers in Massachusetts through the Health Connector for Business for no additional cost.
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OUR GROWING CHAMBER
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
Thais De Marco (she/her/hers) joins us as engagement and membership director. She moved to the US from her native Brazil in 2005 and began a decade-long tenure at Somerville Community Corporation, leading the visioning, development, and implementation of Asset Building programming for low and moderate-income Somerville residents.
Thais is also a talented photographer and owner of
TDM Photography, one of the Chamber's founding members. She is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish and is excited to work with the team in this new role. Contact Thais
via email.
Owen Kobrel (he/him/his) joined the team as events and engagement associate after graduating from Goucher College with a double major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Communications and Media. Originally moving to Boston to provide care to his grandparents, Owen is excited to contribute to the financial justice of the queer community, following his passion for LGBTQ advocacy. Contact Owen
via email.
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NEW PARTNERS
We are also excited to share that we’ve entered the new year with several new partnerships! Whether it be new LGBT-owned and allied business members or corporate partners looking to support our work, it’s fantastic to see our network building across the state. To give you an idea of who has joined, see below:
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UP NEXT IN 2020
Our chamber has a lot in store this year! We're rejuvenated after the holiday break and can't wait to take our work together to the next level. Here's a quick preview of what comes next:
- Launching a Worcester Roundtable to bring together business owners and LGBTQ+ community members to help determine how we can tailor our work to the region's needs.
- Gathering a group of internal procurement advocates from our corporate partners to create best practices for bringing LGBTQ+ small businesses into supplier diversity pipelines.
- Launching our PIOW partnership with a series of diversity and inclusion panels and a larger event in the last quarter of the year.
- Revisiting our work with employee housing in Provincetown and working to expand our service there this coming season.
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STAY CONNECTED
Proudly,
Grace R. Moreno
Executive Director
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First Event Job Fair
January 31
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Noon–4PM
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This Friday, we are hosting the First Event Job Fair in partnership with Trans Club of New England and First Event! Join us at the Boston Park Plaza in the Avenue 34 room and be sure to bring plenty of resumes. Attendance is free – just check-in with TCNE to register upon arrival. See you there!
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Advancing Inclusive Workplaces
February 28
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The first installment of our
2020: The Year of LGBTQ+ Inclusive Leadership series. Hear from change makers who recognize the power in their identities and work to advocate for inclusion in the workplace.
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First Event 2020
January 29–February 2
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First Event is one of the longest running conferences in the U.S. for transgender and gender expansive people and those who love and support them. First Event 2020 will be held January 29 – February 2 at the iconic Boston Park Plaza Hotel in Boston’s historic Back Bay neighborhood. The First Event Job Fair will be hosted on January 31.
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