LGBT Chamber celebrates two-year anniversary

Grows to more than 200 business members

MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its two-year anniversary tomorrow, highlighting the organization’s rapid growth and positive impacts on Wisconsin’s business community. The organization also announced today that their membership has grown to more than two hundred businesses as members.

“Tomorrow is a very special day for the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as we celebrate our two-year anniversary,” said Jason Rae, executive director. “In just a short period of time, we’ve become strong advocates for the LGBT and allied business communities by growing to more than 200 businesses as members. We are busy working every day to promote a pro-fairness, pro-business community in Wisconsin.”

In addition to building a strong and diverse membership, during it’s second year the Chamber:

• Hosted more than thirty events (both networking and educational) in eight different communities around the state, including Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, La Crosse, Racine, Appleton, Stevens Point, and Eau Claire.
• Participated in two briefings at the White House to discuss the LGBT business community.
• Received the 2014 National Rising Star Chamber Award from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, becoming one of the youngest Chamber’s to ever receive the award.
• Held a Business Awards & Expo in May to recognize contributions being made by corporations and small business owners to grow the LGBT business community.
• Added 100 new members, including Rockwell Automation, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., Assurant Health, Caterpillar Global Mining, and Trek Bicycle Corporation.

“Reaching 200 members within our first two years exceeded our expectations, but it shows that Wisconsin employers and businesses are committed to creating a fully inclusive state for the LGBT community,” said Rae. “We look forward to continuing our efforts to grow our membership and promote economic growth opportunities among LGBT owned and allied businesses, professionals, and corporations in Wisconsin for many years to come.”

The Chamber offers many benefits for LGBT owned and allied businesses and consumers in Wisconsin. In addition to strategic resources available to help businesses grow, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce connects businesses directly with consumers who share their values of equality. On November 13, the LGBT Chamber will host the first-ever wedding expo for LGBT couples in Wisconsin, connecting vendors directly with consumers. Later this winter, the Chamber will also host a Business Diversity Summit for corporate professionals.

Earlier this week, the Chamber hosted an anniversary celebration at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino that was attended by more than 150 individuals from around the state.

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and LGBT-allied businesses, corporations and professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin. It offers networking opportunities, business development efforts within the LGBT community and educational programming to its members.

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