The 2006 National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce convention must have been a good one — it convinced Dena Castricone that Connecticut needed its own chapter, and that she should organize it herself.
Castricone, a lawyer with Murtha Cullina, had been interested in joining professional networks geared toward the gay community, but was disappointed to find Connecticut had none. Then she found the national chamber, where she saw powerful individual chapters promoting gay and lesbian causes, as well as helping members target their own communities.
“They were able to reach out to a market that didn’t have its needs met,” she said. “I was just blown away by what they were doing.”
More than a year later, Castricone and other like-minded organizers have made good on that original plan. This past Thursday — National Coming Out Day — marked the launch of the state’s first gay chamber of commerce, the Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunities, which kicked off with a celebration in New Haven.
Seal Of Approval
Like its umbrella organization, CABO will set up a network of gay-friendly businesses, and reach out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market, Castricone said.
It’s an underserved market that has disposable income and is staunchly loyal to companies with a gay-friendly track record, she said. To ensure that member organizations live up to the chamber’s gay-friendly mission, she said the board will review each applicant’s policies beforehand so that admittance into the chamber becomes like a seal of approval, showing that member organizations are committed to equality.
That kind of backing is important when reaching out to the financially strong GLBT community, she said. The group pegs the GLBT community’s buying power at $690 billion. “It makes good business sense for businesses to tap into this market,” she said.
Kate Karasmeighan of the national chamber said the local organizations aren’t intended to compete with other chambers of commerce, but to create an outlet where GLBT-operated and GLBT-friendly businesses can connect. Such chambers advocate for equal hiring practices, but also organize around that identity for economic reasons.
“The LGBT community has huge buying power,” she said. “It’s highly important for the community to come together to flex that economic muscle.”
Lisa Moyles, vice president of the chamber and franchise owner of ActionCoach Business Coaching, said although Connecticut is a progressive state, it often seems like its diversity is hidden under the whitebread, “land of steady habits” perception.
But reaction to CABO’s formation has been encouraging thus far, she said, and positive feedback has come from companies across a number of industries. As of Wednesday, ACSDFAS said the Thursday membership launch party had 80 RSVPs.
With sponsors such as Murtha Cullina in place, Connecticut’s chamber is just starting its membership drive. Membership fees range from $50 for individuals to $850 for “Corporate Gold” members.