Members of the Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ( CAGLCC ) gathered for their first 2015 meeting Jan. 13, as organization officials outlined what Board Chair Billy Stephenson called new "visions" for the year ahead.
Among the initiatives were an emphasis on committee-building, public events and invigorated engagement with outside organizations.
Stephenson said that in 2015 the the Chamber would be more aggressively pursuing relationships with city and state LGBT organizations focusing on business equality. The goal is for LGBT-owned businesses to be considered when corporations or government agencies are in need of suppliers.
"Protections for these businesses already exist on a federal, state and municipal level: minority-owned, veteran-owned, women-owned, and so on," he noted. "But that does not exist at the federal, state or municipal level for LGBT-owned businesses. I have some personal experience of the discrimination that does still exist."
Organizations CAGLCC will reach out to include Chicago Out and Equal, Citywide Pride, Equality Illinois and Human Rights Campaign, as well as government officials, according to Stephenson.
"That's not only going to help the membership here, it's going to help raise the profile of the Chamber at the government level," he said, adding that CAGLCC would also be more aggressively reaching out to other chambers of commerce—ones concentrating on specific geographic areas—as well.
The organization has also posted a job listing for a new executive director to replace Christina Pinson, who resigned in December. The board expects to begin reviewing resumes in February.
