Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com July 20, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 11 Business Business Business Business Business Women In Outstanding Business Women In Outstanding W O R C E S T E R B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L' S For sponsorship and advertising opportunities in this special issue, contact your account manager or Mark Murray at mmurray@wbjournal.com or 508-755-8004 ext. 227. This fall, the Worcester Business Journal will be recognizing the achievements of remarkable women who are making their mark on the Central Massachusetts business community. NOMINATION DEADLINE: August 7, 2015 To submit your nomination visit www.wbjournal.com/womeninbusiness CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! Supporting Sponsor Speaker Sponsor Presenting Sponsors can benefit companies because the social- ly conscious supporters of the LGBT community are even more widespread than those who are part of it, she said. "Even if someone is not a member of the LGBT community, a lot of people care about it," Garner said. "No commu- nity is built on the people in it alone — everyone has to have allies and the allies are as important as the people in it." The benefits to large companies can also filter down to smaller businesses, said Victoria Mariano, who owns and runs Electric Haze and Spiritual Haze hookah smoking lounges in Worcester. When Mariano opened her second loca- tion on Millbury Street nearly two years ago, she was approached soon after by a group that wanted to organize an LGBT dance night. The group, Airspray Worcester, created a safe place for every- one to dance on the third Friday of every month. In turn, that sent a message to the community that Electric Haze was friendly to the community, Mariano said. "I think it's about letting people know it's a safe place with an open-minded business practice," she added. "People don't want to go somewhere where they feel judged and unwanted." This is the power of getting involved with the LGBT community, said Ashley Emerson Gilbert, who co-founded Airspray. LGBT people and their sup- porters will vote with their dollars when it comes to businesses that sup- port and go out of their way to be inclu- sive, she said. Even having one event a month devoted to the community or sponsoring a Pride parade sends a mes- sage of inclusion. "It's not about sexual orientation any- more; it's about a cultural shift," Gilbert said. "It's a movement and what we are talking about here is human rights." Business benefits Other local businesses have reached out to the community and are seeing the benefit of increased patronage, she said. Since most Massachusetts resi- dents are likely to appreciate a business that's outwardly open to LGBT citizens, not reaching out is a missed opportu- nity, Gilbert said. "These patrons have incredible buy- ing power, influence and creative edge, so it's advantageous for any business or community organization to wave their rainbow flag and welcome all people," Recent studies have pointed to the increased buying power of married gay couples over their straight counterparts. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, same-sex couples (both married and unmarried) have more spending power than their heterosexual counterparts. This is a market businesses can't afford to ignore, Trobough said. Trobough: Still room for improvement Yet, while large companies in the Worcester area have made strong efforts toward LGBT inclusion and outreach, others still have room to improve, Trobough said. "The mentality is that it's been legal so long and you've got all these protec- tions. So, of course, we are going to be accepting so we don't have to go the extra mile to show that we have an LGBT sensibility," he said. For businesses that are struggling to reach out to the community, local LGBT groups are a good place to begin, he said. "You want to be sure that, number one, you have a diverse staff and then, number two, that they feel supported and you can always ask (employees) about the connection with the commu- nity," Trobough said. n >> Continued from previous page Spectators watch the 2013 Worcester Pride celebration on Worcester Common. Married heterosexual couples ................................................................................. $101,487 Unmarried heterosexual couples............................................................................... $69,511 Same-sex couples (total) ........................................................................................... $112,576 Male couples ............................................................................................................... $127,764 Female couples ............................................................................................................. $98,234 In 2013, the average annual income for same-sex couples was about 11 percent higher than that of married heterosexual couples. Income and marital status Source: U.S. Census P H O T O C O U R T E S Y W O R C E S T E R P R I D E

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