The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce held a press conference last week in Easthampton announcing the staffing of their new office at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley. It’s part of the Chamber’s initiative to reach and assist more businesses in the Western part of the Bay State.
“We are not a traditional chamber,” the Chamber’s executive director, Grace Moreno, told attendees. “You can call us for anything. What do you need? Sometimes you call us because you’re having a hard day. We’ll take those calls, too.”
Reports Northampton’s Daily Hampshire Gazette:
Several Easthampton businesses have joined the chamber — such as KW Home, The Bower Studio and Oxbow Design Build — and city officials were instrumental in drawing the Boston-based chamber into the Pioneer Valley. The organization’s offerings include business support and networking services, loan and grant opportunities, interview preparation and hiring events.
Moreno said there are an estimated 21,000 LGBT-owned businesses in Massachusetts, contributing $49 billion to the state economy each year.
“Our chamber wants to find those 21,000 businesses. We want to help those 21,000 businesses obtain contracts, understand how to do business with each other, and be able to walk in their identity,” Moreno said. “The new generation of small businesses and employees do not have tolerance for homophobia, bigotry and racism.” …
Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said she worked with the National League of Cities in 2018 to create Blueprint Easthampton, an effort to research, map out and support the city’s economy and regional innovation. Partnering with the LGBT chamber, she said, is about generating wealth and creating equality for local people from marginalized communities.
“We’re a small city with a big, big heart, and we love folks who want to start something new and fight along with us to succeed,” LaChapelle said. The LGBT chamber’s expansion, she said, “is a very exciting moment for Easthampton that’s been long coming.”
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