In discussions surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, social issues tend to be at the forefront.
However, an organization that promotes itself as the only LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce in the state wants others to know: that doesn’t always have to be the case.
“When you think of the LGBT community and issues, most people probably don’t think of business,” said Joseph Renga, president of the chamber. “So the purpose of establishing the chamber was to put a spotlight on our business owners so people would know and the corporate world would know that there is an LGBT business community.”
The New Jersey LGBT Chamber of Commerce, an affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, is a volunteer-driven organization founded in 2013 to connect and strengthen LGBT-owned businesses in the Garden State.
One of the primary goals of the chamber is to advocate for New Jersey to recognize and certify these kinds of businesses as minority-owned businesses.
“Right now just (racial) minority, small, women, veteran and disability-owned businesses are recognized under that umbrella,” said Stephen Blazejewski, vice president of Fundraising and Corporate Relations for the chamber. “We’re working on advocating for LGBT Business Enterprise certification as part of the state and municipal government contracting. And I think that’s what sets us apart.”
The chamber is actively petitioning support from state and local assembly people to further this goal. According to Blazejewski, only three municipalities in the state recognize LGBT in their own municipal contracting: Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark.
Renga explained that the minority-owned certification would heighten the awareness of LGBT-owned businesses amongst large corporations and enable the business owners to give their establishments a “leg up” in their industries.
“Many corporations and government agencies are looking to make a proactive attempt to give a portion of their spend to small business owners, especially minority-owned businesses,” Renga said. “So that’s the important point: getting recognized as a minority-owned business and getting certified as such will bring your business to the next level with that large client that every small business needs and that keeps you stable for awhile.”
In addition to these efforts, the chamber puts together networking events for its members, all of which have been exclusively virtual for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization also conducts peer-to-peer virtual webinars.
“Education is key for us in terms of trying to deliver value to our members,” Blazejewski said. “If chamber members are subject matter experts in their own fields, they can come in and request to deliver a presentation to the rest of our membership.”
Renga said the chamber prioritizes outreach to college students to prepare them to become business professionals after graduating.
“We understand: if you’re getting right out of college, it can be tough to get a job,” Renga. “What helps you to get a job is a referral, quite frankly. So we like to work with college students as interns … to help get them business connections within the LGBT business community.”
The chamber’s efforts to connect LGBT businesses in New Jersey have been increasingly successful, the number of organization members more than tripling over the last three years.
“I joined the board in 2018, and at that time we had about 35 dues-paying members,” Blazejewski said. “Right now we’re well over 120 members. So it’s been pretty exponential growth over the last few years, which we’re excited about.”
Renga said the chamber experienced its “largest growth” in 2020, which he believed was due to business owners’ desire to reshape their services in “creative ways” as well as connect with others in their community.
“Prior to COVID-19, the chamber did a minimum of four to five networking events every month all around the state … and the moment COVID hit, we went virtual, almost immediately,” Renga said. “We immediately instituted 2 to 3 virtual events every month … and because they were isolated, people were looking for an outlet and some way to communicate.
“So the virtual events became quite popular, and people started joining because they thought, ‘It’s a community,’”
While continuing to offer a range of virtual events, the chamber is also currently planning a post-pride event that will double as a welcome back to in-person networking for members, Blazejewski said.
Both Blazejewski and Renga said the chamber is also a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
“You never know what the response is to you being a person in this community,” Renga said. “So we provide a safe space to say, ‘Hey, it’s OK for you to be out.’ And we engage LGBT employee groups all the time because we want them to know there’s a small business community and we want them to engage corporate America.”
Blazejewski added, “Where these business owners might otherwise be disadvantaged because they identify as LGBT, we’re offering that space to say, ‘No, this a safe spot for you to come and share your ideas. And we want to learn from you and help you learn how to take your business to the next level.’”
Blazejewski said the chamber, more than anything else, acts as a family to its members.
“We have heard numerous times after our in-person events how different our culture is from many other chambers of commerce in the state, which sometimes have a reputation of being cliquey or unwelcoming,” he said. “Our members and supporters are genuinely excited to connect with new attendees and will go out of their way to help someone they just met, even if they aren’t getting anything in return.”
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Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
