By Joe Woolley | Images Courtesy Nashville LGBT Chamber
The Nashville LGBT Chamber continues advocating, educating, and connecting for our members, the LGBTQ+ community, and Nashville as a whole in the uncertain business climate created by COVID-19. We know every business and person, from our corporate members down to our small businesses and gig-workers, to our networking members and followers, all have been affected and are hurting more and more as the pandemic wears on. We want you to know, we’re here for YOU.
Our membership and programming remains open to everyone during these times. Please join us at any of our events and sign up to get the information we can connect you to. Take a look at some of the things we’ve been working on below. Thanks to Focus for letting us highlight our work and our members!
Be a Member and Find our Members
We’ve proudly added several new businesses and individuals to our membership, even during the pandemic. A great way to support the LGBT+ community during a difficult time is to frequent chamber member businesses. A full list of members and certified LGBT-owned businesses can be found on our website directory. Also, look for our OPEN and EQUAL membership sticker on windows and next to cash registers when you’re out shopping.
In honor of the theme for this month’s issue, we have a list of members that love your pets as much as you do. Our members can help with mobile grooming, pet sitting, dog walking, and all things animal care.
Pet connected members
Mars Petcare – Platinum Corporate Member – Mars Petcare is a growing segment of approximately 50 brands, made up of about 85,000 Associates in more than 55 countries who serve the nutrition and health needs of dogs, cats, horses, fish and birds every day.
Peace Love and Paws – Bronze Member – Peace Love and Paws is owned and operated by animal lovers! (And is GAY-owned) Our brand-new, 8,500-square-foot facility features spacious, animal care areas for boarding and daycare.
Doggie Doo’s – Copper Member – A cool and cozy place to get your doggie’s doo done! We’ve been making grooming fun since 2001 and certified by the National Dog Grooming Association!
Full Circle Canine – Copper Member – Canine training, behavior modification and instruction. We offer 1-3 week training immersion as well as home visits for any dog, any issue, anytime.
Home Run Pet Care – Copper Member – Home Run Pet Care Offers Pet Sitting, Dog Walking & Overnight Sitting. Voted Nashville’s Best Pet Sitter! Licensed, insured, bonded & certified in pet CPR & first aid.
Cloud 9 Mobile Grooming – Networking Member
Pawsitive Dog Walking and Pet Sitting – Networking Member
If your business fits this category and you’re not listed, please consider joining our chamber and taking advantage of membership perks. We want to help you promote and grow your business! If you’re interested in joining the Chamber, visit our website at nashvilleLGBTchamber.org to learn more about membership levels and benefits.
Stopping the spread and keeping the virus numbers down
NashvilleHealth and community partners, including the Nashville LGBT Chamber, launched #MaskForNash or #ÚselaPorNash – a community-wide effort to encourage citizens to care for our hometown by wearing a mask or cloth face covering when in public.
We’re also a partner in the #MaskNowPartyLater campaign. Help us have fun and play concerts and more again in Music City as soon as possible by wearing your mask and following CDC guidelines!
The Nashville LGBT Chamber is a proud participant in and encourage members to be part of the Good to Go Program, a hospitality safety program created by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp to help businesses in every industry implement health and safety guidelines.
Website Resources to COVID-19
Our chamber created a COVID-19 resources page where we share all the news and information our members need to know about. We put all that information on our social media as well (@nashlgbtcc). A webinar section is there to connect our members to the countless webinars our community partners are putting out. News releases and information are all there to inform you on news related to the coronavirus and response to it. Directories were created that highlights members that offer takeout, or members that have changed their business to offer their product in a new way. Our Hot Deals section is full with specials to other members and the community on a number of items. Check them out and support our members that are open and equal!
The Rainbow Connection
We’re excited to expand our virtual programming with the Rainbow Connection. Each month, we offer two networking events, a member highlight session, and an educational opportunity. This series will help our members and community stay connected and informed while we navigate the “new normal.”
Network Connect is just that, our networking events for you to connect to others for business or personal needs. To complement our traditional PM Brewing Up Business, we now offer additional morning networking opportunities, AM Brewing Up Business. These events include a short program of announcements from our chamber’s staff and then small group networking. Networking and connection is central to what we do. We were formed 22 years ago around this.
Member Connect gives an in-depth highlight of one of our corporate members and one of our small business members. There is a Q&A session and members have the opportunity to talk about what they’re working on, questions or issues they need help with or anything else they want to address.
Classroom Connect is designed to assist our members with topics ranging from LGBTBE certification, mental health, customer feedback, public relations, financial forecasting, and more. We have our incredibly talented members teach these courses. Our 2020/2021 schedule:
August 27, 2020: 5 Mindset Shifts to Reshape Your Future
September 24, 2020: Social Media Strategies and Marketing
October 22, 2020: “The Voice of the Customer” – Customer Feedback / Quality
November 19, 2020: Public Relations 101
December 17, 2020: Financial Modeling / Forecasting for Startups and Mature Businesses
January 28, 2021: LGBT Business Enterprise Certification and Metro Procurement Policy and Opportunities
February 25, 2021: TBD
March 25, 2021: TBD
April 22, 2021: TBD
May 27, 2021: TBD
Our virtual programs will continue even after the crisis subsides, in addition to resuming in-person events, such as advocating against discrimination at the state capitol, rainbow ribbon-cuttings, and events. We can’t wait to see people in person! If you need assistance or are interested in learning more about what we do, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our website for more details on these programs: nashvillelgbtchamber.org
