LGBTQ Business
A Chat with Jim Smith
by Denny Patte
rson
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n 1992, the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce was formed as the Colorado Business Council in response to Amendment 2, which constitutionally defined marriage in Colorado as a union between a man and woman. Creating a nickname for Colorado, the "Hate State," the amendment was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the message it sent at the time was loud and clear: people did not want equality for all. The Colorado Business Council officially “came out of the closet” in 2002, when they changed their name to the Denver Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. In 2017, they eventually became the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. Creating a space for business-minded people to interact with each other while being their true and authentic selves, this nonprofit's mission is to champion the success and economic impact of the LGBTQ business community by promoting, connecting, and advancing common interests. LGBTQ businesses make up 1.3 trillion dollars of the U.S. economy, so it's very important to the business world that these voices be heard. There are now several LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce throughout the country, and they have made a significant impact. OUT FRONT spoke with Jim Smith, chairperson for the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, about his role, why these chambers are beneficial, 1 0 \\ J U L Y 1 , 2 0 2 0
and how they are personally helping Colorado’s LGBTQ businesses overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
with the Chamber in Grand Junction, and being active with the Chamber in Denver seemed like a perfect fit for all of those.
Hi, Jim! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me more about the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. How long have you been the Chamber's chairperson, and can you talk more about your role?
Why is an LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce so beneficial?
I have been the chairperson since August 2017. Prior to that, I was co-chair for a few years, and this year marks my ninth year of serving on the board of directors. As chair, I lead a board of volunteers and one staff person to continue to meet the organization's mission and vision statements. While we are nonprofit, I view the organization like any other business. We have a variety of clients that we need to always bring value and benefit to; we have to continuously market and advertise our services; we must keep abreast of current events and trends to stay viable, and we have to adapt to the ever-changing political and economic environment our members face.
Why did you initially want to get involved with the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce? When I moved to Denver from the Western Slope, I knew I wanted to continue being a volunteer with some of my time. I wanted to be active in the LGBTQ+ community and have always been business-minded. I was very active
The Chamber is so important to the LGBTQ+ community for bringing a perspective to a community that is often overlooked or ignored. We have never been able to be counted as a community. Even the census doesn’t let us raise our hand to be counted. As such, there are resources about starting, running, and growing businesses. But, these resources lack having any type of understanding that being LGBTQ+ adds to this venture. Do I come out as a business owner? Does it matter? How do I bring my authentic self to the table each day? Will my business thrive or suffer if I do bring my true self? How do we encourage businesses to become more diverse and accepting of the LGBTQ+ employee in the workplace? The Chamber provides an outlet for employees or business owners to be with others in their community dealing with the same issues. They become friends, mentors, business partners. We also bring a voice to the local and state governments. The LGBTQ+ community is fiercely loyal, and we provide a directory of businesses for people to look up LGBTQ-owned or -friendly businesses. Businesses that are more than 50 percent LGBTQ-owned can receive LGBTBE Certification. Much like a minority-, women-, or veteran-owned
