President’s Letter - February 2010 “The Heart of the Matter…”

Dear Members of the GBBC and GLBT Community:

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!  The month of February is a perfect month to express the GBBC’s heartfelt appreciation to our Corporate Sponsors who have so proudly taken position beside the GBBC to support and partner with the Greater Boston GLBT business community.  Their investment and interest in joining with the GLBT community speaks loudly to the impact that they have made in the business arena of Boston.  Their efforts not only show their advanced level of diversity within their our company structure for the employees and customers, but also a desire to be part of the GLBT community and give back to the very community that has supported their services and products over the years.

As the GBBC enters its 21st year as Greater Boston’s premier GLBT Chamber of Commerce, we are extremely proud to acknowledge our impressive Corporate Sponsors starting off 2010:

(In alphabetical order)

• BNY Mellon
• Boston Spirit Magazine
• Club Café Restaurant and Lounge
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Greenpark Mortgage
• Hard Rock Café – Boston
• Hyatt Regency Boston
• InterSystems
• John Hancock Insurance
• Legal Sea Foods Restaurant
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Mercantile Bank
• Stonewall Communities
• Sun Life Financial
• Top of the Hub Restaurant and Skywalk
• W Hotel Boston

The Executive Officers and the Board of Directors salute these fine companies recognized locally and nationally as leaders in their respective industries.  With the continued support and efforts of organizations such as these, the GBBC has been able to:

• Sponsor 36 events in 2009, and co-sponsor an additional 3 with other companies and organizations
• Sponsor more educational and networking events while maintaining a balance of social events than any other year
• Invest wisely in the education and training of future GLBT business leaders by supporting a GLBT youth scholarship
• Make advancements in our web site to be more user friendly, informative and a central location to learn what is going on in the GLBT business community of Boston and nationally
• Develop and create a Non-Profit Affiliate (NPA) Program which boasts approximately 25 distinguished member organizations
• Continue to grow and be creative in developing new benefits, programs and events for our members.  We are proud that our membership has experienced strong and sustained growth, up 15% per year for the past two years.
• And much more! 

All these success, awards and recognitions are all indicators of the work that we have done over the years, but truly would be unable to have been successful if without the support and partnership of our Corporate Sponsors.

For this, the month of Valentine’s Day, a “Heartfelt” thank you to all our Corporate Sponsors; we greatly appreciate you standing with us in the GLBT Community.  For organizations interested in joining the fine honor roll of elite companies in the GBBC family, please contact us at ..  We would love to explore the endless possibilities for you to join our family and for our organizations to collaborate on many exciting events.

Warmest regards,

Ed Travers - President