UNITE BUSINESS AUG-SEPT 2014

BUSINESS Aug./Sept. 2014

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We believe that diversity shouldn’t mean _____, but rather the _______ that moves (division)

communities

(right angle)

forward,

from

_______.

(point A to point B)

Differences don’t make us _____ or (less than)

______ to one another, instead they (not equal)

promote creativity, new ideas and push innovation through the changing _____. (times)

In

business,

truly

communities

embracing

all

the

we serve is not about

reaching a _____ or ______ to make ______, (number)

(percentage)

(money)

it’s a pursuit __________ the bottom line. (greater than)

______ (equality)

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publisher's Note

photo by Kyle Poffenbarger

The 2013 NGLCC Business & Leadership Conference has just drawn to a close and for yet another year, I am so honored to be associated with such an amazing group of people. A huge thank you to Justin, Chance and the entire NGLCC team for producing one of the best conferences to date. I look forward to attending next year’s event in sunny Fort Lauderdale. Broward County (the county which includes Fort Lauderdale) has one of the largest populations of LGBT households and businesses in the country, so I have a good feeling the conference will grow another 30% over this year.

I am pleased to announce that as of this issue, UNITE will now be distributed to 26 cities across the country. It was quite overwhelming to have literally hundreds of people come up to me at our expo booth and tell me how much the loved the magazine and how much it is needed in our community. I was requested to begin distributing UNITE to NGLCC-affiliated chambers in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Minneapolis, adding to our ever-growing network.

When we launched the publication last December, I had no idea that we would evolve into a magazine such widely read and widely distributed. That being said, I can’t continue to grow the publication without your support through both your editorial and advertising contributions. I am always looking for people and businesses to feature as well as encourage readers to submit articles which offer sound advice to LGBT business owners.

Thank you all for your continued readership and please feel free to email me directly should you like to submit story ideas, advertise your business or just offer suggestions on how to make us better. Your feedback is always encouraged.

Joey

4 | UNITE BUSINESS

2014 National Dinner Save the Date!

November 21, 2014 Save the Date! November 20–21, 2014

WASHINGTON POLICY & PROCUREMENT FORUM

Join the NGLCC for the Washington Policy & Procurement Forum

Events Include: • Federal Procurement Fair • Matchmaking Sessions • Education Sessions • Policy Discussions

www.nglcc.org

and much more…

contributors

Called the “Simon Cowell of startups,�

Michael Burcham, PhD, is the founder and chief executive officer of The Entrepreneur Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where he helps his clients with the best business ideas achieve their goals and coaches others to further develop their aims.

Betsy Cerulo founded AdNet in 1990 and has led the company to become a respected & recognized woman owned small business focusing on identifying the best individuals to work at the best Mid-Atlantic organizations & government agencies.

Author of Blissful Organization: A Guide to Simple Living, Patricia Diesel is the founder and chief executive officer of Keep It Simple Now, a professional organizing and life coaching company, where she helps people restore tranquility and sense to their lives by encouraging release, order, and constructive engagement.

Angela D. Giampolo and is an LGBT attorney, advocate and author in Philadelphia and she is currently working on a book titled Rooftop Bars and Lounges. Visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ RooftopBarsLounges to see what city she is visiting next.

Dan Groover is an accountant and business consultant living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been in business for himself since 2004 serving individuals, small businesses, and corporations throughout Middle Tennessee. Groover is currently beginning a new phase of his life in the realm of family and civil mediation.

Brian Hooper, MDiv, PsyD, is a licensed pastoral psychotherapist with a private practice in the Belle Meade area of Nashville. He invites you to visit his website www.drbrianhooper.com.

After a diverse and successful 31 year career at IBM, Stan C. Kimer founded Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer, where he offers innovative services in career development and diversity management. Total Engagement Consulting is a certified LGBT Business Enterprise by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Jonathan D. Lovitz is an advocate, spokesman, fundraiser, and communications consultant for countless LGBT and business causes. He currently serves as director of communications for StartOut, the national organization dedicated to LGBT entrepreneurs, and on the boards and councils of LGBTQ groups worldwide.

Santiago MelliHuber is the associate editor of UNITE Magazine and a freelance reporter for the Washington Blade.

He has recently worked in the news gathering department at CNN, where he honed his skills at the news desk, on the field, and on Capitol Hill researching and reporting the news.

A veteran of working with policymakers at all levels of government, Jim Schmidt has the experience to be a strong voice for any interest on the Hill. Jim began his career in state government during his college years as an intern of the staff of Tennessee State Senator Jim Kyle. In September 2011, he started his own firm, Schmidt Government Solutions LLC.

Scott Span is chief executive officer & lead consultant of Tolero Solutions, an organizational development and strategy firm. Span helps clients facilitate sustainable growth by connecting and maximizing people, performance, and profit to create organizations that are more responsive, productive, and profitable.

At 21 years old, Nashville native Jesse Walker has taken Music City by storm since the 2009 launch of Country Music Treehouse. This multimedia site is home to video interviews with country stars, including Reba and Taylor Swift.

6 | UNITE BUSINESS

table of contents

Joey Amato Creative Director Blake Kniffin Publisher

associate editor

CHAMBER CHAT 10 LEADERSHIP CONFLICT RESOLUTION 12 HOW TO BE A GOOD BOSS 18 GIVING BACK POINT FOUNDATION 13 ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 14 CHERYL TRAVERSE 20 LIFESTYLE SAME-SEX PARTNERS 16 INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL ECONOMY 22 FEATURE NGLCC HITS JACKPOT IN VEGAS 24 FINANCE ASSET ALLOCATION 26 LGBTBE SPOTLIGHT 27 NOW JESSE EHRENFELD 32 DESTINATION TORONTO 34 INDIANAPOLIS 36 MUSIC MOBY - APOCOLYPSE WOW 38 FILM WHAT’S THE T? 40 ZEN THE ART OF REFRAMING 44 DINING CHEF JOSHUA SIMPSON 46 8 | UNITE BUSINESS

Business Editor

Santiago Melli-Huber Michael Burcham, PhD

Contributing Writers

Betsy Cerulo, Paul Collanton, Patricia Diesel, Victoria Fulkerson, Angela G. Giampolo, Jenn Grace, Dan Groover, Brian Hooper, M.Div., Psy.D. Lisa Howe, Stan C. Kimer, Jonathan Lovitz,, Estella Pan, Brad Polo, Adam Sandel, Scott Span, Jesse Walker Sales manager national advertising

Joey Amato (407) 496-8751 Rivendell Media (908) 232-2021 Contact

Unite Magazine (615) 852-6660 joey@unitemag.com

@UNITELGBTMAG UNITELGBTMAG

chamber chat

NGLCC & USAID CREATE PARTNERSHIP

by Joey Amato

In a historic move, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice announced a nearly $4 million partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to encourage and support LGBT business owners and entrepreneurs in developing countries.

The unprecedented agreement, presented at a White House event, holds the promise of creating a more equitable business and cultural environment for LGBT people through economic empowerment.

“Unfortunately, in too many places, being gay or transgender is enough to make someone the target of slurs, torments and violence…protecting our LGBT brothers and sisters is among the most challenging human rights issues we face. Thanks to a new partnership between the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and USAID, we will provide business development training and build new networks to help economically empower the LGBT community. And, working together, we can be assured that the future belongs to those who stand up for freedom and human dignity,” said Rice.

“We know the best way to break down barriers is to use the common language of business to expand minds and create opportunities. Trade and commerce creates jobs everywhere and more must be done to ensure our trading partners don’t suffer from discrimination,” said Justin Nelson, co-founder and president, NGLCC. “We are grateful to the Obama Administration and USAID for working with us to ensure everyone can participate in our increasingly global economy.”

USAID will contribute $1.25 million to the partnership while NGLCC will put forth $2 million in privately raised funds. NGLCC will provide another $692,000 through in-kind and program services.

USAID, which is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential, cited the need for economic growth and empowerment of underrepresented communities in developing countries and emerging markets as reasons for the initiative.

USAID has expanded its investments through centrally funded awards, mission-funded programs and the LGBT Global Development Partnership, totaling, for July 2012 to December 2013, investments of approximately $11 million in stand-alone programs and $301 million in programs that include LGBT beneficiaries (e.g. HIV/ AIDS) in almost 40 countries worldwide. Funding has built the capacity of local NGOs by having LGBT beneficiaries play a key role in programming, provided health solutions and supported victims of violence.

The initiative creates an avenue for U.S. businesses to become trading and strategic partners with LGBT owners in program countries Mexico, Colombia and Peru. It also will encourage program country businesses to serve as suppliers to multinational corporations, in-country companies and government agencies, as well as become active in intra-regional trade and team with LGBTowned businesses in the U.S. to respond to multinational contracting opportunities.

10 | UNITE BUSINESS

Official White House Photo by David Lienemann

At an evening event, Vice President Joe Biden issued similar praise for the efforts of NGLCC and spoke about their importance.

Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden and Justin Nelson, co-founder and president, NGLCC

t or pp su C C to GL d N ou e Pr th

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leadership

conflict resolution

by Betsy Cerulo

The idea of conflict typically evokes negative feelings or sometimes a white-knuckle reaction in most people. The dictionary defines conflict as a “state of disharmony” so no wonder many of us prefer to sweep it under the rug and hope it just goes away.

Guess what? It never goes away…it simply gets bigger and often is blown so far out of proportion that by the time we get to resolution, there is so much damage that we run the risk of not recovering from the conflict.

How can we embrace conflict where it is merely a blip on the screen and something that just needs to be handled? It is a matter of changing our relationship with conflict which comes with practice. We must take the extra time to have the awareness that there is a conflict that needs to be resolved. If we follow some basic steps, we can get to the resolution. Here is a piece of the roadmap: • Have the awareness that something is out of alignment • Be willing to face the conflict immediately once grounded and a strategy has been formulated • Identify factors and people involved that caused the conflict. Be open that this may not be the direct cause of the conflict but rather a step towards creating a long term change • Set up a meeting with the key players who can create the strategy to resolve the conflict Once these steps are taken, now you can design the plan that will solve the problem. Also remember, that when conflict comes up, it may be that the system which was originally put into place, is obsolete. Workplaces tend to keep the same systems in place longer than needed. Something exhausts its resources thus causing a conflict or problem. If you can take the problem and drill it down to the actual cause and be willing to put the change in place, you will likely end up with a more effective workplace and much happier people. In this case, the conflict actually created the solution for restoring harmony.

12 | UNITE BUSINESS

When the conflict involves people, a company must make sure all the details are presented as fact. Often times, emotion takes over and employees will either become demonstrative in their reaction or shut down thus making it very difficult to move forward without extracting the facts. During these types of conflicts, it is imperative that any size company keep written documentation of any issue that arises between employees.

What I have seen work successfully in my own organization and others whom I have coached is to bring together the individuals where the conflict has occurred. It is best to do this as quickly as possible.

Remember, letting the issue stay quietly nestled under the rug will only have it emerge at a later date breathing fire!

Let both parties know the reason you are bringing them together with the ideal outcome to resolve the conflict. Establish ground rules for the interaction with the goal that communication is based on fact and spoken respectfully. People can passionately disagree and still relate respectfully. I encourage the passion because I want to see/hear/feel what is at the core of their discomfort. Speak from an accountable place rather than placing blame.

Allow each person to have ample time to speak without interruption. Use a white board to list issues from each individual. Somewhere in the words, you want to find the gaps because typically that is where the conflict originated. Have each person work towards minimizing the gaps where both parties feel that they can work within each other’s parameters. Once there is a new agreement in place, set up a follow up meeting to measure the results. From that point, you either have complete resolution or need to fine tune the plan.

This is a good framework to start and practice.

Once you participate in this process a few times, walking head first into the conflict gets easier when you have the right tools for resolution.

giving back Point Foundation's Internship Program RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM THE PALETTE FUND

by Dan Groover Saidzhan Abdul (“Sy”) is 24 years old, but he has chosen to spend his summer helping people who are more than twice his age. A student at the University of Pennsylvania, Sy is interning at the New York headquarters of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), thanks to the internship opportunities made available to him through his Point Foundations Scholarship and support of The Palette Fund.

Point Foundation (Point) is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students; many of whom have faced obstacles such as bullying and financial hardship. A key focus of the Point scholarship is fostering intergenerational communication and cooperation, developed through mentoring, community service projects, and internships.

Five years ago The Palette Fund partnered with Point to launch an internship program, which has made it possible for Point Scholars to spend the summer experiencing substantial, professional work that directly benefits LGBTQ community nonprofits. Because The Palette Fund underwrites a stipend for the scholar, a participating nonprofit does not have to incur any costs for having a gifted student work for them during the summer.

“As The Palette Fund continually strives to engage youth in philanthropy and help build the next generation of LGBT leaders, we are thrilled to partner with Point Foundation for this summer program once again,” said Terrence Meck, Co-Founder & President of The Palette Fund. “Point is a beacon in our community for understanding the importance of education.

By working together, we are able to offer summer internships that add value to the student’s curriculum.

Plus, young people also earn much needed income

and experience while helping an LGBT nonprofit organization.”

Darrin Wilstead, Mentoring & Alumni Program Director at Point Foundation explains, “We are sincerely grateful to The Palette Fund for enabling us to provide such meaningful opportunities to our scholars.

Through the internship program, scholars are able to connect their academic preparation to their career aspirations, develop their leadership skills, and give back to the LGBTQ community.”

The Palette Fund’s commitment to Point’s internship program has helped encourage other philanthropic donors to support an additional internship. According to a recent Gallup-Purdue University study of college graduates, having had a meaningful internship during college, “where they were able to apply what they were learning in the classroom,” resulted in graduates who were much more engaged in their post-collegiate jobs and had an improved sense of well-being.

“To be able to utilize my skills and acquire a new set of tools in nonprofit development, advocacy, and strategic planning while interning at SAGE is a real gift for me,” Sy mentioned.

“I hope I can provide the people at SAGE with the same kind of passion and commitment Point Foundation and The Palette Fund have shown me.”

Saidzhan Abdul photo courtesy of Point Foundation

Terrence Meck photo courtesy of The Palette Fund

Darrin Wilstead photo courtesy of Point Foundation

UNITE BUSINESS | 13

entrepreneur

10 Questions That Must Be Answered TO DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

by Angela D. Giampolo

1. Who is my target audience and how can I most effectively reach them?

• Your business plan must be doctored to reach this target audience.

2. What goals can realistically be reached through this plan?

• Set realistic goals.You are not fooling anyone by underestimating the potential challenges you might face.

3. Who can I ask for help?

• Your personal network of family, friends and colleagues are your best resource. Use them to shape your plan.

4. What do I bring to the table?

• Think about your strengths. Focus on not only how, but also why, you utilize them to accomplish tasks.

5. How much capital is going to be necessary?

• People are sensitive about their money, and rightfully so. Make them feel comfortable by explaining why you need the specific amount, how it will be used, and most importantly, how they will get it back.

6. How can I make my target audience more comfortable?

• Anticipate the questions your audience will ask, and have answers already prepared. This can include anything from ‘why will your product succeed’ to ‘how much money are you going to make me.’ Provide estimates

14 | UNITE BUSINESS

of revenues, costs, and any other issues that will calm their angst. But, always keep in mind Question #2…be realistic.

7. How well does my target audience know the industry?

• You may be an expert in the field, but your potential customers may not be. Think about an easy way to communicate the ins and outs of the market. This can be visual aids or even a strong and succinct verbal pitch hitting all the major points.

8. How much competition is out there?

• If you compete in a crowded market, ask yourself what would cause your target audience to sway one way or another.

Cost? Availability? Necessity? Figure out what the competition is doing in regard to these factors.

9. Why am I better then the next guy?

• Be able to demonstrate to your target audience that they are making the right choice.

You must believe your product is better than the next guys, and have evidence to prove it.

10. What am I going to do to pull this off?

• Not only is this a question that your audience will like to know, but it is one you must figure out to put your plan in motion.

Lay out the steps you’re going to take and follow them!

lifestyle

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR SAME-SEX PARENTS

by Lisa Howe Everything I learned about time management, I learned as a student-athlete. Since there was only so much time in the day to go to school, go to practice, and do homework, the skills I learned—and passed on to other student-athletes for over 15 years—were invaluable.

Becoming a parent and raising a family is no different.

Prioritizing, scheduling, and compartmentalizing serve as a strong foundation when one assumes the challenge of managing time for a family. Adding children to a family of two working parents magnifies the importance of practicing the following skills:

is easy to see which ones are musts, which are needs, and which are wants. We go through all the conflicts and throw out the activities that are lower on the priority list. When we have two high priorities that conflict, we know we need to find child care. It’s amazing how many things we used to think were musts or needs that now fall lower on the priority list when we don’t have the budget or means for child care. When we sit down the following Sunday, it means we are taking a second look at the upcoming week and adding a new week. This is not to say we don’t plan further out than two weeks, but it is important to revisit the schedule for the upcoming week.

Plan Ahead & Prioritize - Every Sunday night, my wife and I sit down and look through the schedule for the next two weeks. When we look at our activities for the week, it

Stick to a Schedule - This can be especially challenging for someone whose work is cyclical like a teacher, coach, CPA, or Pride Festival Director. Not to say these people are not busy

16 | UNITE BUSINESS

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year-round, but they definitely have a busy season and a less busy season. We have always found it important to keep our family schedule as consistent as possible, no matter the season. Sometimes this requires outside help—family, friends, babysitters. Often times, it requires us to say ‘no’ to things that are not a priority during those 4-6 months or however long your busy season is. Prioritizing is definitely an integral component of time management.

Communicate - This requires much more than telling each other where we are going to be, and who is going to pick up our daughter from school. It takes communication to determine priorities, discuss your child’s needs, and evaluate how you are doing as parents and partners. There are responsibilities to divide, feelings to share, and best practices to address. For those who are more tech-savvy than our family, I have heard of many partners and spouses who synchronize their calendars or use other digital tools to share schedules and to-do lists.

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Compartmentalize - Focusing on the task at hand is so much more difficult today with technology feeding our desire for immediate news, instant gratification, and feedback. I can multi-task with the best of them, and often do when returning e-mails, writing newsletters, checking social media, and sending receipts, but when I was a coach, I preached to my players about compartmentalizing their time and their lives. When you are in class, pay attention and take notes for that hour. When you are at practice, don’t worry about tests, papers, significant others, parents, or money—just concentrate on soccer for the next 90 minutes.

I compartmentalize my time with my daughter. As in sports, sometimes it takes mental cues. I often use the drive to daycare as my mental cue. On my drive, I mentally summarize my day, and establish priorities for the next time I work. If I need to make audio or written notes, I will do that in the parking lot. I put my phone in my purse before going inside the school, and I do not remove it until my daughter goes to bed that evening. This may only happen three nights a week, because I have events or meetings on other nights. Maybe three times a year, I will have a strict deadline that would cause me to stay tuned into calls and e-mails. But for 60% of weekend evenings, I compartmentalize that time for family. They deserve my focus and attention, and it is the only way for me to be the best parent and partner I can be.

Time management requires discipline and commitment.

Time management for families requires communication and teamwork. There are sacrifices, but there are also rewards. Good time management can allow everyone in the family to reach their potential at school, at work, and at home.

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leadership

HOW TO BE A GOOD BOSS

ARE YOU A GOOD BOSS OR A BAD BOSS?

by Scott Span Sounds a little bit like The Wizard of Oz, we know. Similar to that classic story – what type of boss you are can determine if your people respond to you more like Munchkins or Monkey Soldiers. While we were writing this blog with our marketing partner, Preactive Marketing, we found something interesting while we researched this topic, and it made us raise an eyebrow. How to be a boss generates roughly 20 million monthly global hits – yet how to be a good boss generates only 33,000 monthly global hits.

Action: The third step in being a good boss is action – take action to increase your positive behaviors and decrease those with a potentially negative impact. Training, coaching, and mentoring are all great ways to increase and develop new skills that can have a positive impact on those you lead.

A good boss makes his men realize they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could. - Charles Erwin Wilson

Here’s hoping that most of you desire to be good – even great – bosses!

So why is that?

We realize it is probably because of many different factors – however we were intrigued that people are not more interested in how to be a good or even great boss. Is mediocrity taking over? Perhaps the reason is people are more focused on searching for the topic based more on the particular role than they are from the perspective of how to excel in that given role. Or maybe it’s because of the uptick in entrepreneurship. Regardless, building a successful business requires more than being a boss, it requires being a good boss – one who can create followership, build trust and maintain engagement.

So what makes a good boss or a bad boss?

When the best leader’s work is done the people say, “We did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu

Bad Boss • Tunnel vision • Secrecy • Pessimism • Disingenuous • Dishonesty • Mistrust • Personalized power • Practices oppression • Ignoring a job well done • Only helps themselves succeed

High level – we’ll offer a few qualities that make a good boss and a bad boss (right).

So how do you become a good boss?

Short answer – develop and excel in the “good boss” qualities listed– you can get started in 3 steps.

Feedback: The first step in being a good boss is feedback – soliciting input from those you lead regarding your actions and behaviors and how those behaviors positively and negatively impact them.

Awareness: The next step in being a good boss is having self-awareness – taking the feedback on those actions and behaviors that may negatively impact those you lead and making a conscious effort to be aware of when they are occurring and why.

18 | UNITE BUSINESS

Good Boss • Vision • Transparency • Inspiration • Authenticity • Honesty • Trust • Socialized power • Values equality • Recognition for a job well done • Helps other succeed

paparazzi

NGLCC CONFERENCE

Cheryl Traverse

20 | UNITE BUSINESS

photo courtesy of StartOut

entrepreneur

OUT AT LAST:

CHERYL TRAVERSE

by Adam Sandel Serial entrepreneur Cheryl Traverse has been the president of four companies and as CEO, has overseen the funding and acquisition of five companies. Yet she never officially came out until she retired in 2010.

were two choices for women: schoolteacher or nurse.” She taught 5th grade for 10 years, then a friend encouraged her to move to New York and sell radio ads.

“When you’re raising hundreds of millions of dollars, you need to be very subtle at the end. You don’t want anything to blow the deal,” she says. “But it’s painful not to be out.

You can’t talk about the most important person in your life, or what you did over the weekend.”

“For a woman, there was no career path, you took what you could get. It was an opportunity so I took it. I didn’t know a thing about the business, but I picked it up.” From radio sales, she moved to cable TV sales, and then her sales expertise led her to the world of enterprise software, startups and turnarounds.

Now that she’s retired, Traverse is free to include her domestic partner of 20 years, renowned photographer Terry Turrentine, in all aspects of her life.

“I had a knack for taking small companies, figuring out their revenue, and then selling them,” she says. “I was the chief sales person in all of my companies.”

“We’re making great progress with gay marriage, but we need to do a lot more so people can be out at work,” she says, directing me to a recent Wall Street Journal article which cites HRC’s findings that while 32% of 35-44 year-olds are out at work, only 7% of 18-24 year-olds are out at work.

As CEO or EVP, she oversaw the sales of CAE Systems to Math Soft; Iband to Macromedia; Brightifo to Peoplesoft; Covigo to Symbol; and Immunix to Novell. She also served as President and CEO of Taviz Technology and Xceedium before retiring in 2010.

Since retiring, Traverse has been supporting LGBT and women’s causes with a vengeance, on the Board of Openhouse (openhouse-sf.org), which provides housing and services for LGBT seniors; mentoring women for Astia.org, and StartOut’s Lesbian Entrepreneur Mentoring Program.

“Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of self-confidence,” she says. “My advice to entrepreneurs is to always attach yourself to a revenue responsibility. Women don’t always gravitate towards sales, but if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to know how to sell it. They don’t care who you are, as long as you can deliver the numbers.”

Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Traverse got her BA in English at Wilkes College, “At the time there

Having mentored some 50 companies and entrepreneurs since then, Traverse is now busy giving back to the community. “Mentoring is really important, especially for women and LGBT entrepreneurs,” she says. “It would have saved me a lot of trouble back then.”

Traverse mentors entrepreneurs through StartOut, a national non-profit organization dedicated to inspring, educating and empowering LGBT entrepreneurs.

StartOut’s network is over 12,000 strong with chapters in Austin, Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with Seattle, Denver, and more on the way. Through mentorships, education, and access to capital StartOut is leveling the playing field of business and ensuring equality of opportunity for the LGBT community nationwide.

UNITE BUSINESS | 21

international

Kimer meeting with a group of business people in Rwanda

photo courtesy of Stan C. Kimer

Business Leadership, Travel & Communications IN THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY

by Stan C. Kimer The geographic framework for business interaction has changed drastically over the past 20 years and requires a whole new level of cultural competence. With the global enabling of world-wide web based applications, now companies of all sizes, including small, LGBT-owned enterprises, can find customers, employees, business partners and suppliers from anywhere in the world. Changes over the past 20 years include: • Work teams with all employees co-located together in a single location to virtual global work teams which could include people from several different countries • US-centric sales strategy to now growth coming from fast growing economies in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America. The US economy is now in the bottom half of all nations in year to year growth • From a white male American workforce to a workforce that includes more women, people of color and people from various countries • The internet has enabled global sales to anyone anywhere, and web based supply chain applications have opened up global procurement possibilities

22 | UNITE BUSINESS

So what kind of leadership is needed to succeed in this new environment, whether it be traveling overseas in person, interacting by phone or Skype, or via e-mail?

About a year ago, I was invited to an all-day Diversity and Inclusion conference and was asked to prepare a new presentation on leadership competencies needed in today’s competitive diverse global economy.

I was excited to mesh together two areas I am very passionate about – diversity and inclusion; and leadership development.

Leadership is a fascinating area to follow since there are dozens of leadership models and it seems that a new “leadership model du jour” pops onto the scene almost daily. I felt that I could get the best view by studying different leadership competency models across the business, non-profit, religious and educational worlds to find the common intersections. The next step was to evaluate their leadership methods in this new diverse global economy.”

In studying six different leadership competency models, I have identified eight competencies that appeared in four or more models. A competency is a skill that can be learned and devel-

oped. Of those eight competencies, six have a strong global / diversity component: 1. Being able to work across boundaries and to embrace multiple dimensions of diversity 2. Being able to partner, collaborate and team – with diverse, global people 3. Empowering, leading, and mentoring others – and that includes diverse people and people outside the U.S. that are now in your enterprise.

4. Taking strategic risks, stepping out of your comfort zone to engage with the diverse global world.

5. Embracing change and being adaptable since you need to be flexible and able to adjust management styles when dealing with a wide diversity of people.

6. Being a life-long learner, curiosity – since you need to be willing to learn, stretch and grow as you travel and interact globally.

To now successfully compete in this new reality of global cultural diversity, all levels of employees need to be trained to be culturally competent, and senior leaders need to totally understand this dynamic and invest in training themselves and their teams. So next time you and your team are evaluating business strategy and growth, consider the importance of global diversity and cultural competence.

Kimer entering Kenya

photo courtesy of Stan C. Kimer

Advertising and graphic design with a focused message is pretty powerful stuff.

NGLCC Certified Business WA-OMWBE Certified Minority Business

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feature

Laura Spaulding, owner of Spaulding Decon accepts check for $15,000

photo by Joey Amato

NGLCC HITS JACKPOT IN VEGAS

by Joey Amato The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) has broken its conference record with a 30% increase in attendance at their recent National Business and Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 700 guests attended the annual event held this year at Caesars Palace.

NGLCC co-founders Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell were extremely pleased with the rise in attendance and as promised, this year’s conference

24 | UNITE BUSINESS

was the best to date. The event, which was presented yet again by American Airlines, comprised of three days of informative panels and plenaries.

Some of the highlights of the conference incude an opening keynote by Insanity and T-25 founder Shaun T, who led the ballroom in an intense 25-minute morning workout followed by an inspirational speech on how he grew his company from a college hobby into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Yet another incredible keynote was presented the following afternoon by Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC’s The Profit. In his nearly 30-minute speech, Lemonis urged the audience to evaluate their businesses based on three key elements: people, product and process. This three-part evaluation is a process he claims has played an important role in his own company’s success including Camping World which employs over 6,000 people nationwide.

Numerous panels were offered throughout the conference offering expert knowledge on a variety of topics ranging from social media and leveraging LGBTBE certification to doing business with Corporate America as well as engaging allies within corporations. These information-packed panels

were led by some of the NGLCC’s brightest talent including ChatterBlast Media CEO Evan Urbania, Trung Tieu, Associate Manager of Supplier Diversity for PepsiCo and José Nido, Vice President of Global Supplier Diversity for Wyndham Worldwide.

John Lake, LGBT Segment Leader for Wells Fargo announces Biz Pitch Competition

The final morning of the conference was highlighted by the NGLCC’s annual LGBT Biz Pitch Competition in which a panel of distinguished judges including Lemonis, StartOut CEO Gene Falk, Olivia Founder & President Judy Dlugacz and NGLCC Co-Founder & CEO Chance Mitchell listened to pitches from three LGBT-owned companies in a Shark Tank-style format. In the end, Spaulding Decon owner Laura Spaulding was awarded $35,000 in cash and prizes including a $20,000 marketing campaign provided by Branding for The People.

The NGLCC also announced that they have chosen Fort Lauderdale, Florida as the host city for the 2015 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference. Next year’s event will take place August 11-14, at the Marriott Resort Fort Lauderdale Harbor Beach Hotel. Building on this year’s sold out conference, next year’s event will seek to break the 700 attendee record. “NGLCC is thrilled our annual conference will take place in Fort Lauderdale next year. We applaud our local affiliate chamber, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GFLGLCC), for working so closely with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau to put together the winning bid,” said NGLCC Co-Founder and President, Justin Nelson.

Furthermore, the 2014 NGLCC Policy & Procurement Forum and National will take place on Thursday and Friday, November 20-21, 2014 in Washington, DC and will focus on federal procurement opportunities and policy issues affecting America’s small businesses. In addition to educational sessions and the third annual NGLCC Federal Procurement Fair, this year LGBT-owned businesses will have the opportunity to participate in prescheduled one-onone matchmaker meetings with federal agencies and federal prime contractors.

The two-day forum culminates with the 11th annual NGLCC National Dinner on Friday, November 21. The National Dinner is presented for the 11th year by IBM and will bring together more than 800 LGBT business owners, corporate champions, affiliate chambers, and community leaders at the National Building Museum to honor outstanding achievements in LGBT business. Awards include:

photo by Joey Amato

• LGBTBE Supplier of the Year • Corporation of the Year • Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year • NGLCC/American Airlines ExtrAA Mile Award For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nglcc.org

UNITE BUSINESS | 25

finance

DoN'T Be Afraid to Change Your Asset Allocation

by Brad J. Polo Asset allocation is a time-tested strategy that can help take the guesswork out of choosing investments for your portfolio. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, you spread your eggs (dollars) among a variety of baskets (stocks, bonds and cash). The baskets can be further divided within each type of investment.

Although many investors understand that they should invest in a variety of securities, they often stumble when it’s time to choose an asset allocation that’s right for them. The allocation that you choose should be based on how much risk you are willing to assume, why you are investing and when you will need to tap your investments.

However, in some cases, once investors choose their allocation, many are afraid to change it. As you experience changes in your life, it can be appropriate to redistribute your assets.

So, when should you change your asset allocation? It is important to maintain balance in your portfolio. Accordingly, you should reevaluate your allocation strategy at least once a year or when you experience a major life change such as marriage or the birth of a child. It is not always necessary to make a fundamental change to the allocation, but you need to make that evaluation on a regular basis.

Sometimes your portfolio might just need a tweak to rebalance assets that have either increased or decreased in value. For example, a booming stock market may mean that the value of the stock portion of your portfolio exceeds your original allocation. If that occurs, you may want to consider selling some stocks to bring your portfolio back into line with your initial allocation. Rebalancing is a strategy that every investor should take advantage of as a way to ensure their portfolio reflects their current investing goals, time horizon and tolerance for risk. Further changes to your allocation also may be appropriate depending on your particular investing style.

26 | UNITE BUSINESS

Strategic investing. Most investors take a strategic approach to asset allocation, meaning they have at least 10 years before they anticipate needing the money they are investing. Strategic investors look at the long-term and typically do not make frequent changes to their allocation model. A strategic investor would change the way his or her money is invested if there was a fundamental shift in the economy (recession) or if inflation began to outpace the earnings that his or her investments were generating.

Cyclical investing. Because the economy is cyclical, meaning it moves in stages of prosperity and recession, some investors change the way they allocate their assets based on the cycle of the economy.

This is called cyclical investing and it typically means that an investor will reallocate his or her funds every three months to three years.

A cyclical investor might invest heavily in stocks when the economy experiences growth and, conversely, would invest more dollars in bonds when the economy experiences a period of contraction.

Tactical investing. The third type of investor looks at the shortterm – a period of one year or less. The tactical investor changes his or her portfolio based on trends in the market. A tactical approach to asset allocation isn’t for everyone as it typically requires an investor to trade rather actively and sometimes trade with greater risk.

Each investor has unique goals for their money and a distinctive investment style. It is best to talk with your financial consultant about what kind of asset allocation would be right for you and how often you should redistribute your assets. Bear in mind that although asset allocations diversifies your assets, it does not protect against fluctuating markets and uncertain returns.

Brad J. Polo is a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors and can be reached at 317-684-4969.

LGBTBE

SPOTLIGHT

UNITE BUSINESS | 27

LGBTBE SPOTLIGHT

Landis Communications Inc. has a rich history of serving the LGBT community and fellow LGBTowned businesses. Under David Landis’s leadership, LCI has provided communications and marketing support for AIDS Lifeline, the San Francisco LGBT Center, San Francisco’s Project Open Hand and more. In fact, Landis was one of the early volunteers of Project Open Hand, providing hot meals, groceries and nutritional information to those in need of assistance.

DAVID LANDIS

LANDIS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Continually named “one of the Bay Area’s top firms” by the San Francisco Business Times, PR Source Code, and PR Week, San Francisco-based LCI this year celebrates nearly 25 years of providing PR and marketing counsel to national businesses and organizations.

“As the San Francisco member agency of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), LCI also has international capabilities, with nearly 50 affiliate agency offices worldwide,” states Landis, who currently serves at President of PRGN. “LCI is also the winner of the Bulldog Award for social media and for public education and has been named the #3 social media agency in the U.S. by TopPRAgencies.com.”

Landis has approximately 30 years experience in presentation training, media training, public relations, brand management, digital strategies, social media, positioning, marketing, content marketing, analyst relations, media training, crisis communications, public affairs and community relations.

“In addition to LGBT organizations, we also have worked with a wide variety of national and Bay Area-based clients including Walmart, California Bank & Trust, Match.com, MetLife, Emirates Airline, Whole Foods Market, NBC Universal, Old Navy, San Francisco Symphony, Planned Parenthood, California Academy of Sciences and the Asian Art Museum,” Landis mentions.

Landis has been an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University, teaching public relations in the master’s degree program for marketing majors. A recipient of numerous awards, Landis is a published author and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry conferences, as well as a guest lecturer at Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, University of San Francisco and Golden Gate University. Prior to launching LCI, Landis served as PR/Community Relations Director for KPIX TV, the San Francisco CBS affiliate. While at KPIX, he was part of a team that won the station two national Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

For more information, visit: www.landispr.com

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photo courtesy of Landis Communications Inc.

AGIO BRAND SOLUTIONS

Unfortunately, the manufacturer would only engrave text. Instead of throwing in the towel and accepting the status quo, Tolassi fell back on a key lesson he learned during his years of service in the United States Army: Adapt and Overcome. And so he did.

“Almost immediately my business partner and I decided to rent a 50-square foot kiosk with only one engraving machine.” They specialized in laser etching graphics onto MP3 players. “Soon, customers were asking us to engrave other products, as well as for our advice on custom branded merchandise.”

Seizing the opportunity to branch out, Tolassi morphed the young business into Agio Brand Solutions and began selling promotional items and branded apparel. Soon after launching the company, Tolassi faced another challenge: a declining economy and global recession. Yet again, he remembered to adapt and overcome. And so he did.

Despite the crushing economic environment of recent years, Agio Brand Solutions experienced staggering growth. Tolassi firmly believed, and does to this day, that providing clients with a quality product at a competitive price and superior customer service would be the foundation of the company’s success. Strongly guided by customer-focused principles and the ability to adapt to meet customer needs, allowed the company to grow from servicing small businesses to obtaining Fortune 500 clients.

Today, Agio Brand Solutions customers range from small to large: major universities and top healthcare companies. “The company thrives as a creative boutique for smaller companies while offering large clients the same level of customer service and personal attention not found in larger agencies.”

Agio Brand Solutions is a certified LGBT Business Enterprises, Veteran-Owned Business, and member of the Independence Business Alliance.

Tolassi also supports the Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia’s LGBT health care center, the HRC and is a board member with the Center City Proprietors’ Association. photo courtesy of Agio Brand Solutions

For more information, visit www.agiopromotions.com

UNITE BUSINESS | 29

LGBTBE SPOTLIGHT

Michael Tolassi

In 2007, Michael Tolassi, the principal of Agio Brand Solutions, LLC, was searching for a personalized gift for a friend and decided that engraving his friend’s logo on the shiny silver case of the most popular MP3 player of the time would be a great idea.

LGBTBE SPOTLIGHT

“Sometimes, I get blank looks when I say what I do for a living. I am a leadership coach, group facilitator, a change management consultant and I coach organizational teams,” states Caroline Nicholl founder of Blue Apricot Solutions. “I am a marketing nightmare. My work is not easily reduced to a bumper sticker.” She goes on to explain that the company does not take a ‘one size fits all’ approach when working with clients. “Individuals, groups and organizations, collectively and individually, are facing inordinate changes in the world we live and work in today.”

Caroline G. Nicholl BLUE APRICOT SOLUTIONS

The core of Blue Apricot Solutions business is quite simple Nicholl explains. “I listen, I ask a lot of questions and I facilitate candid conversations with leaders and between team members who strive to achieve something specific, or feel frustrated they are not getting desired results.”

Nicholl helps her clients gain clarity and confidence to fully execute on agreed commitments.

Like a conductor, she helps the orchestra play exquisitely: more aware, in alignment, and with renewed vitality.

While there’s much skepticism of coaching and consulting, Nicholl has found a way to distinguish her company. “I am not one of those cheery ‘rah-rah’ consultants who promise the earth. I am realistic, knowing change is hard and requires learning. Frequently, the challenge comes down to how leaders, managers, and colleagues relate to one another and can see the system as whole.”

Aside from emotional and social intelligence (self-awareness and our awareness of the impact on others), we also need Relationship Intelligence (RI). “RI is the ability to recognize the relationship between two people or across a group has its own powerful insights on what needs to happen. RI requires a look beyond strategy, and to hear all voices in the system.”

As a former Police Chief who led department-wide change in a large city in the United Kingdom, Nicholl knows it is one thing to have vision and quite another to check assumptions, listen to different perspectives, and gain traction around common agreement. “I have learned everyone has untapped wisdom that may need cajoling to bring out and connect with the wisdom of the larger collective. That’s my work and I love it for what it brings: better results, a better work environment, and greater readiness for what lies ahead.”

For more information, visit www.blueapricotsolutions.com photo courtesy of Blue Apricot Solutions

30 | UNITE BUSINESS

inQUEST

To that end, at inQUEST, a full-service diversity and inclusion consulting firm, Hoesman and his team serve as organizational strategists and partners to Fortune 100 companies, non-profits and government agencies that want to harness diversity and create inclusive cultures to ignite innovation and drive results. He is also a sought after speaker, specializing in everything diversity and inclusion with a special expertise in matters regarding the LGBT community, workers with disabilities and veterans in the workforce.

Prior to starting inQUEST, Hoesman held various leadership positions in the diversity consulting space. He was president of The Kaleidoscope Group, Global D&I Practice Head for Capital H Group and Vice President of Lambert & Associates. “I also held a variety of leadership roles within the financial services industry ranging from sales to operations and corporate strategic planning.” These experiences at Bank One (now Chase) provided a foundation for his business acumen in strategy, operational excellence and sound financial management.

When he’s not traveling and working with inQUEST clients, Hoesman dedicates his energies to organizations that he feels passionate about. He sits on the steering committee for AbilityLinks, a not-for-profit connecting people with disabilities to employment opportunities and most recently, he joined the board of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the world’s most diverse orchestra.

“Because of our work in diversity and inclusion, we are not only doing great work with visionary corporate partners, but creating opportunities for other LGBTBEs in the process.”

For more information, visit www.inquestconsulting.com photo courtesy of inQUEST

UNITE BUSINESS | 31

LGBTBE SPOTLIGHT

Scott HoesmaN

True passion is quite an uncommon attribute, but when you meet Scott Hoesman, founder and CEO of inQUEST, you just know you’ve found it. “My purpose is to help leaders hear and value the voices and perspectives that will enable them to be more strategic in addressing their complex business challenges,” he says. “Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever before. It’s important that executives understand and build upon that if they are to truly make the best of their human capital.”

N

Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D.

photo courtesy of Jesse Ehrenfeld

NOW

First Openly Gay Trustee

OF THE AMA ELECTED

by Dan Groover

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The American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced the election of Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., to the AMA Board of Trustees. With this announcement, Ehrenfeld becomes the first openly gay officer of the organization.

“I am honored to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees,” said Ehrenfeld. “My goal is to ensure the AMA continues as the preeminent voice of medicine, now and into the future.”

Ehrenfeld divides his time in the fields of clinical practice, teaching and research. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist whose research on information technology in medicine has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research.

“As I step into my new role, I look forward to serving as a voice for LGBT physicians, patients and their families,” Ehrenfeld stated.

“The AMA has a longstanding policy in support of LGBT patients and providing the best care for those in our community. I know that as an out physician, I will be able to bring an important perspective into the board room, as important conversations about training, access, and quality continue to evolve.”

Ehrenfeld served as the speaker of the Massachusetts Medical Society and is currently the director of research for the Boston-based Institute for Safety in Office-Based Surgery. He is also an associate professor and health medical director for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) patients at Vanderbilt University.

“My election as the first openly gay officer of the American Medical Association represents a growing desire to embrace diversity of all types by our membership and voting delegates.

I expect that my service will signal to other gay physicians and trainees across the country, that the AMA is an organization that embraces the true diversity of our profession and is a place where all voices are welcome.”

Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) Executive Director Hector Vargas praised the announcement. “As we celebrate LGBT pride, I am moved by the fact that Dr. Ehrenfeld’s inclusion in the leadership of the largest physician group in the U.S. will continue to advance LGBT health equality. AMA policies have significant influence on public policy efforts and the inclusion of an openly gay health professional voice among AMA leadership will have far reaching implications for LGBT patients and health professionals across the country.”

Last June, GLMA became the first and only LGBT organization to have a voting seat in the AMA House of Delegates, signaling a major shift to advance understanding of LGBT healthcare needs and promote equality.

“GLMA looks forward to continuing our work with Ehrenfeld and others within the AMA and across all health professional associations to address the health needs facing the LGBT community,” Vargas added.

Ehrenfeld is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Systems, a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy and serves as a medical reserve officer.

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destination

TORONTO

FROM A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

by Angela D. Giampolo

34 | UNITE BUSINESS

Rooftop Lounge at the Thompson Hotel

There is always something happening in Toronto. While so many cities are affected by the depressed economy and increasing unemployment rates, new restaurants and stores seem to open constantly. The cultural diversity and urbanity seem limitless but it’s hardly an urban jungle. Toronto is filled with lush, insistent greenery and an abundance of parks so it’s hard to imagine exploring it any other way than from one of the most majestic rooftop bars and lounges in Canada.

Featuring unparalleled, stunning 360-degree views of Toronto’s skyline and Lake Ontario, the Thompson Toronto’s rooftop lounge is a chic and exclusive retreat (550 Wellington St W +1 416-6407778 http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/thompson-toronto).

Guests can dip in the infinity pool by day and lounge in the poolside cabanas by night, enjoying creative cocktails and beautiful people. The view is truly impressive and it is best enjoyed with a sophisticated drink. Personally, I recommend the Strawberry Fields (1 oz Gin, 1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, top with Champagne, mix in a chilled shaker, pour into a champagne glass flute, and garnish with strawberries). The energy of Thompson Toronto’s rooftop lounge is electric and the million dollar view will entice you indulge in some of their yummy menu items. The crowd is full of young and trendy professionals and the décor is extremely visually appealing; modern, posh and very chic, with a terrace that wraps around the entire lounge.

If you absolutely have to leave Thompson Toronto’s rooftop lounge and actually explore Toronto like a commoner – from the street – I recommend you start with the Double Decker Bus Tour (http://www.citysightseeingtoronto.com). I know, I know - it sounds cheesy and tacky but believe me; you will adopt this as part of your ritual when visiting new cities. The tour is a great way to see the whole city in 1.5 hours comprising of 21 stops.

Toronto is full of food havens, but the food market everyone talks about is Kensington; a series of cool coffeehouses, organic fruit stands and bars on the edge of Chinatown, a bustling sea of shops filled with Mandarin and Cantonese speakers. Start there, and make your way to the market soaking up the scenery, unique gift shops and colorful décor along the way.

If you’re in the mood to go out in Toronto’s “gayborhood”, also known as ‘The Village’, I suggest you start at Church on Church for a drink (504 Church St, 1 647-352-5223 www.churchonchurch.com) The concept of a church-themed gay bar is a unique and inspired idea which was well-executed both from an aesthetic perspective as well as gastronomically. Church on Church has a cocktail list with “church” inspired drinks; anything on the Holy Water list is great but I opted for the Eucharist – go hard or go home, right?

Once you’ve had your fill of confessions and sacraments, skedaddle to Crews and Tangos (508 Church St, Toronto +1 647-3497469 www.crewsandtangos.com) to dance your heart out. The club is a nightlife staple in the Village, set up in an old two-story Victorian house that’s been gutted to make room for all the dancing queens. Despite its grungy décor, sticky hardwood floors and peeling paint everywhere, the place has a certain appeal. What it

lacks in pizzazz, it certainly makes up for with drag shows every night and energetic DJs. I’m not sure how it happened but Toronto became a bourgeoning foodie town overnight. One of the most unique aspects of its “food culture” is Little Portugal’s main thoroughfare, Dundas Street West. It has remained authentically Portuguese to this day.

If you’re in Toronto for a few nights, drag yourself out of bed for brunch at least once. First, start out the day with a nice brew (espresso brew that is) from Ella’s Uncle (916 Dundas Street West, 416-703-8881, www.ellasuncle.com), a tiny Little Portugal spot with superb espressos. Or, hit up the Bulldog Café (89 Granby Street, 416923-3469) in the Village. The seating is pretty limited but the small patio area is cute. More of a social cafe than a place to read/study and my favorite is that it’s cozy and unpretentious.

When you’re appetite builds up, try the Beaver (1192 Queen Street West; 416-537-2768; www.beavertoronto.ca), if only for the French 75 cocktails (cucumber, lemon, gin and Prosecco, 6.75 dollars), the Bloody Caesar (the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary, but with clam juice) and the mustachioed waiter out of “Portlandia.” Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, check out Lady Marmalade (898 Queen Street East 647-351-7645 http://ladymarmalade.ca). The menu is made up of mostly local, fresh and healthy-ish Mexican inspired takes on traditional breakfast fare.

Being French Canadian, my standout dish is their version of a Poutine - hash browns with aged white cheddar, topped with miso gravy or Hollandaise.

If, after the drinking and eating you feel as though you should actually exercise before leaving Toronto, there is plenty of green space to accommodate you from the beaches in the east to High Park in the west. Take a stroll, go for fun or even hop on the ferry and take in the Toronto skyline – whatever you decide to do along the waterfront, you’ll enjoy a peaceful and relaxing experience that will leave you bewildered that you’re actually in the middle of a city populated with 2.5 million people.

Visiting a city from its perches is the most efficient and visually appealing way to take in a new city. Rooftop bars and lounges is the newest and trendiest way to soak up the views and get a sense of the urban layout that sits before you.

High Park

UNITE BUSINESS | 35

destination

INDIANAPOLIS

by Joey Amato

photo courtesy of Carl Van Rooy Photography

It’s been called the “Crossroads of America” by many and “The Circle City” by others. But why is Indy on the tip of everybody’s tongue lately? Is it because of their thriving arts and cultural attractions, history-making same-sex marriage rulings, or a bustling LGBT business community? Probably a combination of all three.

This past June, Indy Pride drew close to 100,000 people to its downtown, which feels more like New York or Chicago then a mid-sized city. The streets are teeming with people at all hours of the day and night. Architectural wonders are around every corner, but the highlight of course is Monument Circle, where a 284-ft neoclassical monument stands enclosed by a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets.

city. The 9-room hotel is located adjacent to the Monon Trail and is within a 5-minute walk to dozens of affordable restaurants.

My favorite in the neighborhood is called Flatwater. With river views and live music on the patio, Flatwater is a great place to unwind after a long day touring the city. After dinner, check out the unique Broad Ripple shops or head back to your suite to get ready for the evening. My room at Hotel Broad Ripple featured a seating area, large bedroom and a bathroom with a shower so large, it could probably fit 6 adults comfortably…no, I didn’t try, it’s just an estimate.

Not too far from downtown is Massachusetts Avenue, the city’s cultural hub. Endless shops, restaurants and art galleries line the street, which stretches several blocks. Mass Ave. is a hotbed for the LGBT community due to its gay-friendly establishments. A few worth noting are Metro, tini, Mass Ave Pub and FortyFive°, a sushi bar/restaurant which transforms itself into the hottest spot on the Avenue when the sun goes down.

Well-fed and well rested, put on your favorite outfit and head to Talbott Street, Indy’s only LGBT nightclub. The multi-level establishment offers quality drink specials, great DJs from around the country and is the perfect place to check out the city’s young and fabulous set. If clubbing isn’t your scene, head to one of almost a dozen LGBT bars. Greg’s is a friendly neighborhood bar, while Varsity reigns as Indy’s oldest gay bar. English Ivy’s is also worth a visit, offering a full late-night menu until 2AM to satisfy your after-club munchies.

Visitors looking for an off-the-beaten path hotel should check out the new Hotel Broad Ripple, a boutique property located in the trendy Broad Ripple neighborhood just a few miles north of the

Indianapolis has no shortage of attractions. Start your day at the Indianapolis Zoo and visit their new orangutan exhibition or catch an incredible dolphin show. A short drive away are both the

36 | UNITE BUSINESS

Orangutan Exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo

photo courtesy of Shawn Knapp

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art as well as the Indiana State Museum. Both buildings are truly works of art themselves and deserve the entire afternoon to explore.

Begin the next day with a visit of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, currently exhibiting The Rise of American Modernism. The avant-garde of French art made inroads into the American mainstream in the first decades of the 20th century largely through the efforts of photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz’s 291 Gallery, founded in 1908, introduced the works of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne as well as such young Americans as Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Charles Sheeler, Katherine Dreier and Man Ray. The exhibition features 29 prints, drawings, watercolors and photographs from the IMA s permanent collection.

When you arrive in Indy, check to see if you can catch a performance of The Cabaret.

It will be an experience you won’t soon forget. Shannon Forsel and her team bring in world-class talent to entertain guests who dine on exquisite cuisine and fabulous cocktails. The Cabaret performs at the exclusive Columbia Club, a breathtaking, historic building overlooking Monument Circle. Upcoming performances include Jeremy Jordan, star of Broadway, film, and television, singing music from Broadway’s Newsies, SMASH, and his upcoming film, The Last 5 Years.

Those looking to stay downtown should think about checking into a room at the four-diamond Omni Severin Hotel. Within walking distance from The Cabaret, the property features a host of amenities including luxury linens, an indoor pool and 24hour fitness center. Located directly across from Union Station, the hotel is the perfect choice for individuals seeking to feel the energy of downtown Indianapolis.

Within a 3-hour flight of most major cities in the U.S., Indy is worth visiting this fall.

And don’t forget to catch a Colts game while in town.

For more information, visit www.visitindy.com

UNITE BUSINESS | 37

M MUSIC

APOCALYPSE WOW by, F. Daniel Kent

photo courtesy of MUTE Records

A chill drifted lazily in the air as we made our way through the labyrinthine byways in search of our seemingly clandestine destination. The phone call that led us here with quiet whispers was specific: There would be a prearranged meeting place – Project Gallery, they called it. Select supplicants were instructed to gather at the designated time for an audience with their elusive Leader in which he was expected to reveal the final piece of his manifesto on the end of the world – this time in photographic form.

Quiet whispers of his power and influence grew quickly into shouts of adulation and idolization. Starting out as a little known DJ and producer who some thought talked about Christianity perhaps a bit too much, Moby’s message – telegraphed via highend electronic music – soon began gaining traction. The seemingly unassuming DJ morphed into something bigger than his sleight frame would indicate and he would go on to earn a litany of awards and commendations for his body of work.

I cannot remember a time when Moby’s legend had not already began to cast a shadow across the landscape of popular music.

He became a fiercely vocal advocate for animal rights and vegetarian living who displayed no hesitation in educating the largely

38 | UNITE BUSINESS

ignorant public on his views. When the increasingly popular musician publicly spoke for the first time about his bisexuality, one could practically hear the ground tremble as a legion of repressed Baptist frat boys fell face first into the surrounding pavement.

According to Moby’s most recent epistle to his followers Innocents, the Cult of Innocents holds its origins in the long-scheduled apocalypse of 2012, which quietly overthrew the world as we know it while everyone was looking somewhere else. Citing inspiration in the culture’s recent obsession with the apocalypse and a new found appreciation of the long history of cults in his

transplanted home of Los Angeles, Moby dove headlong into detailing how this so-called Cult of Innocents would come about in response to the quiet apocalypse.

“I had this idea of inventing a post-apocalyptic cult,” the artist accounted for his process.

“The last two thousand years or more almost all cults have been pre-apocalyptic. Cults justify their existence by saying they have access to hidden information, which has told them that the apocalypse is just about to happen. I thought it would be an interesting premise that the apocalypse has happened and this is a cult that’s responding to it.”

From the opening melodic strains of “Everything that Rises” giving way to the trippy melancholy of “A Case For Shame,” to the emotional soar of “The Perfect Life” and the drunken Bukowski-soaked solitude of “The Lonely Night”, Moby never flexes his artistic muscles more than a mid-tempo. Delivered with deft precision and attention to detail, he successfully eschews the stadium anthems, which made him a mainstream EDM darling, for atmosphere electrifying siren stories rife with lilting harmonies and half whispered, dulcet tones.

Like the eerily masked members of Cult of Innocents, every note is haunted by shadows of detail and foreshadowed darkness lying in wait within the lines of the songs.

This belies the almost relaxing air of resplendence and even a sort of joy elicited by the arrangements at times.

Rather than giving it all away from the top of the rafters, listeners are required to lean in a bit to catch every nuance.

The powerhouse warmth and enveloping delivery of Innocents’ musical musings are facilitated with an assembly of co-conspirators including Cold Specks, Mark Lanegan and the iconoclastic Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips.

The accompanying photo exhibition of the same name cannot be so easily digested.

“I’m really fascinated when we are confronted by things that are essentially neutral but we bring so much meaning to them,” Moby spoke about his motivations in the creation of Innocents.

“My hope is for people to be unsettled...confronted with this sort of contradictory information where you take neutral elements that trigger a defensive reaction in people.

People will be drawn in because the pictures are large, colorful and eye catching. So, it’s creating a degree of cognitive aesthetic dissonance where the brain doesn’t quite know what it’s supposed to be responding to.”

The large format photographs ominously depict various persons – sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups - in banal locales sometimes in nature and sometimes in grocery stores or swimming pools. Many of the looming figures are bedecked with robes of the purest white com-

pleted – if not complimented by – eerie animal masks that not only obscure the identities of the participants but also elicit a subtle undercurrent of anxiety and at times even borderline panic at the sudden onset of the unknown. Are they benign? Are they hostile? These pervasive vibes haunt each image with an almost palpable presence drawing in the viewer with their gravity and repealing them with the same force.

Moby’s avid relationship with photography dates back to the same era as his burgeoning interest in music, despite not having shared his photography prior to recent years.

At the age of ten, his mother’s ex-boyfriend left behind a guitar and the boy who would become Moby began to learn to play. At around the same time, an uncle who was a photographer for the _New York Times_ gave him his first Nikon. Having successfully pursued music, Moby felt somewhat intimidated by the idea he might be thought of as a dilettante should he dare to make his photos available to the public.

“It was more than just feeling like I couldn’t live up to my uncle’s work,” Moby elaborated. “It’s the long strange history of musicians trying to be visual artists. If we’re being honest, most instances when a musician tries to be a visual artist, it doesn’t work out very well. I’m sure you’ve had that experience where you look at a musician’s visual art and it’s oftentimes kind of disappointing. I was assuming that if I finally tried to do something as a visual artist I would fall into that category.”

Only recently having moved to Los Angeles after being a certified New Yorker for most of his life, the multifaceted artist freely admits his new surroundings seriously influenced these ideas.

“When you’re in New York or you’re in Paris or you’re in London or you’re in Milan, you really feel like they’re solid established cities that were formed by smart successful people and they’ve been around for a while and they will continue to be around for a while,” he expounded on the idea.

“Then, you come to L.A. and it seems like a dysfunctional Petri dish. So much interesting art comes out of here because in a way L.A. is one of these cracked dysfunctional edge cities. There’s this pervasive strangeness and in my own weird way I saw that as being kind of apocalyptic, like representing the crumbling of the old and the replacement with the new. So I started simply looking at the world around me and looking for evidence that the apocalypse was happening.”

If there were ever to be a soundtrack for the end of the world, Innocents would be a worthy frontrunner with the photo accompaniments serving as sort of a visual guide for what the world looks like beneath the mask of normalcy.

This serves to remind one that even the most silver of linings is but a brightly colored frock for the dark cloud that spawned it.

UNITE BUSINESS | 39

REVIEW film

WHAT'S THE T? reviewed by Jesse Walker

The women of “What’s the T” with filmmaker Cecilio Asuncion

What “Paris is Burning” was to drag balls - “What’s the T?” is to transgender life – a documentary that explores the challenges, successes and lives of five transgender women; a multi-character study and an introduction to the uninitiated.

“To understand the ladies of “What’s the T?” is to love them,” says San Francis-

40 | UNITE BUSINESS

co-based filmmaker, Cecilio Asuncion, recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Filipino-American award for LGBT advocacy.

It is thanks to Asuncion’s unique, tender and intimate friendships with the film’s subjects that allows “What’s the T?” – structured around a series of Asuncion’s conversations with The Ladies – to be such a frank, engaging and memorable film.

The film is not only a lovingly crafted and empathetically handled documentary, but also a vivid snapshot of transgender life as it exists today– the terminology, the social realities, the successes and the heartbreak.

Over the last couple years, transgender characters and themes have jumped into mainstream consciousness, particularly through television and video-on-demand dramas

like Netflix’ “Orange is the New Black” and Amazon’s “Transparent”.

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Most recently and – perhaps most dramatically – “Orange is the New Black” star Laverne Cox, became the first trans person ever to be on the cover of TIME Magazine. The exposure, discussion and timing of this welcome trans awareness has been both prescient and fortuitous for the release of “What’s The T?” by Eye Film Releasing and Kinonation.

“What’s the T?” was an official selection at over ten major LGBT film festivals worldwide including: Frameline, 37 San Francisco, Rio Gay Film Festival, Transgender Kiel Germany, as well as the Portland, Pensacola, and the Soho International Film Festivals. Additionally, “What’s the T?” won the festival favorite award at Cinema Diverse Palm Springs and is widely considered the best film of its kind to hit the festival circuit in years.

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“What’s the T?” was featured prominently in this year’s San Francisco Gay Pride Parade in concert with its world premiere on Hulu.

The Ladies are: Cassandra Cass: One of the most recognizable transgender women today with appearances in “Transtasia” (2006), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and “The Tyra Banks Show.”

Nya Ampon: A well-known dancer and performer at AsiaSF, one of San Francisco’s hottest bars and performance venues.

Rakash Armani: A former member of the “House of St. Clair” a top competing house in the underground ball scene, Rakash says she has 3 jobs, she is a nurse, works at a rehab facility and…being Armani.

Mia Tu Much: An LGBT advocate whose social work with LYRIC and the San Francisco Youth Commission has placed her on the prestigious Trans100 List, 2014.

Vi Le: A student who, after overcoming considerable adversity, is currently finishing her undergraduate degree in biology, and will appear in the upcoming Tyra Banks produced docu-series on VH1, “Transamerica.”

Please visit www.whatsthetfilm.com for more information.

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UNITE BUSINESS | 43

Z zen

The Art of Reframing

by Brian Hooper, M.Div., Psy.D.

Wroclam Contemporary Museum

What you create today will be on display tomorrow.

Take time to be really present in the presence of whoever or whatever occupies you.

44 | UNITE BUSINESS

photo by Easton Combs

Museum curators have evolved from their role of collecting, preserving, and rotating art to being interpreters of what is shared. They do this by framing in various ways—from actual frames to display formats and annotations that provide context. In so doing, even odd objects can become powerful artifacts that provide wonder, challenge, encouragement, or comfort to those who engage the exhibit. Curators are no longer simply keepers of the past, they are artists in their own right who make connections between past, present, and future.

For those interested in living an artful life, a life in which the experiences of yesterday are curated (cared for) to provide thoughtful and soulful reflection today, a lesson can be learned from those who care for modern museums. Here are some thoughts: Make your frames a conscious choice. We cannot return to former glory days or to our pasts to make repairs. However, the past can help explain our present experience

and provide wisdom as we step into our future.

To focus on the past alone is to miss the present and lose the future. In what time frame are you living? How does your past frame your present?

And might your present provide a frame that changes the meaning of the picture of your past?

Reframe as needed. As a curator of souls (that thin place in everyone where spirit and body meet), I see again and again people placing frames of interpretation around the words and actions of others that are not necessarily accurate and usually not helpful for the person doing the observation. The odd thing is, these frames just keep the observer so fixated that nothing else can be seen. What we observe in the words and behaviors of others is ultimately about them.

Keep that frame in mind when it feels like it is all about you.

Take a self-guided tour. What is the meaning of the artifacts that you surround yourself with today? Are they truly expressions of who you are?

Or, do they simply lend you an image of what you would like others to see? And if the latter is your answer, then maybe a thoughtful inventory of your personal archive is in order.

Pace yourself. What you create today will be on display tomorrow. Take time to be really present in the presence of whoever or whatever occupies you—notice the texture of what you are feeing, the energy of what you are thinking, the radiance of what you are imagining. The museum of memories we are filling is an interactive place.

You can best choose tomorrow’s content by being awake and intentional in your actions today.

We’ve all been in homes where the art was clearly chosen to match the sofa. And both may have been ordered from the same page of a catalog.

Artful living has nothing to do with such a formulaic approach. Rather, it requires each of us to own our role as the artists of our own lives.

Artful living requires a disciplined eye that observes both world and self, an eye well rested and longing to see life from a fresh perspective each day. And it is this eye that reframes everything.

Brian Hooper, M.Div., Psy.D. is a licensed pastoral psychotherapist. He invites you to visit his website www.drbrianhooper.com.

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D dining

In the Kitchen

WITH CHEF JOSHUA SIMPSON

photo courtesy of Chef Joshua Simpson

BACON-INFUSED GOAT CHEESEBURGER (makes 4 burgers) Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

2 pounds ground chuck 1/2 pound Benton bacon Goat cheese Arugula Grilled zucchini Grilled squash Thick sliced tomatoes Asiago cheese roll Twisted Fig’s Savor Dust # 1 seasoning (or your favorite beef seasoning) • Salt and black pepper Chef ’s note: Placing the bacon in the freezer for an hour before grinding will make grinding easier.

46 | UNITE BUSINESS

In a food processor or a meat grinder, grind the bacon until it’s the same consistency as the ground beef.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, bacon, savor dust, salt and pepper. Divide into 4 equal parts and shape into round patties (patties should be at least an inch larger than the bun.)

Place the burgers on a hot grill and cook to desired temperature.

As the burgers are grilling add your squash and zucchini and cook them along with the burgers. During the last minute of cooking, butter your rolls and place on the grill to warm the buns and add grill marks. Place a few chunks of goat cheese on top of the burgers and let melt slightly.

Stack your goat cheeseburger with the grilled zucchini, squash, arugula, and tomatoes on the warmed asiago roll and garnish with your favorite side items for the perfect summer burger.

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6901 Rockledge Drive, Suite 800 Bethesda, MD 20817 www.tolerfinancialgroup.com ftoler@tolerfinancialgroup.com Office: 301-214-6120 Fax: 202-379-1703

frances Toler MSfS, cAp® , registered representative offering securities through nYLifE Securities LLc, Member finrA/Sipc, a Licensed insurance Agency, 301-214-6600. in this regard, this communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the states of cA, co, Dc, fL, MD, nM, nY, pA, uT, VA, and WA. no offers may be made or accepted from any resident outside the specific states referenced. frances Toler MSfS, cAp® is also separately registered as an investment adviser representative under Eagle Strategies LLc, a registered investment Adviser, offering advisory services in the states of cA, co, Dc, fL, MD, nM, nY, pA, uT & VA. As such, these services are strictly intended for individuals residing in the states indicated. frances Toler, MSfS, cAp® is an agent licensed to sell insurance through new York Life insurance company in the states of MD, Dc, VA, fL, pA, nM & uT. no insurance business may be conducted outside these states referenced.