ORLANDO, Fla. — Being a business owner always comes with many challenges. Add being LGBTQ+ to the mix, and it could be even more challenging.
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Now one local organization right here in Central Florida is hoping to ease the burden and create a network of LGBTQ+ companies and allies who are empowering one another.
“What the Chambers do are really helped me build the connections between either to different small business owners, or potentially corporate customers,” said David Ricciardi, CEO of Proximo, a data processing company based in Orlando and that’s a member of the Pride Chamber.
David’s career in the tech world started in the 80s, but it wasn’t until the late 90s that he opened his own company.
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“Like a lot of entrepreneurs, you figure I’m doing something for somebody else; I can do it for myself. And that was, you know, pretty much how Proximo started,” said Ricciardi.
Founded more than 30 years ago, the Pride Chamber connects hundreds of Central Florida businesses - in the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
“We are here to help promote and grow businesses, financial help, business planning, and things like that,” said Vinnie Silber with the Pride Chamber.
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Many of those businesses look for the organization to connect with other businesses, learn from them, share resources, and create partnerships.
“Our members need to understand that we’re here to support them. And we’re kind of a family. And that’s what a family does, right? We support each other and bring each other up,” said Silber.
The family-like support was essential for Steffen Brandt, a business owner who moved to Central Florida from Germany to open his fitness studio in Winter Park.
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“Opening a business, opening the first studio of this kind in the United States, is kind of like a cool thing. But it also sucks because nobody knows what you’re doing,” said Brandt, owner of StreetBody Winter Park. “The Pride Chamber meetings, for me, check two boxes. One that I go back to friends, it’s like meeting friends once a week. But also, I always meet new people that I want to learn about their business and that I can pitch my business.”
When asked about his hope for the LGBTQ+ community in Central Florida, Brandt was optimistic.
“My hope is that people realize how precious this community is, how good this community is for business. And that we are all a valuable part of the whole community,” he said. “My hope is that we all blend it and just be happy together. That’s my hope.”
Join Channel 9′s Faces Of Pride special on June 11th at 8 p.m. as we honor the impacts and contributions made by the LGBTQ+ Community across Central Florida.
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