St. Pete Standard

Ahead of this year's Pride Month, The Greenhouse, in partnership with the City of St. Petersburg's Office of Equity, will host a panel discussion on Wednesday, May 29, from 3-5 p.m. to assist current St. Pete business owners in growing their businesses within the LGBTQ+ community.

Facilitated by Carl Lavender, the City’s Interim Chief Equity Officer, this panel discussion will be held at The Greenhouse (440 2nd Ave. N). The event aims to educate local business owners on effectively welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ community. Topics for discussion include:

- How do you grow your business within the LGBTQ+ community?

- How can we be supportive of the LGBTQ+ business community?

- How do you reach micro-communities within the LGBTQ+ community?

- How can your company policies impact the LGBTQ+ community?

- How do you visually represent and market to the LGBTQ+ community?

Panelists will offer their assessments of the current landscape of local businesses in the St. Pete area. Speakers will include Rene Cantu (Vice President, LGBT Chamber), Rachel Covello (Owner, OutCoast), Danny Garcia (Director of Sales and Marketing, Watermark), Dr. Byron Green-Calisch (President, St. Pete Pride), and Jane Haskell (LGBTQ Community Support Counselor, Empath Health).

Interested business owners can find more information and register for this free event at stpetegreenhouse.com/events.