So You Think Diversity Isn't Profitable? Think Again

What if your business could be a force for inclusivity, equality, and economic growth—all at the same time? Whether you’re a business owner, an ally, or simply curious about how diversity drives success, you'll want to learn about the inspiring work of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. From combating discriminatory legislation to fostering partnerships between small businesses and major corporations, the Chamber proves that advocacy and economic opportunity go hand in hand. This conversation with the Chamber's founder Jason Rae reveals how collaboration and diversity can transform communities in ways you never imagined.

National LGBT Chamber: https://nglcc.org/
Wisconsin LGBT Chamber: https://wislgbtchamber.com/

Transcript

I said, "I'd love to find an LGBTQ or allied realer to find a new space, a bank to do lending, a marketing firm to rebrand." He's like, "I've got a growth plan, but I want to do business with those that share my values. Where do I go?

Welcome to Trandescendant. I'm Joe and I'm the dad.

And I'm Rya and I'm the daughter.

We're going to be talking about the Chamber of Congress. What do you know about chambers, Rya?

I know that chambers have been a part of every community that I've ever lived in, have been a really important part of the community and have helped to make sure that things are going well in the community. But this is not just any chamber of commerce, is it?

No, it certainly isn't. And you're going to hear a whole lot more about it right after this.

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We are here with Jason Rae. He is the president and CEO of the Wisconsin LGBTQ Chamber. Welcome, Jason.

Well, thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here.

You were the spark plug for this entire organization. Is that correct?

Yeah, it was an idea that I along with a few others came up with a little over probably 12 or 13 years ago now. And to think back and to see what has changed, what impact has been, the need, and how the need has continued to evolve has been really fascinating to see over the last decade or so.

For somebody that doesn't know what the LGBTQ Chamber is, give us an idea.

Yeah. So, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber, we are a statewide business organization. We are currently more than 700 LGBTQ and allied-owned businesses from across Wisconsin who all really, you know, share a vision of a a more welcoming and inclusive state. And we really view our purpose and our objective is to say, how can we help support the growth and development of those LGBTQ and allied owned businesses. And we do that in a number of different ways through our programs, through our events, through the services that we provide, all with that intentional focus of saying, you know, what impact can we have to really make Wisconsin a place where people want to work, to have a business, where they want to raise a family, where they want to play, where they want to spend their money. You know, when we started in particular, it was really around can we change hearts and minds through the pocketbook? Can we help show the impact that LGBTQ businesses are having in local communities across Wisconsin. And this was pre-marriage equality. This was back before many of the rights that we are seeing now that have happened and and really saying how can we really help impact the movement for equality in Wisconsin. They're talking about the people that you actually know on the street.

Great. That's exactly the kind of thing that I think if somebody was going to hear of an LGBTQ chamber, this is where I think they'd define it. Don't you?

You know, I think so. And you know, we look back at when we started and part of the rationale for it was really looking at there were great groups in Wisconsin in particular doing fantastic work around charitable giving to the LGBTQ community. There were great pride organizations who were planning annual festival. There were groups doing the political advocacy work and really importantly doing the healthcare advocacy work and healthy care work as well. But we really saw a void and a gap when it came to that economic lens and saying well who's really helping drive and support queer business owners to be successful in their communities to give the support and resources that they need. And I think that's really important. You know, we do a number of programs and services at the chamber and I'm always just reminded through each of them that, you know, we are a community that wants to support and uplift one another that we want to come together. We want to feel connected and that really drives the work that we are doing each and every day through our team to really make that impact to have that positive impact. Say how are we bringing people together and by bringing people together. How are we creating change? Whether that's through a networking event that we plan, we do coffee connection, just free morning networking events all around Wisconsin. Once a month, we do an evening out afterwork networking happy hour. We do lunch-and-learn workshops virtually and in person. We run a number of different programs, whether they're things like our entrepreneur boot camp or things for corporate LGBTQ employee resource groups. But really everything is really kind of around that lens of saying how is this having that deeper impact of bringing people together to feeling connected to feeling a part of something larger that can really make a difference.

One of the things that surprised me is that we ourselves are members of the chamber. We joined it just this last year and when we first joined I saw the list of people coming in and I was amazed at how diverse it is and how varied and how large. I noticed There are very small one-man businesses, one-woman businesses, those types of things. And there are huge corporations that are members as well. So, it casts a wide net.

It really does, Joe. And I think you're you're absolutely right there. And that's part of what we try to do is offering programs and services that will cater to a wide variety. Whether you are what I like to call our mom-n-mom or pop-n-pop businesses, those LGBTQ owned small businesses out there on Main Street, or you're a large, you know, Fortune 100 company who has LGBTQ employees that you want to retain in your workforce because you know we're living in a global economy and they go anywhere. So we really work to say how can we do provide something for everyone.

What I'm hearing from you is that then it's not just things to promote the businesses themselves but really you're also looking for ways to actually do advocacy work then as well. You mentioned when you first talked about the chamber that you wanted to do that through the marketplace. as well. Would you talk a little bit about some of how the chamber does advocacy?

Well, we really work to be that business voice for the LGBTQ community and an example and it's one that, you know, really troubles me to have to talk about, but knowing, you know, the amount of attacks and legislation that we've seen, for example, on, you know, the trans community that's been introduced in the state legislature. We've come out forcefully against that and have written letters to the legislature, worked with the governor's office and others to fight back on this legislation to talk about the negative impact that it has one on business and bringing businesses to Wisconsin. It has the negative impact that it has on individuals wanting to move to Wisconsin to work for a corporation or a business here. The impact it might the negative impact it might have on someone who wants to start a business who's a small business owner saying I can move anywhere in the world right now. Where do I want to go? And so that's just one example for us of really trying to say how do we make Wisconsin that welcoming and inclusive space by fighting for pro-fairness legislation that will actually make us a hot spot where people want to come, where they want to live, where they want to do business. And I think especially right now when you look across the geographic footprint of the Midwest and you see the progress made in Minnesota or Illinois or other states in our region, we want to bring people here. Let's have businesses who are contributing to our tax base, who are employing our people, who are employing members of our community so that we can really show our strength through economics that way.

Do you have any stories that stick out to you of things that you remember that you've done.

When I think about the chamber and some of the the work that we've been able to do, we've had a number of unique programs that have really left a really positive impact. And I think back to actually when we first launched as an organization about 12 years ago, you know, we started as a just a pure networking group. I graduated from Marquette University and a number of my fellow alumni started moving away from Wisconsin saying, "I can't be an out professional in this state. I need to go to Chicago. I need to go to New York. I need to go to LA. that Wisconsin isn't a welcoming and inclusive spot. And I didn't believe that was the case. But I also didn't know how to connect with folks on a business level. Sure, you could go to a gay bar or a drag show and maybe, but I'm not exchanging a business card in that environment. I'm not talking about what I do professionally there. So, a friend and I organized at the time what we called a Young LGBT professionals of Milwaukee networking group. We actually just made a Facebook event. We put it out and said, "Let's see if anybody shows up at the first event." And We had 40 individuals who came to that first event from a variety of industries backgrounds, whether they were small business owners, community leaders, nonprofit executives, attorneys, doctors, a whole spectrum of folks. And they came back the next month and the next month and about a month in, about a year in, excuse me, we started saying, "Well, is this just me planning a happy hour or is there something substantive we could do?" And what really stood out and still stands out as the conversation was that individual said, "Look, I've got a business plan. I'm an LGBTQ business owner. I've got eight employees right now. And he said, "Look, it may not seem like a lot to many around this table, but I can double to 16 employees in the next probably 3 to 5 years, but I can't do it in my current space." So, he said, "I'd love to find an LGBTQ or allied realer to find a new space, a bank to do lending, a marketing firm to rebrand." He's like, "I've got a growth plan, but I want to do business with those that share my values. Where do I go?" And I quickly said, "Well, I'm sure there's some group who's doing kind of this work. Let me find it. Let's keep going with the meeting." And quickly realized afterwards there wasn't.

And the story that's part of that that stuck out to me that still resonates and I still hear every day is we probably get a few requests every week at the chamber just with people sending an email to our info account or making a phone call and saying, "Hey, I I want to find a business to support that I can support. I want to do business with those that share my values. I want to do business with the community." That's not top of we've got an online business directory which gets several thousand searches a month right now. But it's really those personal stories hearing from members of the community who say look I got a choice where I want to spend my hard-earned dollar and I want to do it with others who share my values. I don't want to just give it to anybody. So that's that's one story that really stands out to me.

The other is a program we launched about four years ago and we launched an entrepreneur boot camp and this was a series we did really to help LGBTQ individuals get the skills and resources that they need to form and start their own business. So, it was a whole training program with two days on what maybe legal structure do you need, how do you get funding, how do you do marketing, how do you do ideation, really kind of the bare bones. And what I loved most about it was we had a room of probably 20 individuals at our first cohort of that. When they left, they didn't leave saying not only did did I get some important knowledge and did I hear from some great speakers and I have some things I need to go investigate to get my business going. But they left with the support of each other and that they stayed in touch with each other and as they went through their entrepreneur journey, we know just you know how hard being an entrepreneur is out of the gate. Being a small business owner is probably one of the toughest things that there is to do and doing it as a member of the LGBTQ community can feel isolating sometimes. And here we had a group of aspiring entrepreneurs who said, "Now I've got people I can turn to as I go through this journey. I'm not alone. As I do this work, I've got people that I can turn to to say, hey, it's really tough. Can you give me some advice? Can I lean on you for support? Can I be part of this?"

And we've now done probably four or five cohorts around the state of our entrepreneur boot camp and have three or four planned already for 2025 in different parts of Wisconsin to really help continue that momentum to say, "How do we support each other. How do we help people who have a vision and a dream, set out and accomplish that dream?

That's one of my favorite parts is seeing those individuals then launch their business, start, grow their business, get a call from them saying, "I got my first contract or I signed my first client. I've been able to do this work." That just brings me hope and joy uh every single day, when I get to think about those stories and the success that we're having with businesses.



We can identify with that. Rya and I owned our own business for 25 years. I retired eight years ago or so, I always felt that it was important for us to have some kind of a support group as well. One of the things that happened when we decided to start this podcast, which is my kind of retirement hobby, although there's a lot more to it than that, it is certainly our future. I did get a grant from the Veterans Administration because I was a veteran. I was in the military for three years. One of the things that was required in order for me to get the grant was that I had to go through some training that was offered. We told them we were going to start a podcast about the LGBTQ community and allies as well. And the first thing they said to me was, "Did you know that there's a statewide organization?" No, I didn't. And that was wonderful. So that's how we heard about the LGBTQ chamber

Doing this work day in and day out. I would love to say that everyone knows about us, but sometimes we're our own work. enemies and our own best kept secret because we are so just focused on wanting to do the work for the community helping business owners that we forget sometimes to I don't want to say brag on ourselves but to our own horn sometimes and say like hey we're here you know let us help you because we get so into just doing the important work that needs to get done because there's so much out there we're loving this work and loving to get to meet new folks and just having seen the chamber itself grow over these this last decade I'm really excited for where we get to even take it going forward What would you say to somebody that has been working for a company and has wanted to step out on their own but is worried about it, fearful about it, wondering, do I have what it takes?


Is there a certain personality that you've found for people that are running their own businesses in the chamber that tend to be successful or is there any advice that you can give to folks that are in that situation?

Coming out of COVID in particular, we had a number of individuals who reached out to the chamber who said, "Look, I'm sick of my corporate job. I love my company, but now's the time. You know, I've been working from home and now I want to go do something. Now's the time to follow my dreams and do the passion." And I don't know that there's a personality type because I've seen entrepreneurs who are introverts and I've seen entrepreneurs who are extroverts. I've seen entrepreneurs who can work a room and others who just like to sit behind the screen and do the important work that they want to do and get it done. I think the biggest thing that I can see is having that vision and that drive. I think the most important part is is knowing that especially when you're starting a business. It's not a 40-hour a week job. It's going to take extra time. It's going to take effort. It's going to take a while to get it going. But believing in yourself and being willing to give everything that extra 110% that is needed, I think is a big thing. So whether you are gregarious or quiet, whether you have a huge network of people or you are just learning to build your network, the belief in yourself is I think the most important piece because there is a whole community of entrepreneurs and others out there who want to support you, who want to be engaged with you, who want to see you be successful in this, and that we're here to help connect with those folks and help to support in that effort.

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I'm Chuck Reynolds, and I started listening to Transescendant because Joe is my friend. I keep listening because I have friends, colleagues, and family members who are part of the LGBTQ community and I want to better understand their struggles and perspectives. I have become a supporter because I believe Joe and Ryer are truly helping to preserve relationships and save lives. Join me in supporting Transescendant. Just go to transcendentit.com, click on support, and select the amount you'd like to give each month. It can be as little as $3, and you can cancel at any time. I happen to read a letter from the chamber a couple of days ago talking about the accomplishments that have happened in the last year and a little bit about the vision of what's happening in 2025. Is there something that's happened in 2024 or 2023 that stands out as something new and exciting that you've added to the chamber benefits or to the chamber itself?

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Yeah, you know, there's we we've worked really a lot over the past two years to really expand our offerings to help even more businesses across Wisconsin. I think one of the things I want to just give a shout out to is Governor Evers. We were able as a chamber to get a grant from the governor through his American Rescue Plan Act. Actually, all of the diverse chambers in the state went in together to say, you know, governor, as you're allocating your discretionary funding for business recovery after COVID, it would be fantastic if you helped support the diverse business community. And we thought as a collective of all these diverse chambers, African-American Chamber, Hmong Chamber, American Indian, others, that we would perhaps get a couple million set aside. Well, the governor ended up setting aside over hund00 million for diverse business recovery.

Wow.

And he did because he believed in it, and we were able to with our grant that we were received able to add eight new staff members to our organization. So, we went from two full-time equivalents to 10 staff across the state. So, we've got someone based in Wausau, someone based in Appleton, someone based in Madison, Milwaukee to help do outreach around the state so we can do more events and really serve the community. We were able to add a specific BIPOC and trans program manager to do specific work for, you know, people of color and to support our trans business owners so that they could feel special support and do programs that would help them build connections and resources together.

Wonderful. For somebody that doesn't know that acronym, BIPOC, would you say what is that acronym?

Great question. It is Black, Indigenous, People of Color. So really focused on what we looked at with this position was really saying some of our most marginalized groups within the LGBTQ community. How can we as an organization give our black, indigenous, people of color and our trans community just that extra support, those extra resources, those extra tools and connected opportunities to really support their business development because they are often the ones facing the most attack, the most discrimination out there. And if we can do our little part to say, how can we help trans business owners in Wisconsin get that opportunity to be successful? We want to help them on that journey. We want people to feel supported and connected to our work that way. And it's something I've been really proud of. And as we talk about, you know, successes from 2023, 2024, being able to expand our staff and do that, we've been able to have way more events we ever imagined, have more impact on our businesses, reach more businesses. The only downfall with this is the funding for those positions is grant funded and does run out for us in later 2025. So, you know, we're working as a team right now to raise the revenue and resources to keep those folks employed so that we can continue having that impact. You know, we are actually one of the the largest LGBT chambers in the country at the moment. We want to stay that way and get to have the impact that we're having.

When you started, were there a lot of other statewide LGBTQ chambers or were you one of the first?

It varies a little bit. I would say when we launched there are probably about 50 other LGBTQ chambers across the country, but not many were statewide. Many were really city specific. So some of our two of our oldest, for example, the Golden Gate Business Association in San Francisco is the oldest LGBT chamber in the country. They've been they just celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. The Greater Seattle Business Association, Washington State's LGBTQ chambered is also one of the other older ones. We've got a lot of older city specific chambers kind of on the west coast where LGBTQ inclusion was a thing years ago. What we really saw is kind of the the two coastal areas were where most of the chambers were located. Many were city-specific. But what we've really seen in the last probably decade is the number of LGBTQ chambers throughout both the Midwest and the central part of the country as well as the south actually really grow and rise. And I think that's because it's where people really see an opportunity to really help make a difference in their community. After we launched, there was one that launched in Iowa. There was one that launched in Louisville, Kentucky, one that launched in Houston, Texas shortly after us. So, some of those mid part of this country here who are really saying and they're all doing Kansas City launched right before we did. And they're all remarkable chambers doing phenomenal work and having really deep impact. Right now, there are about 55 LGBT chambers across the country. When we started a decade ago. Many were really focused on just networking events and really doing kind of that networking side of bringing people together. And that's an important part of business development is making connections. But we really I've really seen the shift in the last decade from those chambers just doing networking to saying how are we doing business education, business development, how are we supporting the entrepreneurs to get the skills that they need to now even more doing advocacy work and saying how in these places are we being the business voice for the LGBTQ community and standing up and working for equality within our community and making a positive impact that way.

Can you give an example of some of the businesses that make up the chamber?

Yeah, we've got a wide variety. I wish I could say there was a typical one, but you know, we range everything from a large number of our businesses are just solo entrepreneurs, so only you  are really doing the work or just one individual who's out there whether they're an attorney, a chiropractor to a graphic design designer to a

podcaster

podcaster um you name it like that we've got a bunch like that we've got a bunch of larger entities as well to a bunch of Fortune 100 companies like BMO, US Bank, Molson Coors, so really kind of everything and what what I love about it is it really spans the spectrum of type of industry I like to tell people everyone assumed oh so you must all be caterers and florists and event planners and that must be who your membership is and I'm like oh no we've got you know an auto of dealer, we've got a mechanic, we've got this, you've got everything. And like what I like to say is if it's a product or service, I can guarantee you there's an LGBTQ person doing that somewhere in this state that we can help connect you with. That our community is not in just one industry in one silo. That the LGBTQ community is a diverse community that can do everything and that folks can find businesses that they can support who are either LGBTQ owned or allied owned, who employ LGBTQ employees or just allies themselves who just want to say equality is the right thing in business.

That's terrific. And it continues to grow.

It's true. We continue to grow as a chamber year over year. And you know, I remember on our our one-year anniversary, we hit a hundred members. On our two-year anniversary, we had 200. And we've continued to grow uh ever since. I'll be honest, when we launched, I made a logo on free logo maker. I made a website, pretty cheap, ugly website. If I could still see today, I would probably cringe. Put it out and put a press release out and said, "Let's just see what happens." And that day, we had three businesses join the chamber. One of them is still in business today, is still a member of the chamber, you know, 12 years later, still active and participating. And we continue to see new businesses joining on a weekly basis. We see new individuals showing up and engaging at events. We see new people coming through our programs. I'm just really excited for the reach that we're able to have, but hopefully the reach that we can continue to have because there's so much more work yet to do. as we work towards a truly welcoming and inclusive business community for all people. And we know what the studies show, what's out there. We know how hard it is to be out at work. We know how hard it is to be an entrepreneur. So, we are just we're committed to doing everything we can to help make sure going forward that LGBT individuals can feel supported, connected, and have the tools and resources that they need to either grow their business or grow their career one way or another.

If I'm somewhere and I'm interested, I'd like to find the chamber near me. Where do I go to find that?

All of the LGBT chambers in the country are an affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. So, we all work. So, there's a national entity that works to help support and connect all of the 55 LGBT chambers across the country. So, they can go to called nglcc.org. nglcc.org. And there's a a list of all the affiliates by state. So, if you can find one in your community, I definitely would encourage you to find one. And if there isn't one in your community and you look at that and saying, "Well, I want to be a part of starting one." Reach out to the NGLCC. Their affiliate relations team is always happy to help individuals talk around what might it take to start an organization to have that impact and really grow. And we they've added a few new affiliates in places like Boise, Idaho, for example, launched earlier this year as an affiliate for them. So, there's great resources and tools that they have to really say, how can we have a bigger impact nationally or frankly for NGLCC? While while they have national in the name, They've got international affiliates as well across the globe who are also trying to build equality in all parts of this world.

Have you experienced any push back at all from politicians or other organizations that might be spreading false information that kind of thing or has it been relatively free of that?

Over our lifetime of the chamber we have faced push back from individuals on a variety of issues. Sometimes n from folks who say oh chamber of commerce that must be conservative. All those chambers are out there conservative entities. No, no, no. Let us talk about our values. You know, let us reclaim what this means. We're going to promote a proequality, pro- fairness type of business community where everyone can be their authentic selves. So, we've faced some of that push back from some folks, from others. We have faced push back as well when it comes to us supporting legislation. You know, an example that comes to my mind is a few years ago, we fought against a piece of legislation that would have not allowed local municipalities in Wisconsin to pass their own non-discrimination ordinances which number of places were doing to protect both on sexual orientation and gender identity in local communities. And we fought back against some big businesses in that who thought that this bill would be good for the state. And we took on a different opinion and saying no, local communities need to be at the forefront of fighting for equality for their community, for their citizens. And in fact, we should have a statewide bill that does this. One of the things that we are able to do as an affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber is help businesses that are 51% or more LGBT owned get certified as an LGBT business enterprise and that opens them up to corporate contracting opportunities and other uh opportunities. In Wisconsin, we don't have any entities on a government level that accept that yet. We have worked with the governor in the past to get that as a part of the state budget. He has included expanding the state supplier diversity program in the state budget. It has never made it through the legislature, but we're hopeful at some point we they'll be able to get that through and really be able to open up procurement opportunities for LGBTQ-owned businesses and government contracting opportunities to help give them opportunities. Is is the government spending taxpayer dollars? Let's make sure they're also spending those hard-earned taxpayer dollars with LGBTQ-owned businesses and making sure they're included that way as well because we are a part of the fabric of this business community in Wisconsin.

If I wanted to join the chamber, I'm I'm listening right now and I've never heard of this before and I think this sounds great. What is required? Do I have to identify in a particular way or is there a process where I have to prove that I'm part of the LGBTQ community or how does the chamber navigate that? Is it enough to just say or I'm an ally or I'm LGBT-adjacent?


For us, when we look at it, what we want in a member is someone who shares our values, someone who believes in LGBTQ inclusion, who believes in supporting the LGBTQ community, and we will welcome all individuals, all businesses who share that mindset about building a pro- fairness, pro-inclusion community that really wants to support the LGBTQ community. Whether you are an ally, whether you're an LGBTQ owned business, or whether you are still navigating your own journey, we have some businesses who have been members of us for a number of years who just recently, one individual, I won't name them specifically, but just came out to us and they've been a member for a number of years and primarily identified as an ally, but said you know, I've been navigating my own journey, my own identity, and I'm now coming out as a member of the queer community and and telling us that. So, we are welcoming of all individuals who share that common commitment to saying for us as the Wisconsin chamber, we want to make Wisconsin the best place for LGBTQ individuals. So, whether you are an ally, whether you are a member of the community, whether you're on your own journey, we welcome you to be a part of that work with us.

And somebody's listening right now and thinking, you know, I'm struggling right now. I've got a small business I'm trying to make a go of it. Boy, that sounds really good. But when the bottom line is so tight right now to begin with, boy, I just don't know. What would you say to that person?

What I would say is that we get requests at the chamber, whether it's through our business directory, which is an online resource, whether it's direct outreach to the chamber every day with folks saying, "I'm trying to find someone who does X, Y, or Z." And we've got members of the community. We've got allies who are actively going out I know for example myself when I'm thinking where am I going to go shop? Where am I going to go out to eat? Where am I going to spend? If I'm traveling somewhere in Wisconsin, what small business can I visit? I go to our online directory. I search and say who's there and I go and try to spend my money with there. That's one thing I would say to them. The other thing I would say is while it is an investment in resources, it's also an investment in the future of our state. It's an investment in saying how are we helping make sure that Wisconsin itself can be a place where LGBTQ owned businesses can thrive, can be successful, can feel supported, where we can make Wisconsin in that top tier of places where LGBTQ people want to live. And that it's an investment in not just your own direct business and your own bottom line, but it's a it's a values investment in saying, what can we do to make this a better space for all people to be successful, who share our values, who want to make this an inclusive community.

Wonderful. Jason, what have we not asked you that's important that people know.

Well, you know, we're a decade old. I'm I'm excited for what the next decade can bring to the chamber as well. And in we're constantly working to bring new programs and services that will impact members. So, as folks are thinking and and learning about us, if they're reaching out and saying, "Hey, I've got an idea." We want to hear from folks. We want to be responsive to the business community as well because when we are working together, that's when we can drive the most impact. I'm really proud of the work that we have been able to do thus far. I'm I'm really proud of my team. Well, I may be the founder and CEO of this organization. Absolutely nothing that I've been able to do would be possible without two groups of people. First, my phenomenal staff who are leading the work on the ground throughout the state day in and day out. Not only just organizing events, but providing technical assistance and trainings to businesses to helping navigate complex situations or helping businesses launch or grow or answer the questions that they have. And then the other group being our members ourselves. None of it would be able to do without the support of our members who are committed to the work that we are doing, who are helping us grow our organization and having that impact across Wisconsin that I think is having ripple effects not only in our state but across the country and being loud about we want to let people bring their authentic self to work. We want everyone to be able to be themselves, to be themselves in business, to feel supported, to feel connected. So again, None of it would be possible without my my amazing team and of course that our members.

There are so many different universes out there that are addressing issues right now in the LGBTQ community such as the military or religion and people are making gains toward more and more equality which is wonderful. This is the business voice which is terrific. It gives everyone an opportunity to share with one another and to bring about ideas that are going to help everyone change and move toward a better future.

That's our goal. That's what we're going to keep doing each and every day.

Works for me. And what do we do each and every day, Rya?

Well, maybe not each and every day, but each and every week we have a podcast. We're grateful to have you coming back here week after week, every Monday morning to listen to this podcast. We are your voice of positivity. Boy, Jason, we're so grateful to have you here and I think people have really gotten a lot from hearing you here. So, thank you so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

And we'd love to have you back again sometime and I think there's a lot more that we could talk about and I'll be interested to know where you're going from here. And with that, we'll see you Monday. And with that, Yeah, we'll see you Monday. See you Monday.

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Oh, we've got the delay, don't we? Let's do that again.