The Pride Business Alliance
The Pride Business Alliance is a network of LGBTQ+ and Ally owned businesses in Palm Beach County and South Florida. We invite all accepting business/organizations/individuals who are seeking to build relationships with other like-minded people to join.
We host a monthly business mixer at different member establishments throughout the county. Each year, we produce a Compass Pride Directory which lists all of our members in it. This is THE business directory for the LGBTQ+ community in Palm Beach County
For more information, email Compass@CompassLGBTQ.com
Network at Our Monthly Socials
The Compass Pride Business Alliance meets a Wednesday each month (generally the last) at a venue hosted by a Pride Business Alliance member. Monthly Socials provide an opportunity for the LGBTQ community and its allies to network, socialize, and promote business. Bring business cards; light refreshments are provided. Generally 85-120 people attend in person.
The fee is $25 for those who are not yet members of the Pride Business Alliance or active donors to Compass Community Center. For those who are members, the cost is $10.
Host venues are all members of Compass’ Pride Business Alliance. If you are a member who’d like to host a monthly business networking social, please contact Compass’ development team at (561) 533-9699 or email us at Compass@CompassLGBTQ.com.
Upcoming Socials - Registration Required
- September 27 - Kravis Center
- October 25 - Valley Bank on Evernia St WPB
- November 15 - Drive Shack WPB
- December 13 - Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center with the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt LWB
The Pride Business Directory
The Compass Pride Directory is the most comprehensive listing of LGBTQ owned and friendly businesses in Palm Beach County.
The Business Alliance, formed in 2005, was founded with the initial goal of providing the community with a safe directory of resources of caring businesses and individuals.
The mission of the Business Alliance is to promote a unified and thriving, LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ-friendly, business and professional community throughout Palm Beach County.
Our goals are to provide the community with a directory of LGBTQ+ owned and LGBTQ+ friendly businesses and resources, promote networking within the existing LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ-friendly business community, promote Palm Beach County as a year-round LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ-friendly destination, provide resources for our members, and to provide outreach from our community to other organizations.
The Business Alliance meets monthly, typically the last Wednesday, at a member’s business to promote social networking opportunities for existing and new Alliance members. If you would like to know more about the Business Alliance or host a monthly social networking mixer, please contact Compass’ Business Alliance Coordinators at (561) 533-9699 or email us at Compass@CompassLGBTQ.com
Business happens at our Socials! A wonderful architect and commercial realtor who regularly attends the Business Alliance socials had a recent health scare. His doctor instructed him to cancel travel plans for the rest of this year, this gentleman decided to contact a cruise specialist travel agent he met through the socials to start planning trips for 2017. He sent her his “bucket list” of places he wants to see around the world and is anticipating wonderful trips in the future.
A lovely B&B in the Grandview Heights Historic District found a valued new employee during a socials. Another regular attendee met a realtor he wanted to use to help sell his parents’ house, and brought his brother to a socials in order to meet him.
Compass works in collaboration with the State of Florida, Department of Health’s Business Responds to AIDS (BRTA) program in a public/private partnership that promotes the involvement of businesses in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, education, and mobilization.
STOP AIDS: It’s everyone’s business
It is recognized that community business leaders have tremendous influence within their communities. BRTA/LRTA allows health departments to utilize these relationships in their HIV prevention efforts. HIV/AIDS affects us all, but many people are uninformed or misinformed about the nature of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent the spread of the disease. Stigma and silence about the disease helps to fuel the epidemic.
The key to stopping the spread of HIV is to break the silence around the disease. We must begin talking about HIV/AIDS where we live, work, play, and worship. Having conversations about HIV/AIDS allows for opportunities for raising awareness and educating communities on how they can protect themselves from HIV.
As a business leader in your community, you can help start the conversations where people work and play. You have the opportunity to impact the lives of members of your community by simply supporting HIV prevention efforts.
How Does It Work
Merchants located in neighborhoods with high HIV/AIDS prevalence are asked to:
- Display and distribute free HIV/AIDS point-of-purchase materials to their customers. Materials include grocery bags, dry cleaner bags, posters, postcards, beverage sleeves, and window decals.
- Discuss HIV/AIDS awareness with their employees, customers, and peers.
- Encourage other neighborhood businesses to share HIV prevention information with their employees, customers, and peers.
What Can My Business Expect From Participating in the Business Responds to AIDS
If you choose to participate in the Stop AIDS: It’s Everyone’s Business project, you can expect to receive the following:
- Six months free supply of point-of-purchase materials
- Basic HIV/AIDS 101 training for your employees and customers
- Free HIV/AIDS information and resources
- Your business and participation will be highlighted in press releases and newspaper ads
- Recognition as a supporter of STOP AIDS: It’s Everyone’s Business
- Discounted prices on point-of-purchase materials
BRTA can not exist without the support of your business. You provide the direct link to the community. You can help to support the efforts of BRTA by choosing to participate in three ways:
Endorsement
- Business agrees with project goals and signs business commitment letter
- Business agrees to display project logo and print material
Support
- Business agrees with project goals and signs business commitment letter
- Business agrees to display project logo and print material
- Business distributes project materials and point-of-purchase materials
- Business agrees to talk to customers and/or employees about HIV/AIDS
Participation
- Business agrees with project goals and signs business commitment letter
- Business agrees to display project logo and print material
- Business distributes project materials and point-of-purchase materials
- Business agrees to talk to customers and/or employees about HIV/AIDS
- Business participates and/or supports health department sponsored HIV/AIDS events and activities
To stop the spread of HIV in your community your business has the ability to:
- Break the silence around HIV by providing opportunities for education and awareness to employees, their families, and customers
- Help change community perceptions about HIV/AIDS by supporting HIV prevention activities in your community
- Motivate community members to seek HIV testing
- Encourage employees, their family members, and customers to engage in healthy behaviors
- Provide customers a link to HIV prevention programs and testing services within your community
The Founders Club is comprised of the first individuals and businesses to join the Pride Business Alliance. As the driving force of the alliance, each of the following individuals had a vision and understood the importance of forming an alliance of businesses that support, welcome and celebrate the community.
- Captain David R Hazen – Charlie Fredrickson – J Michael Woods
- John Bradley – Mary Moore – Paul J Lesnik, LCSW
- Patricia Kearney – Rita Rosato Pitassi, Esq. – Robert Bytnar
- Robert Pingpank & Richard Nolan – Roland Watt
- Marc Coleman – AAA All Brands Hearing Aid Service
- Grey Tesh – AAA Criminal Defense.com
- Aaron Menitoff – Aaron’s Catering of Wellington
- Erica L Clark – All State Insurance
- Jenniger Schonis – Appraisals By Measure
- Paul M Durbin – Aquarium Services of the Palm Beaches
- Steve Eschenbach – Armory Arts Center
- Connacht Cash – Balancing Act
- Steve Shelby – Bluechip Mortgage Wholesale, LLC
- Rene Wetheimer – Bottom Line accounting and Tax Services
- Alex M Ordonez – Braman Motorcars
- Steve Bardy – CA Vasile & Co
- Leslie Rigg – Can Do Virtual Services
- Adam I Skolnick – Real Estate Title and Escrow
- Harry Nimmergut – Roger Dean Chevrolet
- Maryann Wnukowski – SB Atlantic Communications
- Ron Kauffman – Senior Lifestyle Intelligent Talk Radio
- Jon Chatelain – Services Communications
- James Bonneau – Signature Storage at Monterey
- Mark W Glickman – Simon Wiesenthal Center
- Don Dye – State Farm Insurance Companies
- Palm Beach Mattress & Custom Manufacturing
- Michael Perman – Perlman Agency
- Francine & John Huseman – PGA Galleries
- Bailey Gray – Pixel & Pica Graphic Design
- Paul Polisena – Polisena Photography
- Peter Emmerich – Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast
- Carlos Toro – Carlos Toro Inc
- Earle & James Goodman – Canthus Incorporated
- Rachel B. Needle, Psy. D. – Center for Marital & Sexual Health of S. Florida
- Javaid Iqbal – Century 21 America’s Choice
- Patrick L Carle – Church of The Palms United Church of Christ
- Mitchell Grant – The Closet Edition
- Keith Musbach – Coldwell Banker Real Estate
- Deidre Newton – Community Real Estate
- Lorrie Maurino – Contemporary Visual Arts
- The Cultural Trust of Palm Beaches
- Jannet Bew & Tonya Blewett – Cyberboxoffice.org
- Fred Schott – Deaf Service Center of the Palm Beaches
- Mark Alexander – Duncan Theatre at PBC
- Paul Vattiato – Eagle Vattiato Group at Smith Barney
- Diane and Blair Schrader – EJ Schrader Mattress Company
- Steven E Fisher – Fisher Appraisal Services
- Kent Stribble – Florida Premium Spas
- Sarah Goy – Florida Stage
- Steven Stolman – FoundCare
- Steve Delach – Gee Jay Promotional
- Christopher Simnick – Synergy Franchise Development
- Gail Finger – United American Health Insurance
- Alex Ream – Wachovia
- Dan E Drennen III – Wachovia Trust
- Scott Walkinshaw – Walkinshaw Coaching
- Anton Avilez – Wise Buy Realty
- Peter Wronsky – Wronsky Architect
- Fred S Zrinscak – Zinc Design Services
- Thomas Cahill – Principal Financial Solutions
- Nancy Proffitt – Proffitt Management Solutions
- Joshua Lichtenstein – Rainbow Kids Daycare
- Jackie Branca & Shelly Allen – Gir(L) Magazine
- Robert McLaughlin – The Governors Club of the Palm Beaches
- Rick Rose – Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast
- Kendall Rumsey – The Harriet Himmel Theatre
- Joseph Cortes – Homelife Interiors
- Tony Plakas – HomeRule Strategies
- Vance Oden – Integrity Palm Beach
- Randolph H James – James and Surman, CPA
- Jeremy Moser – Jeremy Moser Solutions
- Michael McKeich – Lake Worth Playhouse
- Trent Steele – Law Offices of Trent Steele
- Sue and Mark Leeds – Leeds Capital Solutions
- Nicole Leidesdorf – Leidesdorf Foundation
- Patti Lucia/Desiree Aponte – Ramos – Les Beans Coffee
- Scott Vingers – Mark’s Mizner Park
- Linda Moore – Masters Kitchen Gallery
- Michael E Bullard – MB Benefit Planning
- Donald Watren & Anthony E Jaggi – MD VIP
- Teresa Mays – Mega Life and Health Insurance
- Ken Menard – Menard’s Consulting Services
- Michael Kennis – Merrill Lynch
- Sifredo Asencio, Jr. – MetLife
- Peter Meyerhoefer – Meyerhoefer Gallery
- Steven Royer – Mounts Botanical Gardens
- Steven Kacouros – My Gay Travel Agent
- Pastor Gregory Denton – New Hope First Community Church
- Cheryl O’Bryan, CPA, CFP – New Vision Athletics
- Patricia Kearney – Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
- Lee Newell – Out On The Coast Magazine
- PBC Credit Union
- Cameron Bishop – Palm Beach Acupuncture
- Jeffrey Ditmire – Palm Beach Home & Lifestyle Magazine
- John Deese – Palm Beach Lighting