BEQ Today: Fall 2016

It is my belief that small businesses are the engine of the economy. The innovation, injection of competition and job creation they provide are key to our economic prosperity. Driven by this belief, my work experience in the public and private sector, as well as my experience as an entrepreneur and expertise in supplier diversity, I am thrilled to introduce the Business Equality Network and Business Equality Pride magazine.

After 4 years at the helm of Affinity Inc. Magazine, a successful quarterly publication focused on corporate LGBTQ inclusion in the supply chain, workplace and marketplace, it became clear that the market demanded far more than a simple, quarterly print and digital publication could satisfy.

BEQ goes beyond print to engage, empower and accelerate business equality for diverse communities through consulting services, media platforms and upcoming events.

BEQ’s strategic media includes:

• Print and digital affinity publications with sponsor opportunities for the diverse business community
  Mobile and digital channels with both long and short-form video dedicated to business programming for a diverse audience
• Long-form content and advertisements in national radio programs focused on business equality issues and interests
• BEQ Pride, our flagship publication, serves as a communication platform for the realization of full business equality for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community, the world’s largest brands and employers and a vast network of individuals, organizations and allies.

Our inaugural edition of BEQ Pride debuts at the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s International Business & Leadership Conference in Palm Springs, CA, and introduces Loud-Hailer, Inc. Loud-Hailer is a newly certified LGBTQ business with an idea that promises to have us rethinking digital communications and the ubiquity of internet access.

We also feature the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business of the Year: LGBT and women-owned Equator Coffees & Teas, shine the spotlight on a teenager who is making a difference among her peers, discuss Chevron’s commitment to diversity, and more.

Laws, regulations, policies and practices are intended to address structural or systemic inequalities, especially in business. But people change hearts and minds, and people decide when and where to extend opportunity and access. BEQ is dedicated to bridging the gap between equality (sameness) and the need for equity (fairness) for the diverse business community. I look forward to building that bridge with you in the coming years.

My best,

Robin Dillard,
Founder/Publisher