We're on the move...
and we can't wait to show you our new location!!

Ever since our overflow crowd of 325 at last year's Power Luncheon, the Advisory Committee has known that we had to find a new home for our signature Fall Event. We searched far and wide for just the right spot. We found it at the beautiful new White Pavilion on the campus of DeSales University.

Change is always exciting; it is also challenging. That's why the Advisory Committee came to the conclusion that holding a "transitional event" would be a great way of working out all the logistics involved with a new location. So, for this year only our Fall Event will be a Networking Cocktail Party... "Wine, Women, & Wealth". We will return to the luncheon format next year in celebration of our 10th Anniversary!

At "Wine, Women, & Wealth" you will find all the things you love about "Power"...wonderful networking opportunities, great information through our outstanding speakers, fabulous shopping with our Networking Partners, and of course the delicious food.

You will also find many advantages to this new location and updated agenda:

• For our Sponsors it is increased exposure and space. "Sponsor's Hall" is bigger, wider, and more luxurious, with wonderful natural light and cozy conversation groupings.
• Our Networking Partners are sure to enjoy their spacious display area...all in one place, complete with great lighting and high tech capabilities: No more attendees wandering from room to room.
• The "Power Crowd" will appreciate the convenient parking, warm décor, and upscale ambiance offered by this beautiful new facility, along with our enlightening mini-seminar focusing on the "power" of being able to finance your dreams.

So whether you're a Power Of Women Sponsor, Networking Partner, or Attendee... you won't want to miss

Wine, Women & Wealth

 Activism on Wheels - Check out www.fagbug.com to read her story!

 It's an "Out of the Box" idea- That just might make a statement.

Annual Pride in the Park Festival.
Cedar Beach- Allentown, PA
Sunday, August 19, 2007
noon-6pm
There is plenty to do for you and your family, including games, entertainment, food, beverages, vendors, merchandise, information, Kidspace and an art tent.

**Entertainment:
GODDES & SHE
Pepper Mashay
Anthony Rodriguez & La Santa Luz
Jason & Demarco

**Other Things to See:
The Doggie Drag Show! :)
The Fag Bug!!!! www.fagbug.com

If you live in the Lehigh Valley, if you have a love for a sport(s), if you enjoy a bit of competition, and/or you simply enjoy watching in suspense then you should probably check out the Lehigh Valley SportsFest.

Lehigh Valley Sports Fest will be held July 12-15 at the lovely Cedar Beach

This year: 

• there will be over 40 sports events!
• An estimated 10,000 amateur athletes participating in their respective sporting events
• Approximately 150,000 spectators are expected

Even though SportsFest attracts participants and spectators from other areas, this is a community event. Proceeds from SportsFest have been used to upgrade various City Recreation Department functions and facilities.

for more information visit: http://www.sportsfest.org/

LGBTRES

Friday, November 17th, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) announced a partnership with Realogy Corporation (NYSE: H), the world's largest real estate franchisor. Realogy and its companies - CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty®, NRT Incorporated, Cartus and Title Resource Group - have been designated the official "real estate choices" of the NGLCC.

As part of the three-year agreement, Realogy and its companies are the Exclusive Program Founders for an unprecedented real estate certification, the LGBT Real Estate Specialist (LGBTRES^TM).  The designation, given only to sales associates and brokers who complete the related training and certification and become members of the NGLCC, signifies expertise in understanding the needs of LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) clients and counseling them through the major financial and life changes involved in buying and selling a home. The partnership, which stems from an earlier agreement with Realogy's former parent company, Cendant Corporation, also includes executive representation on the NGLCC's Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) and partnership in the organization's upcoming events and initiatives.
 
"By being the Exclusive Founder of LGBTRES^TM, Realogy is offering to its sales associates and brokers the tools of knowledge, language and understanding needed to earn the trust of the LGBT market and become this community's leading real estate partner," said Justin Nelson, NGLCC co-founder and president. "We are proud to be associated with Realogy and are committed to helping build brand loyalty to its family of real estate brands," said NGLCC co-founder and SEO Chance Mitchell. 

The NGLCC noted that LGBTRES^TM is modeled after the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) certification that had been in market for several years for those brokers and agents interested in working with the seniors market. The LGBT population is third only to African American and Hispanic populations in terms of spending power of a diverse group, with $610 billion in consumer spending power in 2005, expected growth to $641 billion by the end of 2006, and more disposable income than their heterosexual counterparts, according to research by Witeck-Combs Communications.

"We are dedicated to providing a welcoming environment for all customers and an inclusive workplace," said Dave Weaving, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Realogy. "As part of our continued commitment to advancing diversity in the local and global communities we serve, we are providing our brand networks and local companies with the opportunity to educate sales associates on how to better understand and serve this segment of our communities." 

The certification training for LGBTRES^TM candidates includes a half-day live lecture course or an online track, which the candidate must pass to receive their certification. The training, designed to help agents and brokers gain sensitivity to and understanding of the LGBT market, will be offered to Realogy's affiliated sales associates and brokers at a substantially discounted rate of $75. The NGLCC will begin delivery of the training in the fourth quarter of 2006, and, in 2007, will certify LGBTRES^TM trainers in Realogy's major markets to make the certification available to a wider audience.

As part of Realogy's involvement with NGLCC, Lauren De Simon Johnson, senior vice president of Human Resources for NRT Incorporated, which is Realogy's company-owned brokerage operation, will serve on the organization's Corporate Advisory Council (CAC). The CAC is composed of NGLCC corporate partners to discuss issues and educate Corporate America and the public about the economic benefits of providing a diverse workplace and creating mutually beneficial relationships with the LGBT and LGBT-friendly business community.

Realogy joins a highly respected group of companies with representatives on the CAC, including IBM, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, American Airlines, Intel Corporation, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Lehman Brothers, Motorola, Travelport, Merrill Lynch, American Express, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, Avis, Orbitz, Intuit, Kodak, Fannie Mae, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, and Kimpton Hotels.

About Realogy Corporation

Realogy Corporation (NYSE: H) is a leader in real estate franchising, brokerage, relocation and title services. Realogy's world-renowned brands and business units include CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty®, NRT Incorporated, Cartus and Title Resource Group. Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., Realogy (http://www.realogy.com/) has more than 15,000 employees and 320,000 brokers and sales associates worldwide.

*** For more info visit: http://www.nglcc.org/ 

IS AGE JUST A NUMBER?

• Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are cheese ~ Billie Burke ~
• By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it ~ George Burns ~
• Age is a matter of feeling, not of years ~ George William Curtis ~
• It is not how old you are, but how you are old ~ Marie Dressler ~
• Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art ~ Garson Kanin ~
• Don't just count your years, make your years count ~ Ernest Meyers ~
• We are not limited by our old ages; we are liberated by it ~ Stu Mittleman ~
• Live your life and forget your age ~ Norman Vincent Peale ~
• Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late ~ Benjamin Franklin
• The person of wisdom is the person of years ~ Young ~

So my question is does age matter? Of course with different age groups are different morals, communication styles, and preferences but are there prejudgments about individuals' ability in business? And how do you overcome these?

I will graduate a year early next May, with my bachelor's in business, a marketing concentration, a minor in psychology, and a health care administration certificate. I have also been working full-time, first in health insurance and now in lending. Aside from education and professional experience I have been making strides at becoming active in my community not only the Lehigh Valley but the GLBT community. So from the words of Meyers, I think I have made my years count, but all of that said I encounter many who seem to only acknowledge my age and look down on me for that.

I am sure that I am not the only person, or the first to experience this and I am sure it's not only something that younger professionals might face but I guess I am wondering what everyone else's take on it is.

"Corporate America is far ahead of America generally when it comes to the question of equality for GLBT people," Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign 

For your reading pleasure:

Queer Inc.: How Corporate America fell in love with gays and lesbians. It's a movement.

By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer

(http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/12/11/8395465/index.htm)

*15.3 million gay and lesbian consumers in the United States, whose buying power exceeded $660 billion in 2006.* Source: "The Gay and Lesbian Market in the U.S.", a completely new Packaged Facts report produced in collaboration with Witeck-Combs Communications Inc

These numbers are astounding but I can't find everything I am looking for. www.gaydemographics.com was helpdul at providing some state specific info however many articles can be found on why the numbers on this site from the 2000 census are very inaccurate.

Does anyone know of any other websites or research statistics on the GLBT community/market?

Hello my friends,

www.MyOjeez.com is Open for Business!

Today is the day! Ojeez.com is officially live in Beta. Set up your profiles, post blogs, create groups, etc.

Again this is a Beta version so the continued support and dedication to the site will be relied upon for future expansion. There are currently about 10,000 people that are part of Ojeez. More programs and services will be launched over the next few weeks.

Remember: Social marketing is key. The power to recommend and comment on products, businesses, and services on a personal level.

Fashionably Late, Always in Season!

Pride of the Greater Lehigh Valley will be hosting the Annual Pride in the Park Sunday, August 19, 2007 from 12 pm to 6 pm at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown.

There is plenty to do for you and your family, including games, entertainment, food, beverages, vendors, merchandise, information, Kidspace and an art tent. For more information watch for updates on our web site. ( http://www.prideglv.org/ )