ProSuzy founder steps back in 2013

ProSuzy founder steps back in 2013

A dozen years ago, Suzanne Noe wanted to find a way for lesbians to meet outside of the typical, smoky bar atmosphere. With a handful of contacts – 39 to be exact – Noe began an e-newsletter as a way to spread the word about upcoming events and activities of particular interest to the lesbian community and ProSuzy was born.

“I never thought of having a business,” said Noe, who is retiring from ProSuzy this month. “I never thought of it getting as big and as inclusive as it has. I was just trying to meet people, other women, to have activities.”

Today, ProSuzy reaches more than 7,000 women – some from as far away as Canada and California, and is a staple at community events and Pride celebrations. And it’s still the best way for women to connect. Last fall, Noe announced her retirement, and the lesbian community immediately had one collective question: “What will happen to ProSuzy.com?”

“Women have approached me because they’re concerned they won’t have things to do,” Noe said. “I want them to continue having events and I’d like to put them out there. But I’d like for other people, especially the younger girls, to come up with ideas and do things monthly.”

ProSuzy.com will continue to run and subscribers will continue to receive e-mails promoting upcoming events and content on the site. Noe just won’t be as involved.

“Our webmaster, Amy Oatley, is taking over the site and sending out the blasts and updating them,”  Noe explained. “They’ve already evolved. Subscribers will notice they’re more colorful and more user-friendly.”

ProSuzyFounderSo the operations of ProSuzy will continue. What people will notice, however, is that Noe herself may not be at as many events and won’t have a hands-on approach when it comes to planning them. She said she is currently looking for someone to fulfill that role who can also take on the social aspects of ProSuzy events.

“I’m looking for people who want to attend the events and get to know people,” Noe said. “I’ve been to events before where no one has come up to me and said hello. So I have always thought that if you’re at an event and had someone to greet you and introduce you to others, it makes everything easier to get into the community set up.”

The ‘Pro’ in ProSuzy
When Noe arrived in Florida in the 1990s, she looked at getting a job as a teacher. After all, she was a certified teacher in Virginia, Michigan, New York City and Kansas. However, Florida’s system wanted to put all new teachers on two-years of probation to start out and also required a mountain of tests.

So Noe decided to change careers and became a professional handywoman.

“I was very handy and living with my parents, who knew a lot of folks who needed work done around their homes,” Noe said. “I made business cards that said “Professional Handywoman” on them. My dad was the only one who ever called me Suzy, so I used “ProSuzy” as my business connections for the handiwork I was doing.”

Noe never changed that approach when she looked for ways to meet more women in the area and the name “ProSuzy” stuck in her new venture. Today the name is copyrighted.

“It just seemed to work,” Noe said. “And when I started this, people were still a little worried about having the term ‘lesbian’ out there. Instead of lesbian events, we had ‘women’s events.’ And soon, ProSuzy became a code word.”

Twelve years later, ProSuzy’s logo and name are on events as a sponsor, on welcome signs at local establishments and posted on websites. It has cultivated the lesbian community in Tampa Bay, which is an accomplishment Noe doesn’t take lightly.

“I feel like a lot of people know a lot of other people because of what I’ve done,” Noe said. “It’s always been about people meeting people and finding friends. And that makes me smile.”

Going out in style
In true ProSuzy fashion, Noe is celebrating her retirement with a huge party. On Saturday, Jan. 12, celebration will pack the Gulfport Casino from 8 p.m.-midnight. And, of course, there will be a theme. “Tie-ing the Community Together” gives attendees a chance to showcase their favorite tie – whether it be a bowtie, regular tie, cheap tie or unique, sparkly tie.

“I feel like this is what ProSuzy has done for 12 years,” Noe said. “It has tied the community together. I saw an ad with some girls wearing loose ties and I thought it was a great idea and an easy theme for people to fit into.”

Tickets for the celebration are $20 and available at ProSuzy.com/Tickets. Tickets will also be available at the door – at least until the casino is filled to capacity. At the time of this interview, Noe said about 250 tickets had already been sold – and there are only 450 tickets total.

The party is casual dress and a cash bar will be available throughout the night. It’s a way for Noe to step into the next phase of her life with close friends and the community she helped mold for a dozen years.

“I have enjoyed myself tremendously,” said Noe, who hopes to do some traveling this year. “I’ve had a great time and I’m blessed to have had a business that was so much fun.”

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