Even as we mourn the loss of a common-sense protection bill, the Competitive Workforce Act, earlier this week in the legislature, some companies are keeping up the compassion and moving forward with the shifting economic playing field. Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported on Tech Data’s new in-house initiative called Spectrum, “an employee resource group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and allies,” the Journal reports. It is reportedly the 14th Florida business to do so, basically because modern businesses need to court modern talent, and much of that is LGBT if not just LGBT-friendly.
Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith was in attendance as the keynote speaker for the meeting and offered her own wisdom on the issue.
“Having a company like Tech Data not just add its name to a list of companies that support change, but be willing to travel multiple times to Tallahassee and meet with legislators and make the business case and the moral case is very important,” Smith said, according to the Journal.
Tech Data Chief Information Officer John Tonnison added that, even in spite of a lazy legislative argument on the issue that centered more around bathrooms than commerce, this is a step in the right direction for both his company and the state.
“It puts substance and weight behind our ability to reach out into the community and deliver the company’s message of welcomeness and inclusion and safety,” he said, according to the Journal. “We can make sure that everyone in the area doing business with us and considering employment with us knows what we stand for.”
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