Pride Business/Professional Networking Panel @ Devonfield Inn (Lee, MA)

The Business of Pride: Upcoming 6/17 Gathering to Highlight How 75 LGBTQ+ Businesses Are Invigorating the Berkshire Economy

3rd Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30pm
85 Stockbridge Rd
Lee, MA 01238

LEE, MA – (June, 26, 2026)– This Pride Month, local LGBTQ business & professional leaders and their allies are highlighting a powerful demographic and economic trend transforming the region: diversity and the creativity it is bringing are incredibly good for business.

On Wednesday, June 17, state and local business advocates will gather at the historic Devonfield Inn for a Pride Business Panel to celebrate the contributions of more than 75 LGBTQ-owned small businesses currently operating in the Berkshires. The event will also explore how the region's commitment to equity is adding to Massachusetts competitive edge, attracting a wave of new entrepreneurs seeking communities where their creativity and identities are welcomed.

The panel and networking event running from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., will feature prominent local and state voices, including

• Doug Bagnasco (Vice President of the Lee Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of the Devonfield Inn),
• Alexandra Heddinger (Executive Director of the Lee Chamber of Commerce), and
• Alexandra Eberhardt (Executive Director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce), and
• Ben Lamb (1Berkshire Vice President for Economic Development).

“The Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce is proud of the Berkshire leaders and ordinary citizens who are standing up for the business innovation and growth that a community’s long-term commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion bring,” said Alexandra Eberhardt. “The Berkshires and the whole state of Massachusetts are becoming magnets for new businesses and innovation because diversity and equity are really good for business. We are seeing LGBTQ business leaders from more repressive parts of the country moving to places like the Berkshires, where they are not just tolerated, but welcomed with open arms. Courage & creativity are contagious!”

The June 17 panel is part of an ongoing monthly series—the Berkshire LGBTQ Business, Professional & Community Leaders Networking Events—held on the third Wednesday of each month. Jointly sponsored by the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Q-MoB, and Berkshire Magazine, the series is designed to foster collaboration and increase the community’s capacity to navigate the unique economic and demographic challenges facing rural LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals.

“In this time of tumultuous change, it’s vital that our local LGBTQ+ business owners and professionals come together to support one another and work in solidarity with our many allied businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations,” said Q-MoB Executive Director Bart Church. “This is particularly crucial as LGBTQ businesses and business owners from more repressive parts of the country look for a place where they will be welcomed. This is one of the reasons we have seen more than 12 new, successful LGBTQ businesses started in the Berkshires in the last two years.”

The networking series provides a platform to reflect on the rich history, vibrant present, and promising future of LGBTQ+ business in the Berkshires, while providing space for each business owner to highlight the contributions they have made this year to the region’s economy and the LGBTQ community, and any special offerings they are making in this Pride season.

The next networking event will take place on Wednesday, July 15, at the architectural offices of Pam Sandler, AIA, in Stockbridge.

SEND US A NOTE IF YOUR LGBTQ-OWNED BUSINESS WOULD LIKE TO HOST A NETWORKING EVENT: if your Berkshire-based queer-owned business would like to host a monthly networking event, please email Angie Montalvo-Greene or email Bart Church

WESTERN MASS LGBTQ BUSINESS & NETWORKING EVENTS: Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce & Q-MoB also offer a monthly LGBTQ Business & Professional Networking Event in the Pioneer Valley

SPONSORS: This event is jointly sponsored by Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Q-MoB, and Berkshire Magazine, with funding support from the Berkshire United Way Venture Fund and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

“In this time of tumultuous change, it’s vital that our local LGBTQ+ business owners and professionals come together to support one another and work in solidarity with our many allied businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create opportunity and community," said Q-MoB Executive Director Bart Church.

THANK YOUS: The Co-sponsoring organizations are grateful to the following organizations for their strong support of the Berkshire LGBTQ Business, Professional & Community Leaders Networking Series:

• Berkshire United Way for a Venture Grant to Q-MoB to foster intergenerational collaboration in the LGBTQ community
• Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation's South Berkshire Fund, Central Berkshire Fund, & Barrett Fund (North Berkshires) that supports Q-MoB's efforts to build community among LGBTQ business, professional, & community leaders.
• One Berkshire for all their support of new and established LGBTQ businesses in the Berkshires
• Berkshire Magazine's LGBTQ Guide, which remains the most comprehensive listing of LGBTQ businesses and organizations in the Berkshires

REACHING US DAY OF THE EVENT: If you have trouble finding us, will be late, or need to cancel the day of the event, please call/text Bart at 413-344-8162