DIVERSITY NEWS August 2005
Welcome
to the August Edition of Diversity News.
Articles include, Estate
Planning for Gay/Lesbian Couples, Diversity Builder Announces Pride Summer
Business Winner, Win a 2 Night's stay at The Cliff Cottage Inn, Gay
Marriage: A Booming Business, Exclusive interview with the CEO of Olivia
Cruises and Resorts!
Be sure to forward to your friend's and
coworkers!
To forward this newsletter scroll to the bottom and type
in a friends email address.
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Diversity Builder's Interview with CEO of
Olivia Cruises and Resorts by Rachel
Stanton
Diversity Builder had the
opportunity to sit down with Amy J. Errett, Olivia's highly acclaimed CEO,
to discuss the March 2005 endorsement deal with with tennis superstar,
Martina Navratilova.
Founded in 1973, Olivia is the premier
travel and resort company serving the gay and lesbian community. Amy
enthusiastically commented, "Martina is an amazing role model (for the gay
and lesbian community). Martina clearly has established her position:
"This is who I am. I am a great tennis player who happens to be gay."
Amy further commented, "Such a stance is similar to Olivia's position.
Olivia is a great haven for lesbian empowered and professional women.
Martina and Olivia hold 'sympatico' values. Martina previously lost
endorsements for being open about her sexual orientation and now is
receiving one for being a successful lesbian. "
When asked
how Olivia's sales have responded, Amy exclaimed, "Sales are quite strong.
The endorsement has helped with brand recognition. We have received
tremendous media exposure and have witnessed a definite increase in sales
in the European market. " Martina is slated to attend an upcoming Mexico
cruise in which she will host some motivational speaking and Q and A
sessions, as well as teach some tennis lessons to lucky guests on the
ocean liner's tennis court.
Amy asked that we share the
following with Diversity News readers: "Olivia has a social mission and
believes in the empowerment and using role models to see lesbians succeed.
In 2004, Olivia donated over $400,000 to nonprofit organizations and lgbt
initiatives."
Book your favorite cruise
here!
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And we have a
winner!
Congratulations to Susan Smith of Scott Depot,
West Virginia!
She
is the winner of the 2 night stay in
Lake Tahoe at Holly’s place!
Here is what Susan has to say about
winning Lake Tahoe Giveaway:
"WOW ! Can't believe I get to go to
Lake Tahoe ! A good friend wanted me to go with her to Lake Tahoe last
year but I couldn't get the last minute plane connections, so had to miss
the trip. Maybe she can go back to Lake Tahoe with me for this one !!
Thank You so much for this great opportunity !! "
Holly's
Place is a unique Lake Tahoe retreat nestled amongst the pines. From
everyone here at Diversity Builder, we hope you have a wonderful time!
Click Here for more information on Holly's
Place!
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Gay
Marriage: A Booming Business
J. K.
Kennison
The smart businessman has opened his doors and
welcomed the gay community. A niche has been found, and it's proving to be
most profitable.
Everyone knows how important a wedding can
be, and how expensive. Whether a small group or a cathedral full of
people, weddings usually go beyond budget, no matter your sexual
orientation. With this realization, businesses are beginning to fill very
specific needs.
Renellie
Figurines have taken standard cake toppers
and made them gay-friendly, enabling them to be purchased individually,
choosing the sex and race of the coupling. Each is handcrafted and would
make a wonderful keepsake.
SACHA Custom Jewelry has
created unique wedding bands that serve as
engagement and commitment rings. Two pieces when apart, these gold bands
fit together in an unconventional way, dodging around stones and carving a
jagged or curved line around the finger.
Regardless of the
legality, gays and lesbians are booking time at wedding chapels,
purchasing wedding clothes, planning out vacations that satisfy the dream
of a wedding. Everyone wins; the gay wedding business is flourishing, and
gays and lesbians now have the opportunity to find all the products and
services they need to have that special day they deserve.
Click
here to visit SACHA Custom Jewelry's Diversity Builder
site!
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Estate Planning Issues for Gay/Lesbian Couples With
a Business As Part Of The Estate --Push continues for immigration
benefits for same-sex partners
When you
consider the fact that in many Gay/Lesbian couples, one or both partners
may have some ownership interest in a small business, the question arises,
“What considerations should be explored in the eventuality that one or
both of the partners pass on?”
The 3 most important
considerations a couple should deal with are:
1) General Estate
Planning issues
2) Issues specific to the business(s)
3)
Issues specific to the people involved.
Simply put, estate
planning is the process of marshalling your assets so that they pass to
whom you would like in the way you would like, should you no longer be
around. Estate planning is a part of every comprehensive financial plan,
and the process is the same for gay and straight couples alike. The
difference between them is the objectives and the obstacles that a
gay/lesbian couples face in contrast to their straight counterparts.
Obviously, the biggest difference is that in most states the law does not
offer the same protection to gay/lesbian couples as it does to married
heterosexual couples. Instead, gay/lesbian couples are, for the most
part, treated the same as unmarried cohabitating couples. However, many
of the same protections that heterosexual couples enjoy can be achieved
through the judicious use of various trusts and estate planning vehicles.
What is critical is that the couple actually take the time to do the
proper planning while there is still time.
When a small
business is part of the estate of one or both of the partners, one of the
factors that needs to be considered is the viability of the business after
the death of one of the partners. In essence, can the business survive
and continue to operate? Even if both partners co-own the business, if
the proper planning is not done, the deceased’s business interest may pass
to an unwelcome heir. The surviving partner may suddenly find themselves
in business with their partner’s adult children, siblings, parents, etc.
Additionally one needs to consider marketability and transferability of
the deceased’s interest. Can the business only be legally transferred to
someone with a special license, such as a doctor or lawyer? Is the
business one that can only be transferred to another buyer locally? If
the surviving partner needs to sell the business, what is a fair price? A
valuation of the business may need to be done for estate taxes anyway, but
they are not cheap. These are just some, but by no means all, of the
issues that need to be addressed when dealing with a business
interest.
Finally, issues specific to the individuals involved
need to be considered, such as the survivor’s need for income vs. the
ability of the business to provide it after the owner’s death, the
relative size of the partners’ estates, the estate tax consequences of the
business, any special needs, etc. The fact is that one size does not fit
all and everyone’s situation is unique. That is why it is critical that
people obtain and implement advice from a qualified advisor while they are
still alive and of sound mind and body.
Jubin Keyvan,
CFP®
President
Profitable Financial Strategies
10211 W.
Sample Rd.
Suite 211
Coral Springs, Fl 33065
954-748-0708
Phone
954-748-6508 Fax
Profitable Financial Strategies is
a Registered Investment Advisor.
Securities offered through Questar
Capital Corp., Member NASD/SIPC
Profitable Financial Strategies is
independent of Questar Capital Corp.
This article is brought to you by Concepts In
Success
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Member Success of the
Month
Congrats to AAA
East Tennessee - Tom Oswalt!
AAA East Tennessee - Tom
Oswalt, Knoxville - TN, received the highest number of customer visits to
their Diversity Builder ad in July!
197 clicks to their
Diversity Builder Ad from the Internet
campaign.
Congratulations Tom Oswalt!
Click
here to visit AAA East Tennessee - Tom
Oswalt!!
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Calpernia Addams: the business of being
transgendered
by F. Daniel Kent
A&E
Editor
This story can also be seen in the 06/27/05 issue of
Xenogeny
Calpernia Addams is a woman on the move. Having spent
the better part of her life entertaining others in one form or the other
she has come a long way since her days as a hired performer at the now
defunct Connections nightclub. Probably best known as the subject of the
film “Soldier’s Girl”, the work that Calpernia (or Calli as her voice mail
says) now does include such things as last year’s high profile all
transgendered production of “The Vagina Monologues” and her current
production the film short “Casting Pearls” which uses humor to dispel
common misconceptions about transgendered women. Certainly the busiest
transgendered person in the entertainment industry, Addams is a far
distance from her former life of performing for devoted fans in a
nightclub, but her personal magnetism is still just as encompassing as it
always has been.
Co-founder of Deep Stealth Productions with
her business partner and fellow transgendered activist Andrea James, she
is on a mission to help raise awareness in Hollywood about what it really
means to be transgendered. On an early morning in June Calli took a break
from her waffle and coffee breakfast that was to be the prelude to a day
of writing about why people transition for submission to a nationally
distributed magazine in order to give me the lowdown on what she’s been up
to.
Click
here to read entire article!
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Diversity Builder Proudly offers
you a Summer 2005 Vacation Getaway:
Enter to win 2 nights
FREE at The Cliff Cottage Inn, Eureka Springs, Arkansas! See details
below.
Cliff Cottage Inn has been named one of the
top six "Most Romantic Inns of the South" by Romantic Destinations
Magazine (published by Southern Bride)
Cliff Cottage Inn
specializes in romantic and vacation getaways, and shopping sprees! Enjoy
a relaxing Jacuzzi bath for 2 and chilled wine or champagne. Choose from
six luxury suites all offering privacy and solitude with fabulous views of
the historic village. Cliff Cottage Inn is the only inn with an elf who
delivers a full-gourmet hot breakfast right to your door! Southern Living
Magazine said, "Cliff Cottage Inn's breakfasts are definitely not to be
missed!" and you can enjoy them on your private balcony or deck, or even
decadently in your jammies!
Offer is good for a 2 free
weeknight's stay (2 adults) during the following timeframe: August 15 -
September 29, 2005 (excluding Labor Day).
Email
newsletter@diversitybuilder.com with your name and phone number to enter.
Limit one entry per person. Winner will be announced the first week of
August.
Note: Reserve early, as space is limited.
Recipient will be responsible for room tax.
Click
Here for more information on The Cliff Cottage
Inn!
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Take Advantage of
the Discounts Offered by Diversity Builder
Providers
Attorney Services
Carpet
Cleaning
Chiropractic Services
Coaching
Graphic/Web
Design
Printing
Real Estate & Mortgage
And much
More!
Use any of the vendors listed on the 'News' page
and
receive a $5.00 Gift Card to either
Starbucks, Borders or
Blockbuster Video!
Contact
info@diversitybuilder.com
within 30 days of purchase.
Offer
Expires September 1, 2005
*limit one per family.
**Gift
card providers are based on availability.
To View Provider Discounts Click
Here
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Just Released!!!! Straight Talk About Gays
in the Workplace
This book
remains a one of a kind resource for anybody, employee, manager,
administrator or executive, who wants to help their organization deal with
the realm of issues that are raised by sexual orientation in the
workplace. It covers all aspects of diversity and is a must-read for
anyone wishing to learn more about sexual orientation, diversity
education, domestic partner benefits, and much more!
Click here to buy the latest edition of "Straight Talk about Gays in
the Workplace", by Liz Winfield
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And the winner is........Diversity Builder
Announces Pride Summer Business Winner
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The
Nashville Zoo Elephant exhibit won a free one-year Premier Plan listing at
www.diversitybuilder.com. The elephant's prestigious artwork was
displayed at Nashville Pride by elephant trainer Rise Pankow. When asked
about the elephant exhibit appearing at a the Nashville Pride Event, the
zoo's Marketing and Public Relations Director, Jim Bartoo commented,
"Anytime we can get information (about the zoo) to the public, we take the
opportunity. We wish we could do more of it." Rise, one of three zoo
elephant trainers, stated the following with respect to the Pride event:
"The elephant department is thrilled when the public finds their paintings
interesting and worth buying. We have always felt that by selling
elephant art we keep elephants on the minds of those who display it in
their homes and businesses. We hope this helps when the time comes for
people to make the kinds of decisions that can help wild elephants. We
keep it relatively inexpensive so as many folks as possible can afford to
hang it in their homes. Because of the way the elephants were trained to
paint, they truly do have individual styles. Some of their works are the
best paintings I have ever seen."
Come see the Elephants on Diversity
Builder!
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Diversity Builder would like to thank Kalin and Dawn for
successfully locating glbt-friendly businesses across the nation and ,
allowing Diversity Builder to expand by 10 states in July.
Diversity Builder is now available in 31 states nationwide.
With the unyielding efforts of Dawn and Kalin, Diversity Builder is
expected to be available to all 50 states by year-end.
Indiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Ohio
Rhode
Island
Connecticut
New Hampshire
New
Mexico
Iowa
Arizona
Welcome aboard to the vendors in
the above listed states! We appreciate your support of diversity and
service to the community.
Find
a business or service in your state!
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The August Edition of Diversity News is
sponsored by Echelon Magazine
Presented
by Echelon Magazine , the source for GLBT Business Professionals, The
National GLBT Business Convention is set to be one of the leading forums
for top entrepreneurs and executives. Senior members of the GLBT business
community unite to discuss issues on workplace advocacy, GLBT recruitment,
GLBT vendor programs, political influence and entrepreneurial development
which are all vital to our business recognition and success.
The National GLBT Business Convention provides a powerful
platform for the GLBT business community to be recognized as a principal
element in the strength of America's economy.
The convention
is a straightforward, comprehensive and independent discussion of where
our business community is headed. Attendees gain useful information about
small business financial strategies, marketing, investment opportunities,
entrepreneurial insight, GLBT marketing and enjoy networking with the
country's GLBT movers and shakers.
The two day seminar
includes morning motivational sessions, deal-making business expos, over
14 workshops, hosted luncheons and cocktail receptions.
Oct.
31, 2005 - GLBT Media Forum
Nov. 1, 2005 - Main Convention
Registration is now open to Early Birds. Please call us today:
323-653-1960
Click
here to visit Echelon Magazine
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Are you proudly
displaying your "Tips On Making Your Business Gay-Friendly" Reminder
Cards? If not, email info@diversitybuilder.com for a free supply- Be sure
to include your physical mailing address.
Thank
you for supporting www.diversitybuilder.com!
Your Diversity Builder
Staff
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