Networking Event Highlights New LGBTQ-Owned Berkshire Businesses

03:39PM / Friday, March 13, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local business organizations will host an LGBTQ+ Business & Professional Networking Event on Wednesday, March 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Wander Berkshires.

The event recognizes the launch of nine LGBTQ-owned businesses in the region within the past two years.

The businesses being honored include Steeple City Social, Hexagon Bagels, Wander Berkshires, J.S. Bryant School, Indie Readery & Records, Brazzucas Market, Galleries at Knollwood Antiques, Barrington Hall, Dollhaus Berkshires, and the J.S. Bryant School.

In addition to regional growth, the event highlights a specific business cluster in downtown Pittsfield. This walkable district includes six LGBTQ-owned entities: District Kitchen & Bar, Brazzucas, Wander Berkshires, Berkshire Pride, and Indie Readery & Records.

"The Berkshires are becoming a magnet for new business and innovation because diversity is a long-held value in the region and is good for business," said Alexandra Eberhardt, Executive Director of the Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Eberhardt noted that leaders are relocating to the area from other parts of the country due to the region's welcoming environment.

Bart Church, Executive Director of Q-MoB, stated that Western Massachusetts maintains a higher per capita concentration of LGBTQ residents and businesses than Boston.

"For at least a hundred years, the Berkshires and Western Mass have been a magnet for creative and LGBTQ people," Church said.

The event is expected to draw representatives from various local chambers of commerce and regional business owners. Scheduled speakers include Eberhardt, Church, and Berkshire Magazine Editor in Chief Anastasia Stanmeyer.

The gathering is jointly sponsored by the Mass LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Q-MoB, and Berkshire Magazine, with funding provided by the Berkshire United Way Venture Fund and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Registration is open to LGBTQ business and community leaders and allies.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

View Full Story