PEN Member in Washington Post "Ask the Experts" Column

-April 2008

PEN member David Taube, Founder and President of Kalorama Wealth Strategies appeared in the "Ask the Experts" column in the April 6th Business Section of The Washington Post. To see how he answered the question: What's the secret to a good personal credit rating? Read The Article...

PEN President Publishes Seminal Article On Gay and Lesbian Financial and Estate Planning In The Journal of Financial Planning

-April 2008

PEN President,  Joe Kapp along with his business partner Nicholas Burkholder published a seminal article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Financial Planning on gay, lesbian and same-sex couple financial and estate planning.  This article was written as a guide for other advisors on how to work with and understand he unique wealth and estate planning issues gay and lesbians face.  Read The Article...

Making the List: Washington Business Journal's Annual Book of Lists

-January 2008
Two members of PEN, Metro DC's LGBT Chamber of Commerce made The Washington Business Journal's Book of Lists! Eileen Kessler's OmniStudio was named one of the top Graphic Design Firms and Steve Sushner's District Title was named one of the top Title Companies.

Washington Blade gets new publisher

- December 2007

(From the) Washington Business Journal - by Erin Killian Staff Reporter © American City Business Journals Inc.

Window Media LLC, owner of the Washington Blade, announced that a new publisher has been appointed at the weekly D.C. publication that serves the region's gay and lesbian community. Brown serves on the boards of PEN, Metro Washington's LGBT Chamber of Commerce and D.C.'s Rape Crisis Center. She has also been an active member of the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Washington. Read more...

Who Knew PEN Members Were So Fierce?

-August 2007
PEN member Joshua Beatty of SINpr -The Style & Image Network, appeared in the August 12th edition of the Washington Post's Sunday Source as one of Washington DC's trend-spotting trend-setters! Click here to see the article.

Something You Can Depend On!

-August 2007

PEN Board Member Ellen Davis of Mortgage Link, Inc. was selected by Goldline Research as one of the Most Dependable^TM Mortgage Brokers of the Washington D.C. Area. The list of the Most Dependable Mortgage Brokers of the Washington D.C. Area is scheduled to be published in the September issue of The Washingtonian Magazine.

Dealing With Backlash

-July 2007

PEN member Bob Witeck, CEO and co-founder of Witeck-Combs Communications, graced the cover and the lead feature story of the July/August print-edition of Echelon Magazine, the news source for GLBT business professionals. The feature story entitled "When Backlash Knocks" discussed business boycotts by anti-gay groups.

Moving Money & Business

-June 2007
PEN President Joe Kapp of Lincoln Financial Advisors has become the financial columnist for The Advocate, the nation's LGBT newsmagazine of record. Joe and his business partner, Nicholas Burkholder, are writing a personal finance column for the magazine. The inaugural edition of the column ran in the June 19, 2007 issue. Click here to check out their column launch column. Their latest column is on newsstands now!

Walking the Red Carpet at PEN's Annual Award's Dinner

-March 2007

PEN members Lynne Brown, Publisher of the Washington Blade and Brad Harris and Mark Guenther, owners of Aviance Marketing and Media, were awarded the PEN Business Leaders of the Year Award at the annual PEN Awards Dinner on March 29th of this year. Also at the 2007 PEN Awards Dinner, members John Williams, owner of Williams and Shea Technical Documentation Group was awarded the Paul Ludeman Volunteer of the Year Award and Robert Groshan was awarded PEN's Special Recognition Award. The 2007 Ally of the Year Award went to the Washington Business Journal and was accepted on behalf of the weekly newspaper by the Publisher, Alex Orfinger.

Not Lost In Translation

-December 2006
PEN member Monique-Paule Tubb, President and founder of Advanced Communication and Translation, Inc. was featured in the Montgomery County Business section of the Washington Post article at the beginning of the year. As the Post article stated, "When local hospitals need a translator for doctors to communicate with patients and their families, they often call Bethesda-based Advanced Communication and Translation, Inc. And doctors must be calling a lot these days, because the company, founded in 1995 by Monique-Paule Tubb, recently hit a milestone: $1 million in sales."

If you are a PEN member and have news to report, please send an email to info@pendc.org.

OTHER NEWS

HRC lists 195 "Best Places" for LGBT workers

Advocate.com - January 14, 2008

Google, US Airways, The New York Times Co., Ford and PepsiCo are among the 195 companies to make the 2008 edition of the Human Rights Campaign's list of the "Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality." The list is composed of companies that achieve a perfect score on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, which assesses policies aimed at creating a workplace where all are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Read the full list...

DC Ranks in Top Ten List for U.S. Destinations in 2008 Travel Trends Survey

From WCTC News - January 10, 2008

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates' annual Travel Trends Survey ranks Washington, DC the eighth most popular domestic destination for 2008. While Las Vegas returned as the top domestic destination for the sixth consecutive year, the nation's capital made the most impressive jump - up seven places to number eight, from 15th place in 2007. Conducted Nov. 26-Dec. 19, 2007, this year's Travel Trends Survey asked 555 Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate owners, managers and frontline travel experts throughout the United States to identify their clients' preferred destinations for 2008. Read more...

District's Population on the Rise

From WCTC News - January 10, 2008

DC's population has increased by approximately 2,800 residents in the last year according to data recently released by the Census Bureau. The Bureau estimates that the city's total population is now 588,292, up from the 572,000 residents recorded in 2000, thanks, in part to large immigration numbers. The city's total population last year was 585,459. The Census Bureau estimates are conducted by measuring births, deaths and migration into and out of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Marriage, LGBT rights on Maryland Legislature's agenda

The Washington Blade - January 4, 2008

Maryland lawmakers' new session will include several major LGBT items, notably hot-button measures both to make legal the marriages of "two people" and to ban marriages between couples of the same-sex. Also on the agenda are bills to prohibit transgender discrimination, eliminate a real-estate transfer tax for same-sex couples, provide partners with an exemption from the inheritance tax and grant partners rights for hospital visitation and medical decisions. Read more...

Logo Announces Launch of Half-Hour News Program

Advocate.com - November 06, 2007

Gay cable channel Logo announced that it launched a half-hour news program on November 12 targeted at LGBT audiences. It will air weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m. Eastern as well as stream online at 365gay.com. The new show is being billed as a vehicle that will allow the Logo team to probe beyond the day's headlines. The show will be hosted by Jason Bellini and joined by reporters Itay Hod, Chagmion Antoine, and others from across the country. Read more...

Gay nuptials could bring tax gain to Md.

Baltimore Sun - November 29, 2007

By Kelly Brewington, Sun reporter

A booming wedding industry could swell Maryland's budget by millions if gays were permitted to wed, according to a university report released yesterday. The study, by UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, estimates that spending on gay nuptials could top $280 million the first three years, generating $14 million in tax revenue during that time. (... Read More)