TAMPA, Fla. — Besides being a reason to celebrate, the pride parade is also a time to raise attention for all the organizations that support the LGBTQ+ area.
Tommy Whitehead, president and CEO of TomCo Solutions, is trying to be a message in a group that often gets overlooked when it comes to equality, and that’s design.
“There’s a lot of stereotypes about LGBTQ individuals, that they can’t be in the construction industry, that they are only designers,” Whitehead said. “That’s not the case. I’m hardly an interior architect, and there are a lot of us out there that just want to travel in and get our work done, we’re tremendous at development.”
There are only a couple examples of volunteer pride-based development organizations in the country, according to Whitehead.
He’s giving us an institution to visit where we can share common experiences with others while remaining in a secure environment, according to Matt Klaus, Director of Construction Operations at TomCo Solutions.
Whitehead may stand with a booth surrounded by a tower substance we can all relate to at the pride parade in order to spread the word.
“What we like to do is take a little time with somebody—and we’ll do this with the children and the people this weekend—we’ll take some time to build a home while building a relationship,” said Whitehead.
Whitehead said that the support they have received from other company owners in the field is what has been truly satisfying about the Pride Construction Coalition.
Yasmine Gardiner with ClearSet, Yasmine Gardiner, said, “To be there for you at these situations, it’s very stimulating and I really love to see it light up on their heads. AI.
“It’s more about really treating people fairly and not really caring what they do in their personal life, actually. If someone is qualified to do a job, it shouldn’t really matter,” said David Plourde with Cigar City Cabinets.
Whitehead wants ABC Action News to understand that participation is more than just a gesture when it comes to his market. He is glad to be a tone in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Fun fact: we have roughly 40% of the building industry retiring in the next five times,” said Whitehead. “If we think real estate and construction is expensive now, in five decades, it’s going to go up enormously. Because we need assistance, we must make a welcoming environment where everyone can work in the development sector.
