Justice Gennari is the president and CEO of the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber of Commerce. He is also a board member of Synapse Florida and co-chair of the Inclusion Lives Here Committee. Additionally, he sits on the Tampa Equal Business Opportunity Advisory Committee, Equality Means Business Advisory Committee and Tampa Museum of Art, Pride & Passion Committee. Justice Gennari also partners in Tampa Bay Business Journal Business of Pride Awards.
Why Greater Tampa Bay?
I was born in Sandusky, Ohio, but raised in Tampa. I moved away from Tampa to Aspen, Colorado after school for a career in home theater automation, but I returned to Tampa because I always missed its rich history, culture and diversity.
When it comes to Tampa Bay, we have everything under the sun, from the largest Pride event in the Southeast, to art festivals, parades year-round, dance clubs, outdoor adventures, theme parks, the most gorgeous beaches and so much more!
Tampa and the Greater Tampa Bay have a long history of welcoming all who live and visit. Both Tampa and St. Pete have continuously scored 100 on the HRC Equality Index. We are rated top 20 most inclusive destinations in the U.S. on Yelp thanks to our “open to all” philosophy, which is a focus of the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber of Commerce. At the chamber, we showcase our inclusive membership to all that lives, works, plays and visits within the region.
A large passion of mine is volunteerism and philanthropy because it was instilled in me as a kid and young adult as I grew up at the local YMCA. As a chamber executive and of an LGBTQ organization, it has gone hand in hand — from supporting our local LGBT businesses, inclusive business and LGBT organizations and nonprofits. In my opinion, there are not many cities that you are always welcomed with open arms, and with that, I want to give back and support our community both professionally and personally.
What’s a better reason than to live or visit Champa Bay? We have several very inclusive sports teams, Tampa Bay Lighting, Tampa Bay Rays and the Rowdies, who support diversity, equity and inclusion both on and off the field. Not only are we the home to the back-to-back champions, but the Bucs recently won the Superbowl — which I was proud to support our host committee and the NFL with identify minority owned businesses to use as vendors for the Superbowl.
