Local activist promoted to LGBT outreach role at IBM

FERNDALE – You've come a long way, baby! Out and proud community leader George Westerman will join IBM's GLBT Sales Team as a global business development executive beginning Nov. 1. A 20-year employee with the company, Westerman has been working in the LGBT community for nearly as long. Now he'll be able to merge his dedication to the LGBT community with his commitment to IBM's quality services.
"It's not very often that you get to take your professional world and really connect it solidly with an interest you have in your personal life," said Westerman. "I've been volunteering and participating in the LGBT community ever since I came out, and it's really cool to be able to take that part of my life and connect it solidly with work."
In his new position, Westerman will be cultivating and driving IBM sales opportunities with LGBT executives and influential decision-makers at large enterprises and government agencies.
"Basically, what I'm going to be doing is working to build IBM's relationship and reputation among the LGBT market," Westerman said. "My team's goal would be to market to LGBT businesses. Something that's really paid off for us is building relationships with decision makers and influencers in larger corporations who happen to be LGBT."
But how does one identify "influencers" in major corporations who happen to be LGBT?
"They don't exactly have it on their business card," Westerman said. "One of the biggest ways is through our EAGLE group, our employee resource groups for the LGBT constituency. EAGLE members will meet people from corporations in their city. For example, I meet people from Ford and Chrysler and Kmart, and they bring those people to our team and say, 'Here's somebody from Sears, or Wells Fargo, and they have a business need that perhaps we can help them with.'"
Locally, Westerman has been helping meet his community's needs for some time, since shortly after coming out in the late 80s.
"I was very heavily involved in the Lutheran Church," he explained. "Many churches have been struggling with LGBT issues for years, and I got involved in that discussion with my church community. Shortly after, I became a member of Affirmations and began learning about the organizations within the gay community."
Westerman has been a member of Affirmations' board of directors since 2000, and was the volunteer campaign director of the center's capital and endowment campaign. For his efforts in helping the center raise its $5.3 million goal, Westerman was awarded with the volunteer of the year award at this year's Community Pride Banquet.
"He never takes the glory, but he does so much," said fellow Affirmations board member B.C. Cabangbang, who points to Westerman's longtime partner Cliff as one source of his strength. "He has a very supportive partner. He gives his time and energy and talent. … I don't think he's replaceable. If he left the board it would be dramatically changed. He's one of those people that really accomplishes a lot and doesn't take any recognition. He doesn't have an agenda. He just wants to do good for his community."
Westerman even taught PowerPoint to Affirmations board members and staff.
"One thing that IBM does is encourage employees to volunteer in the local community by bringing in our IT expertise," said Westerman. "The company calls it an 'on demand opportunity.' I helped with putting together a technology plan to help understand how we could use technology to further Affirmations' mission as we go forward, especially with the new building."
Now, in his new position, Westerman is looking forward to learning a few new tricks himself.
"I sought out this job," he said. "I had been doing the same thing for about eight years and I was looking for an opportunity to learn some new things. I'm looking to learn more about how we set our strategy, our marketing strategy, and how we build relationships with communities outside the corporation.
"It's going to force me to be out everyday," Westerman continued. "You know, if I was in a meeting with a customer in my old job, no one's knows I'm gay. But in this new job, I'm going to be out everyday and that's kind of good to not be able to retreat into a comfort zone. So there are elements of both personal and professional growth in this new job, and that really appeals to me."