Did y’all see the Pride flags all over Winter Park this past summer? The beautiful sight was hard to miss. And it’s entirely thanks to Thor Falk.
Inspired by the efforts of his niece’s hometown in Massachusetts, Thor created the Winter Park PRIDE Project, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity within the city. The Project’s first year was a huge success, blanketing Winter Park with Pride flags, bumper stickers and other symbols of LGBTQ Pride throughout the month of June. He even got the city involved, raising enough money for them to post Pride banners on many of the lamp posts.
His reason for starting the project? “I believe these flags will give Winter Park residents an opportunity to show their support and, in doing so, help LGBTQ+ people of all ages to know they are a valued part of the Winter Park community,” Thor said.
A long-time member and supporter of The Pride Chamber (formerly MBA Orlando), Thor’s company Falk Research was one of our region’s first certified LGBT Businesses, and he has spent countless hours over the years helping other LGBTQ entrepreneurs get certified and grow their businesses.
A fellow business owner said this about him, “Over the past [decade] I’ve known Thor, I’m impressed at how he’s stayed the calming, strong, uplifting force in the background, never claiming center stage, always considering the greater good … they broke the mold when they made him.”
It’s true. Thor is one of the smartest, most thoughtful and remarkable humans I know. He has also been the most pandemic-productive! In addition to launching WPPP, his drive for knowledge and passion for helping people led him to fulfill two other lifelong goals this past year – becoming a realtor and a certified personal coach.
When asked a while back about his hard work and dedication, Thor said, “I believe we, as business owners, have a responsibility to demonstrate how LGBTQ people contribute fully to society on many fronts, including business. My involvement with The Pride Chamber is just one of the ways I try to live with pride and authenticity as a gay man.”
With his wit, charm and kindness, Thor brightens any room he’s in. He has this way of making people feel good about themselves. He inspires us all to do more, and to be more.
To learn more about the Winter Park Pride Project, visit WinterParkPrideProject.org.
To view the full list of Watermark’s Remarkable People of 2021, click here.
