The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce – now known as the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce – was established when Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell realized no one had considered the economic equality of LGBTQ2+ people or the impact economics could have on the equality movement. The two co-founders sought to showcase LGBTQ2+ people were business owners, employers, taxpayers, providers of healthcare – that they were a vibrant, essential part of the small business engine that makes the U.S. economy run and therefore, deserved a place at the equality table. Their goal was to create an organization that could support LGBTQ2+ business owners and showcase the diversity of talent in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. NGLCC has succeeded in large part due to an amazing team and board combined with the caliber of the businesses, corporate partners and individuals that have become involved over the years.

First NGLCC Conference held in Washington, D.C. Over 80 LGBTQ2+ and allied business leaders attended. The conference has since grown to serve over 1,000 attendees and includes guests from around the world; helped launch the Canadian LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC)

NGLCC created a best-in-class diversity certification program, making the organization the exclusive national third-party certifying body for LGBTQ2+-owned businesses. The Certified LGBTQ2+ Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTQ2+BE®) certification is now in use by over 1/3 of Fortune 500 and federal, state, and local government supply chains nationwide.

nglccNY, the New York Metro regional office and business hub of NGLCC, is launched; NGLCC becomes first-ever LGBTQ organization ever to ring the closing bell at the NY Stock Exchange

NGLCC exceeds 250 Certified LGBTQ2+BE® suppliers in its first four (4) years of certifying, achieving over 500% growth in the LGBTQ2+ Business Enterprise supplier base.

NGLCC launched the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC), formed working group of executive leaders from diverse agencies including: Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC); U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC); U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC); U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC); Disability:IN (formerly USBLN); and WEConnect International; which now also includes National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA), and Women Impacting Public Policy (WiPP)

HRC Corporate Equality Index includes LGBTQ2+ Supplier Diversity

NGLCC Global launched. NGLCC Global™, a division of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, promotes the growth of small businesses and provides the quickest and most effective path to broad-based economic advancement and empowerment of the global LGBTQ2+ community. Through a variety of resources, we connect LGBTQ2+-owned and -allied companies, multinational corporations, and international affiliate chamber leaders and members.

Passage of California’s AB1678. First-in-the-nation public mandate requiring the intentional inclusion of Certified LGBTQ2+ Business Enterprise® companies in contracting with CA Public Utilities;

NGLCC awarded US Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant to establish LGBT+ chambers of commerce in Latin America, the Caribbean, South Africa, and India over a multi-year term

LGBTQ2+ Business Builder forms partnership with Small Business Administration and brings LGBTQ2+ economic opportunity training to 20+ cities across America

Massachusetts becomes the first state to include Certified LGBTQ2+BE® suppliers in contracting. First-in-the-nation statewide inclusion of Certified LGBTQ2+ Business Enterprise® suppliers enacted by MA’s Governor Charlie Baker with the guidance of the NGLCC

HRC Corporate Equality Index Changed to Make LGBTQ2+ Supplier Diversity a Stand Alone Scored Criteria

Memorandum of Understanding signed expanding access to over $13.8 billion in federal contracts for Certified LGBTBE® suppliers with USDA (2016); proceeded by similar MOUs with HUD (2015), Transportation (2014), Labor (2013), SBA (2012), Commerce (2011)

An NGLCC Certified LGBTQ2+BE® becomes the first-ever LGBTQ2+ winner of the SBA’s Small Business of the Year

Pennsylvania becomes the third state to recognize NGLCC’s Certified LGBTQ2+BE® certification for statewide contracting

NGLCC Co-Founders Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell recognized by Candian LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC) for Global Leadership and pioneering efforts to build global recognition for LGBT+ businesses with the CAGLCC’s first-ever Chairperson’s Award

NGLCC celebrates 15 years of LGBTQ2+ business success with 52 Affiliate Chambers, 964 Certified LGBTQ2+BE® Business partners and 157 Corporate Partnerships.

NGLCC releases groundbreaking America’s LGBTQ2+ Economy Report, the first-ever exploration of the economic impact of LGBTQ2+-owned businesses on the U.S. economy. Over $1.7 TRILLION dollars is added to the GDP by LGBTQ2+-owned businesses, and NGLCC Certified LGBTQ2+BE® suppliers alone have created over 33,000 jobs. (*Current statistics reported by the NGLCC as of July 2017)

Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR) voted to expand the criteria in evaluating a corporation’s billion dollar supply chain spend on diverse-owned businesses to include: Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) companies, Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs®), Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (SDV-DOBETM), and Veteran-Disability Owned Business Enterprises (V-DOBEsTM)

Harvard Ash Center Bright Idea in Government awarded to the SBA’s Office of Field Operations for its collaboration with the NGLCC on the LGBTQ2+ Business Builder Outreach Initiative.

Renamed the “National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.” This change, which is accompanied by an organizational visual rebranding, moves to better include the bisexual and transgender members of the LGBTQ2+ business community for which NGLCC has fiercely advocated over the previous 15 years.

NGLCC certifies its 1,000th Certified LGBTQ2+ Business Enterprise®

NGLCC and NMSDC make history with the first-ever LGBTQ2+ reception held at the National Minority Supplier Development Council conference

NGLCC wins Certified LGBTQ2+BE® inclusion in Baltimore, MD; Jersey City, NJ; and Hoboken, NJ, while also advancing statewide bills in New York and New Jersey

NGLCC Global hosts first ever UK/EU Global LGBTQ2+I Business Summit

NGLCC Co-Founders Honored by Matthew Shepard Foundation for LGBTQ2+Q Community Leadership

NGLCC formally establishes the Transgender & Gender Non-Conforming Task Force; sees 400% growth in the first two (2) months of operation

NGLCC passes Certified LGBTBE® inclusion in 13 additional cities, counties, and government agencies (www.nglcc.org/public-sector)

NGLCC formally establishes Communities of Color Initiative

NGLCC launches 18th global affiliate LGBT chamber of commerce in Japan,

In response to COVID-19, NGLCC immediately pivots to virtual programming ensuring financial literacy and small business training, including the NGLCC LGBT Sip & PItch program; Webinar Wednesdays; virtual matchmakers, and more. NGLCC establishes an extensive COVID-19 Resource Hub for the LGBT Business Community.

Grubhub Teams Up with National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to Support LGBTQ+-Owned Restaurants During Pride Month 2021

Boston Mayor Moves to Include LGBT Businesses

Houston is First in Texas to Include LGBT Businesses

GSA & NGLCC Sign Historic MOU to Support LGBTQ-Owned Businesses

NGLCC, Grubhub, and Playbill Award $100K to NYC Bars & Restaurants at “Pride in Times Square”

New Jersey Becomes Next State to Include LGBTQ-Owned Businesses in State Economic Opportunities

NGLCC Launches New Program To Grow LGBT-Owned Business Skillset in Collaboration With Founding Partner Wells Fargo