For the First Time, NFL Includes Certified LGBTBE® Companies in Diversity Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nov. 10, 2014—When the NFL teams take the field during Super Bowl 50 in Feb. 2016, there will be more than one winner in the stadium. Diversity will also score a touchdown as the NFL and San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee include Bay Area Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® companies in their Business Connect program for contracting opportunities related to the championship game.
Business Connect’s goal is to increase opportunities for historically under-represented businesses to conduct Super Bowl business, as well as to support individual business growth through networking events and educational programs. Such partnerships between national sport associations and the LGBT business community have proven to be productive in the past; NGLCC has a similar relationship with the United States Tennis Association.
“We are honored the NFL would entrust our process for determining if an entity is a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise®. This is exactly why we created NGLCC and a great example of the doors we help open. We encourage the NFL and all its teams to continue to work closely with the diverse businesses in their communities that are ready to provide products and services,” says Justin Nelson, co-founder and president, NGLCC. “We are also proud of the Golden Gate Business Association, which is an NGLCC affiliate chamber, for its leadership in these efforts.”
Business Connect is open to businesses located in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region that are certified as: Minority-owned (MBE), Women-owned (WBE), Disabled Veteran-owned (DVBE) and now LGBT-owned (Certified LGBTBE®).
NGLCC, the exclusive third party LGBT certification program, offers LGBT-certification to businesses that are at least 51 percent LGBT-owned. Further details about how businesses gain certification as a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise®are available at www.nglcc.org.
The application period for Business Connect will launch on Nov. 17, with applications accepted through April 30, 2015. The NFL’s procurement process and competitive bidding for Super Bowl 50 will begin in June 2015.
Bay Area businesses interested in learning more about Business Connect should attend one of two Kickoff Workshops taking place in November, which will include information on the program, certifications, qualifying business categories and the Super Bowl 50 procurement process. The workshops will include presentations from representatives of the NFL and its key contractors, Super Bowl 50 Host Committee staff and corporate sponsors.
The Kickoff Workshops will take place:
Mon., Nov. 17
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
1:30–3:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 19
Moscone Center, San Francisco
7:30–9:30 a.m.
To attend a Kickoff Workshop, interested parties must register on the host committee’s website at www.sfbaysuperbowl.com/business-connect. Both workshops are free, but pre-registration is required for attendance.
“The inclusion of LGBT businesses to one of the world’s most revered sporting events creates an opportunity for LGBT businesses to competitively bid, along with our colleagues in the minority, women and Disabled Veteran business community, and showcase the best that small business has to offer. Let Super Bowl 50 be known as the first Super Bowl to include LGBT business participation, but let’s use this opportunity to play it forward for all Super Bowls to follow,” says Robb Fleischer, president, GGBA.
“This provides LGBT businesses, that are known for their innovation, the opportunity to compete for business at an event that commands the attention of the world,” says Dawn Ackerman, vice president, GGBA. “The Bay Area is the center of the equality movement and the game will be played at Levi’s Stadium, which is named after a brand that has always been at the forefront of equality for all communities—it is very appropriate.”
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The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global not-for-profit advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT owned businesses. www.nglcc.org
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