For Immediate Release
July 9, 2020
Washington, DC – The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, is proud to announce Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez and the Miami City Commission have approved a measure to include NGLCC Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) suppliers in contracting and procurement opportunities, as well as capacity building and educational programs from small businesses, throughout the city. For LGBT citizens of Miami, this inclusive policy provides fair and equal access to economic development programs that drive innovation, create jobs, and promote economic growth throughout Miami.
“Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Suarez and of our local affiliate chamber, the Miami Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, LGBT entrepreneurs in the Miami region will now have the opportunity to create jobs and develop innovations that benefit all who live there. Miami has a legacy of leadership in promoting inclusivity at every level of public life. Now, history has been made here in Miami, and this victory for inclusivity has once again proved our core values that ‘diversity is good for business’ and that ‘if you can buy it, a certified LGBT-owned business can supply it.’ We are excited to see LGBTBEs in every field, from construction to catering and everything in between, help grow the economy of Miami and beyond,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & President Justin Nelson
“The Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and LBGT businesses applaud the action taken by the City of Miami Commission in the passage of today’s resolution. Thank you Mayor Suarez for demonstrating strong leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion by creating a more balanced process in the area of City of Miami procurement. These types of civic actions demonstrate that Miami is a forward-looking city that embraces equality and provides a level playing field for all its citizens,’ said Steve Adkins, President/CEO, Miami Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; NGLCC’s 2019 Chamber of the Year.
This policy makes Miami the largest city in Florida to intentionally include LGBT-owned businesses in municipal contracting and procurement opportunities, a best practice of the private sector and of an ever-growing number of states and municipalities. Thanks to the advocacy of NGLCC and its state and local affiliate chambers like the Miami Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Miami follows in the footsteps of Orlando, Tampa, and Orange County, FL, and joins Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY as inclusive leaders in the southern United States.
In August 2019, at the 2019 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in Tampa, FL, openly LGBT Mayor Jane Castor announced an executive order to include Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in her city. This order followed Mayor Eric Garcetti’s historic announcement to do the same in Los Angeles just days before. In 2018 and early 2019, NGLCC won the inclusion of Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Baltimore, MD; Jersey City, NJ; and Hoboken, NJ, while also advancing statewide bills in New York and New Jersey. Currently, California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania also include Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in city procurement, along with major cities like Seattle, Newark, Columbus, and Philadelphia. A bill was introduced in the New York City Council to include Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in the largest economy in America, and is expected to pass in 2020.
“While we have a long way to go for LGBT equality in the region, south Florida has always had a strong and growing network of NGLCC Certified LGBTBE® suppliers and LGBT-owned companies. We hope this resolution in Miami will encourage more cities to proactively include the LGBT community for the optimum social and economic health of their cities. Collectively, LGBT-owned businesses contribute to the $1.7 trillion dollars that the LGBT business community puts into the national economy. Progressive and inclusive leadership, like that of Mayor Suarez and the City Council, will ensure greater access to the American Dream for every American,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & CEO Chance Mitchell.
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NGLCC MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan Lovitz
Senior Vice President, NGLCC
press@nglcc.org
954-695-5896
ABOUT NGLCC:
The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses, known as Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) companies. www.nglcc.org @nglcc
