Washington D.C. –- The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, is excited to announce that NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson will be attending the final LGBT Business Builder event of 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, October 12.
The LGBT Business Builder is a hyper-local business education and resource-sharing program first launched in February 2015 as a result of a Strategic Alliance Memorandum between NGLCC and the SBA. In keeping with NGLCC’s mission, the LGBT Business Builder is intended to further the LGBT movement through the economic advancement of LGBT entrepreneurs.
“At its heart, America is a country that builds things, especially businesses. It is gratifying to know the leadership of the Small Business Administration sees the value of LGBT citizens who have wondered for too long how they can also gain a seat at the table. This program will ensure they will understand the value of becoming an LGBT-certified businesses and all the SBA resources that are available to them. We commend Administrator Contreras-Sweet for putting an unprecedented focus on harnessing the potential of LGBT-owned businesses,” says Justin Nelson, president and co-founder, NGLCC.
The strategic locations of these events reflect surging momentum toward LGBT business inclusion in some of the top entrepreneurial centers in America brings the combined resources of NGLCC and SBA to America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners. Nashville was selected as the final stop on this cross-country tour, which has held events in eight cities so far on 2016.
This year, NGLCC honored the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce with the Rising Star Award at the 2016 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in Palm Springs, CA. This prestigious award honors a chamber that has exhibited a steep trajectory of growth, new vitality and relevance in their local LGBT business community and a demonstrated commitment to being part of the broader national movement, which is one of the many reasons that Nashville was selected to host this final LGBT Business Builder event.
“While not a new chamber, the pace of our growth over the last four years has been phenomenal. We owe this success to our leadership, members and corporate partners as well as the overwhelming support we received from the NGLCC team. This recognition symbolizes the hard work, passion, and collaboration that has allowed us to achieve success and continue our journey of making Nashville a welcoming city for LGBT business owners and professionals,” said Lisa Howe, Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director.
“[The LGBT Business Builder] is about ensuring that entrepreneurs who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender have the support they need to excel. I’m here because we cannot separate the fight for civil rights from the fight for market rights and economic empowerment,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet at the 2015 launch of the program. “This agreement is not about what we will do here in D.C., but what we will do together in all 50 states to help LGBT entrepreneurs grow their revenues and their payroll.”
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About National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
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
NGLCC MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan D. Lovitz
Senior Vice President, NGLCC
954.695.5896
