Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce members mingle at an event in December. Photo courtesy LAGLCC
certified businesses to access the same contracts and economic development opportunities currently available to businesses owned by women and ethnic minorities. NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson, in a press release, praised the efforts of the city’s affiliate chapter, noting its positive effect on job creation. Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell said, “We hope this executive order in Nashville will encourage more mayors to proactively include the LGBT community for the optimum social and economic health of their cities.” As for the work of her own affiliate chapter, Thomas said the LAGLCC has made the championing of LGBT business-friendly legislation an important part of their mission. She cited a recent successes in that area, such as when 2015 efforts helped secure Governor Brown’s signing of AB1678, which “mandates LGBT inclusion in the diverse spend in the companies regulated by the California Public Utilities… We also advocated for AB53, which requires that national insurance companies doing business in California report their
spend in diverse markets.” Reports generated from the passage of AB53, Thomas said, “has increased the spend in this industry from a few thousand to the low millions.” Thomas said that, for her, one of the most consistent takeaways from having attended past WBA summits has been “seeing the impact LGBT businesses have” on industries, legislation, and economic growth. Often, ideas for innovative practices and new forms of community outreach emerge from WBA groupthink efforts. Such will be the case, Thomas assured, from the summit’s “BreakOut Sessions,” in which experts lead group discussions meant to yield recommendations that can be taken back to the local communities of the WBA’s 21-city, 11-state membership — which includes LGBT chambers of commerce in Anchorage, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tucson. This year’s Break-Out Session topics include niche marketing to millennials, transgender entrepreneurship and freelancing, and
fostering social and corporate responsibility. “Innovation and diversity are crucial to growing a business,” Thomas said, noting these sessions “allow business owners to connect with an audience in ways that were not taught in business schools, as well as use their resources to help an undeserved segment of our community.” Ray Parrish, WBA Summit Chairman, gave an example of how he’s already embraced the charitable aspect of a session addressing LGBTQ youth and veteran homelessness. “If we accept that assumption, that the best way to address homelessness is to prevent it, I can tell you what my company does,” said Parrish, founder of InSight Consulting Partners. “We give to an organization called HEART L.A. [Housing Equality and Advocacy Resource Team] that, during, 2018, helped 195 people and their 123 animals remain housed. It’s what we as an LGBT small business can do on a local level.” For more information about the WBA, and to register for the summit, visit wbasummit2019.com.
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