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NGLCC

MBA Orlando is proud to be an affiliate member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Through this affiliation, all MBA Orlando members receive free membership in the NGLCC.

The NGLCC is the business advocate and direct link between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) business owners, corporations, and government, representing the interests of more than 1.4 million LGBT businesses and entrepreneurs. The NGLCC is committed to forming a broad-based coalition of LGBT owned and friendly businesses, professionals, and major corporations for the purpose of promoting economic growth and the prosperity of our members.

What NGLCC Does:

  • Facilitate cooperation among state and local LGBT chambers and business groups.

  • Provide the ability to collect and disseminate news and information central to the success of LGBT businesses and professionals on a national level.

  • Partner with the financial services sector to enhance opportunities for members to start or grow their business.

  • Work with corporate partners, other organizations and the community at large to ensure increased opportunity and equality for LGBT professionals.

  • Provide supplier diversity certification to help LGBT businesses gain more procurement opportunities.

  • Stay on the forefront of legislative issues and provide strong advocacy efforts for LGBT business causes.


What NGLCC Provides:

  • Free membership for MBA Orlando members

  • Free certification as a LGBT Business Enterprise for MBA Orlando members

  • Discounts from their many corporate partners

  • Information and support to MBA Orlando


What is Supplier Diversity?

Supplier Diversity is a procurement program that includes specific opportunity for minority-owned businesses. This can include business owned by:

  • LGBT individuals

  • Women

  • Minority group members (Asian-Indian, Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic, Native American)

  • Military Veterans

Every year, corporations, as well as local and national governing organizations, purchase millions and even billions of dollars of goods and services from their suppliers. These can be raw materials to create their own goods, finished products from pens to copiers or services.

Prior to purchasing, they make specific goals about how those contracts should be allocated, including a dollar amount or percentage that they want to spend with minority and small businesses. This diversification of their procurement supply chain is known as Supplier Diversity.

Minority businesses historically have included businesses owned by women, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos. The Women's Business Enterprise National Council works to certify businesses as Women owned Business Enterprises (WBE), while the National Minority Supplier Development Council works to certify businesses as Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBE). Many companies and governments refer to the inclusion of these certified business as M/WBE Programs.

 

LGBT Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI)

In 2002, NGLCC and its corporate partners saw a need for a LGBT diversity certification program to create business development opportunities for LGBT owned Business Enterprises (LGBTBE). To meet this need, the NGLCC Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI) was founded as the exclusive, independent third-party certifying organization of LGBTBEs. The NGLCC Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI) was inspired by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council and the National Minority Supplier Development Council and their missions to create opportunities for women and minority owned businesses within corporate supply chains.

This initiative certifies Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender owned Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs) and works to provide opportunities for LGBTBEs to gain exposure within corporate procurement processes.

Today, NGLCC’s more than 130 corporate partners include LGBTBE’s in their supply chain. At least 30 of these corporate partners have offices in Central Florida.

MBA Orlando cooperates with NGLCC to provide regionally based corporations a stream of LGBTBE’s by certifying Central Florida businesses. If you are a corporate representative to include or add LGBTBEs to your diverse supply chain, please e-mail Corporate Development Director Jason Holstein [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ].

 

Reasons for Corporations to engage in LGBT Supplier Diversity

  • Demonstrate your commitment to diversity

  • Track the amount you spend with LGBT-owned businesses

  • Brand loyalty can be driven through minority outreach

 

LGBTBE Certification

Businesses that are LGBT-owned and operated can certify their business as LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBE) through NGLCC’s Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI).

Certification as an LGBTBE gives your business the opportunity to compete for sourcing contracts with the NGLCC's Corporate Supplier Diversity Partners. These Corporate Partners are committed to creating a diverse supply chain that is inclusive of LGBT businesses, and have targeted amounts for spending with diverse business enterprises. Getting your business certified is a necessary element of gaining access to these millions of corporate dollars, and also includes these additional benefits:

  • National recognition by America's top corporations as a certified LGBT Business Enterprise
  • Eligibility to exhibit at the annual NGLCC Business and Leadership Conference, as well as at regional events
  • Automatic inclusion in the NGLCC's online searchable database of certified businesses, which is accessible by NGLCC Corporate Partners
  • Use of the NGLCC Certified Business logo on your marketing materials, which identifies your business as a certified LGBT Business Enterprise through the NGLCC to the NGLCC's national network
  • Eligibility to receive sourcing opportunities e-mails from the NGLCC and its Corporate Partners
  • Eligibility to participate in mentorship programs, leadership trainings, and scholarship opportunities presented by NGLCC Corporate Partners


What are the minimum criteria for certification?

  • Be at least 51% owned, operated, managed and controlled by an LGBT person or persons who are either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
  • Exercise independence from any non-LGBT business enterprise
  • Have your principle place of business (headquarters) in the United States
  • Have been formed as a legal entity in the United States

For more information, please e-mail Corporate Development Director Jason Holstein [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ].

Steps to Certification

  • Complete the application
    • Pick an application up at MBA Orlando Headquarters
    • Submit an online application
      • (http://www.nglcc.org/programs/supplierdiversity/stepstocertification)
  • Send all supporting documentation to the NGLCC
  • Host a Site Visit (If you are an MBA Orlando member, one of our board members will conduct the sit visit)
  • Application is sent to an NGLCC Certification Committee for review

 

Benefits / Discounts
- http://nglcc.org/membership/memberoffers


LGBT Leadership Institute
- http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27612.xml


NGLCC Biz
- link to NGLCC.org/biz


Central Florida’s NGLCC Diverse Suppliers

The following corporations are NGLCC Corporate Partners who believe in LGBT-inclusive supplier diversity practices and have membership in MBA Orlando.

Aetna

AT&T

Bank of America

Darden

Met Life

NY Life

Target


Verizon Wireless

Wells Fargo