Philadelphia, PA – The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, awarded the Independence Business Alliance (IBA) with a $5,000 Chamber Development Grant for its SDI Programming at the 2017 International Business & Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the NGLCC, this grant is awarded to support and provide increased visibility to the LGBT Business Summit. The main goal of the program is to foster the development, growth, and sustainability of NGLCC’s 1,000 certified LGBT Business Enterprises® (LGBTBEs®). “The NGLCC is excited to see the Independence Business Alliance grow as an organization and a voice in the LGBT owned and allied businesses community,” said Sam McClure, NGLCC Senior Vice President. They have shown tremendous growth in the size of their business membership and outreach programs, embodying the mission that NGLCC has continuously strived for.” “Wells Fargo is a proud, long-time supporter of NGLCC, and we share their commitment to helping small business owners succeed financially,” said Lisa Stevens, Wells Fargo head of Small Business. “We are dedicated to providing funding that will support their entrepreneurship and leadership training programs, along with educational tools and resources to help diverse-owned business in communities across America grow and thrive.”
“The SDI Programming has become a vital resource to our members as they develop their businesses and engage in strategic planning,” said Zach Wilcha, Executive Director of IBA. “The program furthers our mission of supporting our members through business growth, education, and advocacy. We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from Wells Fargo and NGLCC which will allow us to expand and enrich our program.”
ABOUT NGLCC: The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce 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. www.nglcc.org | @NGLCC
ABOUT WELLS FARGO: Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $2 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo serves approximately 3 million small business owners across the United States and loans more money to America’s small businesses than any other bank (2016 SBA government data). To help more small businesses achieve financial success, in 2014 Wells Fargo introduced Wells Fargo Works for Small Business® – a broad initiative to deliver resources, guidance and services for business owners – and a goal to extend $100 billion in new lending to small businesses by 2018. For more information about Wells Fargo Works for Small Business, visit: WellsFargoWorks.com. Follow us on Twitter @WellsFargoWorks.
ABOUT INDEPENDENCE BUSINESS ALLIANCE: The mission of the Independence Business Alliance is to promote Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT business and leadership communities to enhance financial opportunities, foster diversity, develop leadership and collaboration and advocate for positive change.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Jonathan Lovitz, Senior Vice President, NGLCC jlovitz@nglcc.org 954-695-5896
Zach Wilcha, Executive Director, IBA zach@thinkiba.com 215-557-0190