Letter from the Interim President & CEO

GSBA members and friends,

It is late June 2022, and we just went through a rollercoaster of emotions. We celebrated Pride month to commemorate the uprising of our LGBTQ+ community, fight for our human rights, provide role models, build community, and highlight our collective contributions. This year we have faced multiple historic and horrific Supreme Court decisions, including the overturning Roe v. Wade; witnessed the introduction of over 100 anti-trans bills across the country; and violent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Yet we will rise and bravely face what is coming next. We are ready! We will organize, we will vote in every election, we will run for office, and we will be visible!

We are coming out of a pandemic that has devastated many small businesses and kept others hanging on by a thread. GSBA is here to support small businesses, especially marginalized small businesses with access to education, access to capital and economic opportunities. We look forward to deepening our partnerships with our sponsors who allow us to focus on our work in the small business community.

GSBA is proud of its 41 years of service to the LGBTQ+ business community. As the interim President & CEO, I am committed to leading this organization that works tirelessly towards achieving economic and educational equity.

In this Guide to GSBA, you will find stories of some of our incredible members across Washington State, as well as the myriad ways GSBA helps support our community, grow small businesses, and fight for LGBTQ+ rights. There is a small print run of this publication, but it is primarily a digital document, unlike the iconic GSBA Guide & Directory that you are familiar with from the last 40 years. We have included a listing of our members at the time of publication at the back of this Guide, and you can always find up-to-date listings at theGSBA.org.

We hope that you will take a few moments to learn more about our members featured here, as well as the ways that GSBA can help to grow your business, improve your workplace, and connect you with the LGBTQ+ community. We have more programs directly supporting our workplaces than ever before, from our LGBTQ+ inclusion trainings to the new Business Academy to free one-on-one business consulting. We bring policymakers from every level - city, county, regional, state, and federal – directly to our members to understand your perspectives and needs. The GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund is stronger than ever, and we are establishing new ways to support the whole student in their educational path. Travel Out Seattle is spreading the word of our state’s magnificent attractions as tourism starts up again after a difficult few years. And while our membership is statewide, our special commitment to our home neighborhood of is deepening every day through the Capitol Hill Business Alliance.

As we begin this period of recovery from the pandemic, we ask you to make a commitment to actively patronize GSBA members and cultivate our local LGBTQ+ economy and community.

In community,

Ilona Lohrey

GSBA Interim President & CEO

Being Trans in the Trades

with Ryan Riley (she/her), NW Roofing Services

When Ryan Riley, a 34-year-old trans woman with a long and successful career in construction, set out to start her own feminist, queer-friendly roofing company, she had a clear vision of creating a safe and welcoming place for all skilled workers in the trades. Creating a purpose-driven business that eliminated the rampant misogyny and toxic environment of the construction industry was her focus, along with “creating a space for others like her that deserve a space,” she says.

Before she started Snohomish-based Northwest Roofing Services in the fall of 2021, she had worked in the industry for ten years, four of those managing a multi-million dollar company. When she told the owner of the roofing company that she was trans, Ryan was handed her last paycheck and let go. She knew then that it was up to her to create a safe, equitable business that welcomed skilled LGBTQ trade workers. And as she continues her first year in business, hiring her first full-time employee is on the horizon this spring.

Ryan is a graduate of the GSBA Small Business Incubator, which worked with her to refine her business plan, provide vital educational and mentorship resources and set clear and actionable goals for her roofing business. Ryan shared with us her experience working with GSBA and how her business is doing today.

How did you discover GSBA?

I was part of a peer support group through the Ingersoll Gender Center. There was a chat on Discord about how difficult it is being a trans business owner, and GSBA came up. They were so supportive about my idea to start my business and the vision I had for my company. I was instantly energized and saw a path forward.

Navigating business ownership, especially as a trans woman, comes with its own challenges. What are some of the solutions you’ve found that could help other queer business owners, especially those in a trade profession?

Having a purpose-driven business has helped me push forward and meet so many people that have reached out and expressed an interest in working with me. They know they will be safe and free of the toxic, hypermasculine environment in the trades. The queer and trans people I know have worked so hard just to exist; their chosen profession shouldn’t have to also be difficult. My vision of my company’s growth and hiring more people like me keeps me going.

Describe your experience in the GSBA Small Business Incubator Program.

The way the information was presented was interactive and engaging — much more helpful than any college courses I took, which I found difficult due to learning challenges. It was like boot camp. I was exposed to other entrepreneurs, and Levi Coffin, my business mentor, was an incredible, direct resource I could lean on to answer questions and sift through the requirements and all the other things you need to do and know when starting a business. I’ve also gotten at least one customer that was referred to me through GSBA, which is exciting. GSBA is an amazing space for a queer, trans entrepreneur like me to connect with others in the community. I’m excited to continue working with the organization as my business continues to grow.

What are the goals for your business?

In five years, I hope to be a $10 million company with 20–30 employees. I want to offer my employees a vested stake in the company and incorporate profit sharing — that is a model I think is incredibly powerful. I want to leave this company to the community and ensure that it is known as a place where all are welcome to be their authentic selves. Ultimately, I’d love to pass this company on so I can focus on my true passions: makeup, barbecuing, and being of service to others. Roofing is my job, though, and I hope this business can be a part of a better community.

What is next for NW Roofing Service?

I will be doing a GoFundMe campaign this spring that will allow me to grow some capital, so I can build a reserve to prepurchase materials and bid for larger projects that will keep my future employees busy. Also, I’ll be working with GSBA and Ventures to seek nontraditional business lending solutions. What I’m most excited about is connecting with people as my authentic self as a business owner and employer. Leaning into my power, growing my business with purpose and living authentically — that’s an exciting next chapter.

To learn more about NW Roofing Services, visit www.facebook.com/Ryan.Riley.Roofer.

Catching up with GSBA Scholar

Alejandra Silva Hernández (she/her)

Alejandra Silva Hernández is a five-time GSBA scholar (undergraduate and graduate). She is currently a Master’s of Public Health student at Columbia University and a research coordinator at the UW Medical Center. Her goals are to treat patients while also addressing structural racism and disparities that impact their health outcomes.

Recently - for the second time! - she was part of the winning team at MIT’s Hacking Racism in Healthcare hackathon event. Due to that success, she has been offered a job to support other pre-med students from underrepresented backgrounds in many the same ways that she found support from the GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund. Scholarship Program Manager Kamryn Kurtzner caught up with Alejandra to hear more about her incredible success at the hackathon.

What’s been your favorite part about participating in MIT Hackathons now that you’ve won two years in a row?

The first time that I applied, I wanted to go all in. That meant taking on leadership roles and giving my own little mini-pitch so that I could get on a team. Once on a team, I asked to be CEO, and everyone was supportive. If I hadn’t made that commitment to myself, I would have taken more of a back seat. And it was all these little bits that just added up that built up my confidence. The first year, when my team won, I thought it was amazing — but it must be a fluke! Then the second year it happened, I’m like, okay, maybe there’s something’s there! That’s been the greatest thing, just building my confidence.

After winning for the second year in a row, you have now been offered a job at a nonprofit, creating scholarships for pre-med students. How does it feel to do this work?

It’s something that I always envisioned doing some time in my life. I’m feeling more comfortable with the idea that I could become an executive in a social enterprise or a nonprofit. I feel confident in mentoring students, but now also can create that much-needed financial support. That was huge for me, to have GSBA telling me every day that I could go to college, that I could be successful.

But without GSBA’s financial support, that wouldn’t have been possible. GSBA was able to do that for me, and that I’m hoping that this new scholarship can do the same for future medical students, so they can focus on the MCAT without worrying about expensive prep courses or rent.

What do you wish others knew about the Hackathon?

With so many amazing leaders and CEOs there giving advice, I think it’s really important for us queer folk to make our presence known. I would just love to see more queer people represented, because it does feel a little bit lonely when you’re the only brown person on your team or you’re the only sexual minority or woman. The Hackathon is one of the spaces where we can make those connections; we can grow our network, spread our ideas and get support. We have so much knowledge from lived, worked, and academic experience that could be brought into this space, and then create a solution. It’s an international platform, and we need to talk about queer rights in all sectors!