Contents

Letter from the President and CEO

Chamber Leadership

Reflecting on the Pride In Business Awards

Thank you to our Pride In Business Sponsors

2022 Pride In Business Honorees

Gretchen Sheirr spearheads Houston Rockets Pride Night

Silver Eagle Distributors Houston highlights city’s diversity for marketing, media and event programs

Hawthorne Capital aims to increase LGBTQ+ wealth

Dalton DeHart on preserving Houston’s iconic LGBTQ+ history

Chevron’s David Feldman assists LGBTQ+ companies,

provides guidance on navigating corporate supply chains

Office of Business Opportunity expands mission,

implements Mayor Turner’s directives

MD Anderson Cancer Center’s LGBT Network, Decades of

Inclusion

Legacy Community Health serves more than 200,000 as the largest community clinic in Texas

Chamber Board Treasurer Shenice Brown forwards Chamber mission to accelerate economic inclusion

MEMBER DIRECTORY

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The Leading Voice for the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ and Allied Business Community

Mission

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce accelerates economic opportunity for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer +

business community through a strong network of business allies, innovative

programs, strategic partnerships

and advance policies that foster

economic inclusion and equality.

Letter from the

President & CEO

Happy Pride!

Pride Month is about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. The Chamber has been celebrating throughout the month with our signature Pride In Business Celebration & Awards, with many of our sports teams and our Business Level Members and Corporate Partners. The community will be active with events planned throughout the month including the return of Houston’s Pride Parade. I have no doubt it will be a wonderful month of celebration but also of reflection and contemplation.

With so much going on in this world, it’s important to celebrate but to also reflect and contemplate. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about what celebration means when there is so much adversity facing the LGBTQ+ community and facing our world. The LGBTQ+ community continues to be under attack from legislatures across the country, especially the transgender community in Texas. Read the entirety of my annual Chamber Pride Month message here.

The Pride In Business Celebration was a huge success! It was wonderful to be back in person again and celebrate the LGBTQ+ business community and be joined by our special guests. Visit http://houstonprideinbusiness.lgbt/ to learn more about the event.

During the event, the Chamber presented 11 deserving individuals and organizations with the 2022 Pride In Business Awards. In this Pride issue, we highlight these well-deserving honorees for their incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.

We round out this issue with a highlight of one of our Chamber leaders, Shenice Brown, who serves on the board. She gives back to the Chamber in many ways! Read about why she feels the work and mission of the Chamber is important for the LGBTQ+ community.

And, finally, we appreciate our many advertisers in this issue of Business Intersections, including our cover sponsor, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Thank you for your support of the magazine and the Chamber. Because of you, this is our most successful issue to date!  We are grateful to you.

Business Intersections gives the Chamber a great opportunity to tell the stories of our amazing LGBTQ+ & Allied businesses and highlight those that are making an impact in the community. If you’re not part of the Chamber, now is a great time to join! Whether a business owner or professional, we would love to get you engaged in the Chamber!

Learn more at https://bit.ly/JoinTodayLGBTQChamber.

With Pride,

Tammi Wallace

Co-Founder, President & CEO

p.s. Not a member of the Chamber? Now is a great time to join and maybe your business will be featured in an upcoming Business Intersections issue! Learn more here.

Building a More

Diverse and Inclusive Business Community

Chamber hosts 2nd annual

Pride In Business Awards Celebration

By Ann Piccininni

Excellence in business and community was recognized Wednesday, June 22 when the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce presented its 2nd annual Pride in Business Awards at the Downtown Aquarium.

“We hosted this event last year, virtually and launched the Pride In Business Awards. We are so excited to deliver these awards in person this year,” said Tammi Wallace, Chamber Co-founder, President and CEO. “It’s all about recognizing contributions, building a more diverse and inclusive business community.”

Wallace said that while many awards are given to LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations, the Pride in Business Awards are unique in that they focus, during Pride Month, on celebrating business organizations, especially the small “mom and mom and pop and pop” businesses and individuals who give back through the business community.

The Pride In Business Awards were presented in 11 categories during the luncheon event.

“We gathered Chamber members, board members and corporate partners to serve on an awards nomination committee,” and

“We received multiple nominations in each of the categories. It was a challenge to select just one honoree in each category,” Wallace said.

UK Minister for Exports and Equalities, Mike Freer, and the UK LGBTQ+ Leaders Trade Mission Delegation were special guests at the event, as well as Reggie Greer, Senior Advisor to the US Special Envoy to advance the Human Rights of LGBTI+ Persons, U.S. State Department.

The Chamber partnered with the British Consulate-General Houston on the first UK LGBTQ+ Leaders Trade Mission to Texas. The Trade Mission is a group of tech-focused businesses, owned by LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs interested in doing business in Texas.

Highlights from the awards presention include:

Photographer and community icon, Dalton DeHart, was given the Community Legacy Award for his long-term commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.

Supply Chain Advisor David Feldman was presented with the Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award in recognition of his advocacy of diversity and inclusion in the larger business community through his role at Chevron.

And Tim Jeffcoat, Houston District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, was awarded the Chamber Champion Award for his strong advocacy for the Chamber, the LGBTQ+ community and the allied business community.

Other 2022 Pride in Business Award Honorees were: Corporate Partner of the Year, Silver Eagle Distributors Houston; Corporate LGBTQ+ Ally of the Year, Gretchen Sheirr, President of Business Operations for the Houston Rockets; LGBTQ+ Business of the Year, Hawthorne Capital; Allied Business of the Year, Sesh Coworking; Employee Resource Group of the Year, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center LGBT Network; Nonprofit Member of the Year, Legacy Community Health; LGBTBE® Certified Business of the Year, Crom Rehabilitation; and the Chamber Advocacy Award, City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity.

The Chamber congratulates all of the 2022 Pride in Business Honorees. See the full list at https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/pib-honorees-2022/.

Chamber Leadership

Jack Berger

Director of Sales and Business Development

Tammi Wallace

Co-Founder,

President & CEO

Tiffany Tosh

Board Chair

Thomas Lopez
Secretary

Shenice Brown

Treasurer

Jonathan Marrs

Board Member

Jason Rocha

Board Member

Corporate Partner of the Year • Silver Eagle Distributors Houston

The Corporate Partner of the Year Award is given to a company that has shown a strong commitment to positively growing the LGBTQ+ and Allied business community. The company’s actions throughout the year show outstanding support for the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.

Allied Business of the Year • Sesh Coworking

Allies play a pivotal role in the Chamber. We are proud to honor an Allied-owned business with the Pride In Business Allied Business of the Year Award, which recognizes a commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion through work, actions and visible support of the community. This business has a proven track record of success and involvement and is a strong champion of the Chamber and the LGBTQ+ community.

Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year • David Feldman, Supply Chain Advisor –

Supplier Diversity, Chevron Corporate Procurement, Chevron Services Company

This next award is given to an individual who works in supplier diversity or procurement and has been a champion for the mission of the Chamber and its members.

Chamber Advocacy Award (Organization or Individual) • City of Houston, Office of Business Opportunity

This award is given to an organization that is a strong advocate for the Chamber and the LGBTQ+ & Allied business community. Through its work and impact, this organization advances economic opportunity and prosperity for the LGBTQ+ & Allied business community.

LGBTQ+ Business of the Year • Hawthorne Capital

This award is given to an LGBTQ+-owned member business that is an active participant and champion of the Chamber with a proven track record of success and it serves as a strong example for other Chamber members.

Chamber Champion Award (Individual) • Tim Jeffcoat, District Director,

Houston, U.S. Small Business Administration

The final award is given to a person who is a strong advocate for the Chamber and the LGBTQ+ & Allied business community. Through their work and impact, this person advances economic opportunity and prosperity for LGBTQ+ & Allied businesses, especially BIPOC, trans and women owned businesses.

Congratulations to the 2022

Pride In Business Honorees!

The Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce held its signature event, Pride In Business, on June 22, 2022, to celebrate Pride Month.  During the event, the Chamber presented the 2022 Pride In Business Awards. 

The Pride In Business Awards recognize the contributions made by Chamber members, Corporate Partners and other key stakeholders in building a more diverse and inclusive business community in Houston and the region. The awards, which were launched last year, spotlight deserving companies and individuals and showcase the amazing work they are doing to support the LGBTQ+ community. 

Learn more about the 2022 Pride In Business Honorees at

https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/pib-honorees-2022/

Employee Resource Group of the Year • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center LGBT Network

This award is given to a Chamber Corporate Partner business or employee resource group that works to build and support a workplace culture of inclusion and acceptance. The group is an outstanding example of advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ employees and the community.

LGBTBE® Certified Business of the Year • Crom Rehabilitation

This award is given to an LGBTBE® Certified Member Business with a proven track record of success utilizing the certification to promote their business and serve as a strong example for other Chamber members in terms of business success.

Corporate LGBTQ+ Ally of the Year • Gretchen Sheirr, President of Business Operations, Houston Rockets

This award is given to an individual who has a positive impact within their company as a champion for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Community Legacy Award • Dalton DeHart, Founder, Dalton DeHart Photographic Foundation

This award honors an individual or organization that has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. Through the actions of advocacy, service, education or community initiatives, they have made a significant and positive impact for the LGBTQ+ community.

Nonprofit Member of the Year • Legacy Community Health

This award is given to a nonprofit member that is committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion through its work, actions and visible support of the community. This organization has a proven track record of success and involvement with the LGBTQ+ community and is a strong champion of the Chamber’s mission to accelerate economic opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community.

Celebrating Pride

in Sports

Gretchen Sheirr spearheads

Houston Rockets

Pride Night with

goal to expand initiatives

throughout the year

Houston Rockets fans of all stripes have plenty to be proud about this Pride Month as Gretchen Sheirr, the team’s president of business operations, was presented with the Corporate LGBTQ+ Ally of the Year award at the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber’s annual Pride In Business Awards.

The Chamber gives the award to professionals who have positively impacted their company as champions for LGBTQ+ on both a personal and professional level. Sheirr was recognized for her authentic engagement with the Chamber and visible support of the community as demonstrated by spearheading the Houston Rockets Pride Night. The Rockets launched their first Pride Night in March of 2021 to a limited capacity season and ran at full capacity for the first time in 2022 .

“Pride Night is a celebration and acknowledgement to all our fans that our doors are open and that we appreciate them,” Sheirr said. “We try to use the commonality of being a Rockets fan to authentically connect and engage with all members of our community.”

The team utilizes their large public platform to highlight different member companies and organizations. Fans immediately recognize the LGBTQ+ history of Houston when they enter the Toyota Center because 48 banners of the Banner Project, highlighting important events that occurred in LGBTQ+ history over the past 80 years, are on full display. Throughout Pride Night, fans can view a video explaining the project and highlighting the Houston residents that lead the way in advocacy, activism and legal battles for civil rights throughout the years.

Prior to Pride Night 2021, in which the Rockets took on the Indiana Pacers, the Chamber hosted a livestream panel with LGBTQ+ community leaders to share their experiences working in the sports industry, the challenges they face and the importance of bringing their full and authentic selves to the workplace.

At key moments, such as the National Anthem and first shot, LGBTQ+ community members were featured on the big screen. This year, fans were treated to a virtual interview with Jason Collins, the first NBA player to come out during his career, as part of the Chamber’s livestream series. As games open up more in the post-pandemic world, Sheirr anticipates more live components.

“These special games have given the community an opportunity to root on our hometown team and feel welcome and celebrated in a space that has traditionally not been open to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Tammi Wallace, President and CEO of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Sheirr credits the team and the community for helping make the team’s commitment to Pride more than a one night affair, but a chance to expand initiatives throughout the organization and year.

“I was not expecting the honor,” Sheirr said. “Any time your peers or people in the community acknowledge your work and commitment, it’s always a humbling experience. I thought the organization was getting the award, but it’s an executive award so that was a nice surprise. It wouldn’t be possible without the work the team does to put on a great celebration of Pride Night but also the work we do throughout the year.”

For more information about the next Pride Night or other upcoming events, visit business.houstonlgbtchamber.com/event-calendar.

2022 Pride In Business

CORPORATE PARTNER OF THE YEAR

‘Supporting Local Communities is Key’

Silver Eagle Distributors Houston highlights city’s diversity for marketing, media and event programs

By Mike Danahey

With a long track record of supporting diverse communities, it comes as no surprise that independent beverage distributor Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC, has been recognized as the Corporate Partner of the Year by the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented recently at the Chamber’s signature, Pride In Business Celebration.

“We are deeply honored and thankful for the award,” said Silver Eagle Houston’s Vice President of Marketing, Camilo Rojas III. “But for us, it is about how Silver Eagle Houston comes together as one team to support our diverse communities.”

Tammi Wallace, co-founder, president and CEO of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce, said Silver Eagle Houston was chosen because the company exhibits business excellence, upholds

the highest standards of civic and social responsibility and has shown longtime commitment and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community.

“I visibly remember from my first Pride Parade seeing the Bud Light truck rolling down Westheimer and Silver Eagle Houston being the only large company visible and engaged,” Wallace said.

Silver Eagle Houston has been involved with Pride Houston for more than 25 years. The business is also the presenting sponsor for the Easter Sunday Bunnies on the Bayou event. Silver Eagle Houston lends support to the Chamber Holiday Food Drive for LGBTQ+ seniors and works internally with its supplier-partners to gather donations from their non-alcoholic brand portfolio.

In addition, Silver Eagle Houston assists with the Pride Run in June, the Woodlands Pride event in October, the Montrose Softball League taking place throughout the year, and the Lone Star Classic Softball Tournament in March, Rojas said.

“We support the Montrose Center and are a Corporate Partner of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” Rojas said. “We have worked with our media partners at OutSmart Magazine for many years and work with many LGBTQ+ retail accounts in Montrose and other parts of our trade areas. We also recently supported Houston BEARS, a social, nonprofit for the LGBTQ+ communities in Houston.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Silver Eagle Houston continued to stay involved in the community by supporting events through different sponsorships and donations.

“No other company can match Silver Eagle Houston’s track record in terms of support of Houston’s LGBTQ+ community,” said Jack Berger, director of sales and business development for the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Rojas said from a marketing and employee engagement perspective, Silver Eagle Houston feels strongly about being involved in all market segments with programming that is relevant to and represents all of the communities it serves.

“And we share externally how successful LGBTQ+ programs are for us and how these programs engage Silver Eagle Houston with a diverse and key component of Houston’s community,” Rojas added.

Silver Eagle Houston employs approximately 1,100 people who work to distribute a broad selection of domestic, import and craft beer brands, spirits and several non-alcoholic beverages, including water.

The company services more than 9,000 accounts in three counties of the greater Houston area, including warehouse operations in Conroe, Cypress, Pasadena and Rosenberg.

“We strongly believe that supporting our local communities is key, and that our employee base mirrors the communities where our employees live and work,” Rojas said. “If we truly want to connect and engage with local businesses and consumers, we must tap into the Houston area’s wonderful diversity for marketing, media and event programs, as well as internal employee programs.”

To that point, Silver Eagle Houston recently launched a diversity, equity, and inclusion volunteerism initiative at each of its five branches to drive employee engagement and involvement within Houston’s marketplace.

“Employees and their families have already begun volunteering this year to lend a helping hand to those in need,” Rojas said.

For more information, visit www.silvereagle.com.

2022 Pride in Business

LGBTQ+ Business of The Year

Increasing

LGBTQ+ Wealth

Hawthorne Capital plans to expand staff, philanthropic footprint while creating a stronger LGBTQ+ community

By Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller

Hawthorne Capital is more than a typical investment firm.

As an LGBTQ+-owned company, its leaders strive to not only serve allies, but also provide an investment opportunity for LGBTQ+ clients.

The firm, owned and operated by Doug Smith and his team of investment professionals, was recently recognized as the 2022 LGBTQ+ Business of the Year at the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber’s annual Pride In Business Celebration.

This award is given to an LGBTQ+-owned member business that is an active participant and champion of the Chamber and committed to the Chamber’s mission. This commitment is reflected in their dedication to the overall community and support of other members.

That commitment rings true for Smith, who isn’t new to the world of real estate investing. Over the last 20 years, he and his team have bought and sold over 100 houses and 4,000 acres of rural land. This background opened the doors for the firm, which was launched approximately four years ago.

At the firm’s core, its fund takes investment dollars and purchases rural real estate in bulk at wholesale prices, explains Jack Berger, vice president of investor relations. Those properties are then improved and sold as small 10-to-15-acre ranchettes at retail pricing.

“We’ve been getting good results for our investors,” Berger said, adding while the fund typically stays within a 60-to-90-mile radius of Houston, they are branching out into an area outside of Dallas. “One of our main goals of the investment fund is to increase LGBTQ+ wealth.”

“Growth is a part of our future,” Berger said. “We are looking for new sales areas. I do think we will stay in Texas for the time being, as we expand our staff and hopefully our philanthropic footprint as well.”

Based in Houston, Hawthorne Capital currently has 15 employees, ranging from sales to administration. One year ago, it managed $5 million of investor capital. That number now tops $20 million.

Part of the LGBTQ+ Community

Hawthorne Capital joined the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce in several years ago.

Berger said the membership was one way the team could work toward the goal of increasing LGBTQ+ wealth. “There are a number of LGBTQ+ professional organizations in the city of Houston,” Berger said. “We wanted to tell the Hawthorne story every chance we could, growing one quality investment at a time.”

Berger said Smith has continually set aside a portion of the annual budget in order to invest in the LGBTQ+ community. This includes supporting a variety of nonprofit organizations.

“Placing such a high priority on community involvement shows other LGBTQ+ companies how to build brand and corporate goodwill,” Berger said. “More importantly, our goal is to use that involvement to create a stronger LGBTQ+ community.”

Hawthorne Capital’s investment in the community includes sponsoring AIDS Foundation Houston’s annual AIDS Walk and World AIDS Day events. This spring it worked with Bunnies on the Bayou, which helps raise funds for 20 LGBTQ+ beneficiaries during the Easter season.

Another project includes the Montrose Center, which provides services for members of the youth and senior LGBTQ+ communities, and this year, the fund sponsored the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s Pride In Business Celebration.

It’s also expanding into Out for Education, a Houston-based nonprofit which provides scholarship funds for LGBTQ+ youth. Future plans call for the establishment of an additional Hawthorne Capital scholarship, which will benefit a student pursuing a career in finance and business.

“Hawthorne Capital has a multifaceted outlook,” Berger said. “We take a very active role, a leadership role, by investing back into our community via nonprofit organizations.”

Berger said fund officials strive to work with young LGBTQ+ professionals, to help them grow not only in the business world but also as potential future investors.

“We support LGBTQ+-owned businesses whenever we can,” Berger said. “If we’re ordering shirts, or catering an event, re-designing the office or commissioning an artist, we often seek out and work with LGBTQ+ providers.”

Hawthorne Capital’s offices are located at 1210 W. Clay St. in Houston. For more information, visit www.hawthornecapital.com or connect with the company through their Hawthorne Capital Facebook page.

2022 Pride in Business

Community Legacy Award

The Lasting Legacy

of Photographs

Dalton DeHart on preserving

Houston’s iconic LGBTQ+ history

By Angela Harrington

Legendary Houston photographer Dr. Dalton DeHart has chronicled Houston’s history and LGBTQ+ events in the community for more than 30 years.

“Even before I started taking pictures in the Montrose LGBT community, I have always enjoyed taking photos,” DeHart said. “I don’t know where that passion came from, but it was a passion of mine way back even during the instamatic camera days.”

DeHart admits he was a bit apprehensive of the 35mm SLR camera when he was first introduced in the late 1970s. He felt that they were complicated and would be time consuming to learn to use. Back then, he was teaching full time as a university professor and didn’t have the extra hours to spend figuring out a complicated camera.

DeHart changed his tune after testing out the SLR, realizing that the quality outperformed other cameras. He decided to buy one and continued to chronicle life in Houston.

The countless photos he took before the invention of digital photography have been carefully preserved and currently need conversion to digital format.

The Dalton DeHart Photographic Foundation is working to get those priceless historical moments saved into a system that will allow them to be viewed and accessed for the future.

“We are digitizing those film events so we can post them on the foundation website,” DeHart said.

During his three decades as a photographer, he has had the opportunity to meet, photograph, and be in communication with at least six mayors of Houston, as well as many other recognizable and influential leaders.

His work with organizations like the Chamber as well as AIDS Foundation Houston, Omega House, Legacy Community Health, Montrose Center, The Diana Foundation, Krewe of Olympus, OutSmart Magazine, and many others, including all of Houston’s community sports teams, have provided him with countless opportunities to capture important historical and diverse moments.

Due in part to his long-term commitment to the LGBTQ+ community to ensure its historic moments are preserved, DeHart was named the 2022 Pride In Business Community Legacy Award recipient from the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

“Photography is really where my passion lies, because I enjoy people so much,” DeHart said. “My desire is that people see in my photographs the passion with which I take them.”

Spending up to 70 hours or more per week taking photos at events and then working to edit and upload the images on the computer is a huge commitment. All done with a smile, DeHart is regularly told that he seems to have the most fun of all.

“People energize me. People give me the power to do this,” he said. “I try to make sure we reflect the community that we serve.”

The events he photographs are not the only subjects of his photos. All that he sees is of interest to the lens of his camera. DeHart can regularly be found, before and after an event, taking pictures of the support staff who help make events the grand affairs that they are. The valet, the servers, the bartenders — are all welcome in the art that is his photography.

“They are the ones that serve us, so we must serve them. So, that’s my philosophy. We try to take care of people who take care of us,” he said. “When I take photos, I am very aware of the need to show the diversity of Houston because it’s the most diverse city in the country.”

To get a good look at Houston and its rich history, check out the Dalton DeHart Photographic Foundation website at daltondehart.com.

2022 Pride In Business

Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year

Investing in

the Community

Chevron Corporation assists LGBTQ+

companies and provides guidance on

navigating corporate supply chains

By Mike Danahey

For as long as Dave Feldman can remember, the Chevron Corporation has been a rather unique leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion among major corporations — particularly in the oil and gas industry.

“For example, we offered benefits to same-sex partners back in the 1980s, when I first started, and were the first to include sexual orientation in our non-discrimination policies.” he said.

Feldman serves as supply chain advisor — supplier diversity for Chevron. Due in part to his work advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion within the larger business community, the Chamber awarded him the Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award during the 2022 Pride In Business Celebration.

“I’m humbled and honored,” Feldman said. “Ours is a team effort, and I am thankful to everyone, both inside and outside Chevron, who is so committed to this movement and has contributed to our success.”

Feldman and his colleague, Terence Baptiste, are responsible for Chevron’s program for inclusion as it relates to its supply chain. They work to ensure small, local and diverse businesses have meaningful opportunities to become suppliers to Chevron, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies.

“Chevron is committed to a diverse and inclusive supply chain, one that is reflective of the communities where we live and work,” Feldman said.

That commitment is founded in the belief that inclusive practices in the procurement of goods and services creates a business advantage for Chevron, supports local economies and creates prosperity in regions where the company operates, Feldman said. And diversifying its list of suppliers connects Chevron to capable providers whose nimbleness, level of innovation and customer focus often cannot be matched by their larger competitors.

Chevron takes great pride in its 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, he said, so when HRC included supply chain criteria, the company felt it was quite natural to expand its program to include LGBTQ+ suppliers.

To that end, Feldman said Chevron has worked with several LGBTQ+ companies to help build their capabilities and provide guidance on navigating corporate supply chains. The company also found it advantageous to team with the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

“Houston is central to our operations around the world, so it is especially important that we partner here with organizations that share our values and commitment,” Feldman said. “When you combine our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, supplier diversity and greater Houston, the decision to partner with the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber was an easy one. We invest in communities that are important to us.”

As for being honored by the Chamber, while very grateful for the recognition, Feldman and Chevron know there is much work to be done.

“We have re-committed to a strategy of inclusion and are working every day to improve outcomes for LGBTQ+ business owners and all our constituents in all the communities of diverse businesses,” he said.

By providing affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy that billions of people rely on every day, Feldman said Chevron enables human progress and understands that small, local, and diverse suppliers support the company’s success and growth.

For more information, visit www.Chevron.com

2022 Pride in Business

Chamber Advocacy Award

Opportunities Abound

With the Office of

Business Opportunity

OBO expands mission by implementing

Mayor Turner’s directives

By Angela Harrington

Committed to cultivating a competitive and diverse economic environment in Houston, the Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) promotes the success of small businesses and develops Houston’s workforce with special emphasis on historically underutilized businesses and disenfranchised individuals.

Director Marsha E. Murray said the OBO is the arm of the City that is charged with providing assistance to local small businesses.

“We recognize how important the success of small businesses is to our local economy,” she said. “The Office was initially created (in 1984), to really address historically under-represented and under-utilized businesses, which focus on minority and women-owned businesses, making sure that they have access to City contracting and that they were able to get a piece of the pie in terms of the inordinate amount of money that the City actually spends.”

OBO has expanded their mission by implementing the directives of Mayor Turner as outlined in Executive Order 1-70, City Inclusion and Opportunity Initiative for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Business Community. Due to their efforts to advance economic opportunity and prosperity for LGBTQ+ and allied-owned businesses, OBO received the 2022 Pride In Business Chamber Advocacy Award from the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

“We want to make sure that we are advocating for the inclusion of these businesses in our contracting processes. We are providing special services to these businesses that have had challenges with access and opportunity,” Murray said. “And while those businesses have not been excluded from City contracting, we really wanted to make sure that those businesses were highlighted, through this Executive Order, and reiterate our commitment to be inclusive of all businesses.”

Through the local preference procurement program, Hire Houston First, LGBTQ+ businesses have a leg up in the bidding process for City projects, even if their price is a little bit higher.

OBO also provides general business and development assistance to local small businesses for the entrepreneur who has an idea about starting a business and wants to find out what form their business should take, whether that be a corporation, an LLC, or LLP. The Office also provides guidance on what licenses and permits are needed. OBO is proud to offer business plan creation assistance, and help with strategic growth (for existing businesses).

“The City has invested in these types of programs to help local businesses. We provide a wide variety of tools, and all of our services are free,” Murray said.

Informational videos and access to a plethora of services are all available online, a convenience that has been forwarded due to needs made apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit houstontx.gov/obo/.

2022 Pride in Business

EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP OF THE YEAR

A Network

of Inclusion

MD Anderson Cancer Center’s LGBT

Network reduces barriers, increases

awareness and fosters community in the workplace

By Angela Harrington

To identify and advocate for the issues and concerns of LGBT employees and further their core values and mission, MD Anderson Cancer Center created a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Network that ensures sexual orientation and gender identity will never be barriers to full participation in the professional and academic workplace.

The Network was established in 2004 to address issues in the workplace for LGBT employees. The intention was, and continues to be, the reduction of barriers, increased awareness, and to foster a sense of community.

“At MD Anderson, we are very proud of the LGBT Network,” said Tadd Pullin, senior vice president of institutional affairs and chief brand and communication officer. “We have created an environment where we are creating a sense of inclusiveness and helping to generate awareness of LGBT issues so that there is more than just an acceptance that LGBT employees exist within the culture or within the institution, but rather, allowing for an opportunity to learn and to promote advocacy and ally-ship.”

The LGBT Network was implemented by the Institutional Diversity Council and has been in place for 18 years. MD Anderson was at the forefront of creating this type of company policy and has made great strides toward fostering advocacy and ally-ship, not only within their own institution, but also through mentoring other businesses to develop similar policies.

“Over the years, the Network has grown. Today we have almost 600 members,” said Chris Lopez, operations manager of advanced practice with the office of physician assistant programs. “A lot has happened in the last 18 years since the Network was established.”

Lopez said the most recent significant program offered to employees is the creation of a biannual Ally-ship Training Program so they can better understand the role of the ally and how to become an effective ally.

“Not only (an ally) to their colleagues, but to patients and caregivers,” Lopez said. “Participants really strengthen their awareness of ally-ship as a strategy to foster inclusive work and patient-care environments.”

MD Anderson Cancer Center has a rich history of promoting inclusive behavior. In 2015, they began recognizing marriage equality and same-sex benefits for all, just as marriage equality was being recognized nationwide. The Center has also added sexual orientation and gender identity to their electronic health records to promote patient support.

These innovative initiatives, among many others, earned the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center LGBTQ+ Network the 2022 Employee Resource Group of the Year Award at the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pride In Business Celebration.

“We are proud to be recognized in this special way by the Chamber. It really means a lot to me, to the leadership of our institution, and to our entire LGBTQ+ Network, so thank you very much,” Pullin said.

For more information, visit openworks.mdanderson.org/lgbtnetwork.

2022 Pride in Business

Nonprofit Member of the Year

Inviting, Accepting and Dignified

Legacy Community Health serves more than 200,000 as the largest community clinic in Texas

By Mia Katz

In June, the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce celebrates Pride Month. As part of the celebration, the Chamber hosted its signature event, Pride In Business Celebration & Awards, where Legacy Community Health was recognized as the 2022 Pride In Business Nonprofit Member of the Year.

The honor, which was bestowed to Legacy during a special event on June 22 at the Nautilus Ballroom at Houston’s Downtown Aquarium, acknowledges key stakeholders in building a more diverse and inclusive business community.

Legacy is a full-service, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with more than 1,400 employees and 50 locations across southeast Texas. It began in the 1970s as Montrose Clinic, a health facility dedicated to the needs of a segment of the community — those in need of a health care space that was inviting, accepting and dignified.

“Originally, the clinic was to be a non-judgmental STI clinic for gay men,” explained Legacy CEO Robert “Bobby” Hilliard, Jr. “Just a few short years after the founding of the clinic however, the AIDS crisis began. By 1982, Montrose Clinic was the dedicated responder to the crisis. Most of the work being done was palliative care for the dying, but Montrose Clinic also secured many clinical trials for new drugs, eventually including protease inhibitors in the mid-1990s.”

Eventually, the Montrose Clinic grew to evolve into what Legacy is today – which Hilliard explains is the largest community clinic in Texas, serving more than 200,000 low-income and underinsured individuals.

Legacy provides adult primary care, pediatrics, dental care, vision services, behavioral health services, OB/GYN and maternity, vaccinations and immunizations, health promotion and community outreach, wellness and nutrition, and comprehensive HIV/AIDS care.

“We were the first health care system in the Montrose, Southwest and Fifth Ward area to set up pop-up COVID-19 testing when COVID-19 began to hit the community,” Hillard said. “Since then, we continue to provide COVID-19 vaccines for all at all of our locations.”

Hilliard shared that through the years, Legacy’s philosophy has remained the same, with commitment to inclusion and diversity remaining as strong as ever. Besides striving to offer non-judgmental and dignified care for all patients, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, they also work to address issues such as the one raised in the U.S. Census Bureau reports in recent years highlighting Texas as the most uninsured state in the nation.

“Legacy ensures its services and programs are open to all, regardless of the ability to pay — without judgment or exception,” Hilliard shared, “And that will never change.”

For more information, visit legacycommunityhealth.org.

CHAMBER LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHT

‘There’s Still Work to be Done’

Chamber Board Treasurer Shenice Brown forwards Chamber mission to accelerate economic inclusion

By Brittany Mulligan

Shenice Brown has found her calling.

It first began when she became treasurer for the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors in 2020. Her passion for economic inclusion was one of the many factors that led her to step into the role.

Brown was a Chamber member long before she began her involvement. She co-owns Empower Financial with Shan Randle. From networking and attending Chamber events, Brown said she knew joining was the right decision because the Chamber offered an environment she enjoyed being in.

“If I could have a helping hand in moving forward with the Chamber’s mission, I definitely was open to joining the leadership team to be a part of those efforts,” Brown said.

Despite its challenges, the period of COVID-19 saw a great era of growth for the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Brown said she thinks the Chamber is stronger than ever as growth continues, and people come back out and together.

There is still work to be done, though. Brown said we are still living at a time where economic inclusion is not as far and wide as people may think it is.

“There’s a lot of discrimination and work to be done to make LGBTQ+ businesses and allies feel safe, seen, and in general, function as their true, authentic selves,” Brown said.

Before the pandemic, Brown attended Texas LGBT Chambers of Commerce’s Day at the Texas Capitol for the first time. Not being heavily involved in any type of politics prior to attending, Brown said part of the reason why was because she didn’t understand a lot of it. In the end, she said the experience was incredibly impactful and educational for understanding why it’s important to advocate for necessary change.

“There are so many things that aren’t of our best interest in our community or businesses,” Brown said. “Being able to go speak to people and show that, this is how ‘x’ is impacting us and we’d love to see that changed to ‘y,’ it’s a great way to get your voice heard and show that we’re showing up as a community, and we’re serious about getting these changes, and bringing to light some of these perspectives you may never have considered.”

Brown said she’s excited for the future of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the impact it continues to make.

“The more we grow, the more partners we get, and the more small businesses and individuals that join and come to our events … we’re creating more impact,” she said.

To learn more about Empower Financial, visit https://empowerfinanciallife.com.