2012 was a busy and highly productive year
for the GLFGLCC – and we still have a month to go! While our membership grew, we maintained 8
Media Partners and 9, 501 (c) 3 Community Partners. Our unique relationship with the National Gay
& Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, NGLCC allowed us to offer many unique
benefits and opportunities to our members.
Take a look below for a sampling of what we’ve accomplished:
January 2012:
· Moved to our new office!
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
took part in a teleconference with senior Obama Administrations official, Export Import Bank Chairman, Fred Hochberg,
and NGLCC Co-Founder & President,
Justin Nelson after his meeting with Vice
President Biden, to discuss major economic themes from the 2012 State of
the Union address and what they mean for the LGBT and allied business
community.
February 2012:
· Sponsored the 2012
GLBT Travel Expo Tour Fort Lauderdale at
the Pride Center. GFLGLCC President/CEO
Keith Blackburn attended and promoted our member businesses at our chamber
booth.
March 2012:
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
and Board member Alan Beck attended Palm Beach Pride, where we promoted
Greater Fort Lauderdale as the premier LGBT travel destination and promoted our
member businesses.
· Board member Alan
Beck represented us at his Fun Maps
booth at the GLBT Expo in NYC --
promoting our chamber and distributing our Rainbow
Hospitality Alliance brochures.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
traveled to ITB in Berlin, Germany to promote LGBT travel
to Greater Fort Lauderdale. We created a sponsored brochure, which was
distributed in the “Pink Pavilion”
in conjunction with the IGLTA and throughout
Berlin.
April 2012:
· The Greater Fort
Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) invited us to participate
with them at the annual Cruise
3Sixty Trade Show, April 27-28, 2012 at the Broward County Convention
Center. NGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn, along with FAB2GO-VIP2GO attended and promoted
Greater Fort Lauderdale as the premier LGBT travel destination and promoted our
sponsor businesses at our booth.
May 2012:
· NGLCC President/CEO Keith
Blackburn took part in an NGLCC Real Estate Teleconference. On the
call, diversity and industry experts from JPMorgan Chase, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae, discussed how businesses within the real
estate industry can benefit through participation in the Supplier Diversity Initiative (SDI). Great insights were gained, which could
greatly benefit those in the real estate industry. This includes Realtors,
attorneys and any business which takes part in the real estate process.
· We participated in a hand-delivered letter to President Obama -- with the NGLCC
and other affiliate chambers, thanking him for his support of Marriage
Equality.
· GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith Blackburn attended the CVB Tourism Appreciation Luncheon with the Mayor
of Fort Lauderdale, County
Commissioners, CVB President, Nicki
Grossman and many others.
· We sponsored “Beach
Bear Weekend” which helped raise money for Sun Serve, while promoting our member businesses.
· Board member Steve
McAleer along with Roger Handevidt represented
our members at Miami Beach Gay Pride,
where they promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale as the premier LGBT travel
destination and promoted our member businesses at our booth.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn attended Gay Days Orlando Expo, where we promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale as the
premier LGBT travel destination and promoted our sponsor businesses at our
booth.
June 2012:
· GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith
Blackburn, along with Roger Handevidt and Mago
Sosa attended the St. Pete Pride
event, where we promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale
as the premier LGBT travel destination and promoted our member businesses at
our booths.
· GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith
Blackburn, along with Board member Alan Beck attended Stonewall Summer Pride, where we
promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale as the premier LGBT travel destination and
promoted our member businesses at our booth.
· Hosted a packed launch party for
SouthFloridaFun.com at Dapur
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
moderated a session, which discussed
"Diversity Supplier Relationships and Creating a Strong Ally
Culture." This was at the Florida
Diversity Council’s Inaugural GLBT-Allies
Diversity Summit, which took place at the Pride Center.
July 2012:
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn attended the July 4th Tea Cruise for the Brian Neil Fitness and Health Foundation,
where we promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale as the
premier LGBT travel destination and promoted our member businesses at our
business table.
August 2012:
· Roger Handevidt represented the GFLGLCC and Rainbow Hospitality Alliance at the Poverello Bowl-A-Thon, where we
promoted our member businesses at our booth.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn and Board
Members Steve McAleer, Alan Beck and
Todd Bludworth attended the NGLCC
National Business & Leadership Conference in Chicago.
September 2012:
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn took part in
the historical, first LGBT Trade Mission
and the inaugural LGBT
Summit of the Americas in Bogotá Colombia. GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith Blackburn met with Michael McKinley, U.S. Ambassador to
Colombia.
· We presented the inaugural symposium, “Transitions Solutions for LGBT Seniors”
at the Pride Center as a free informative event for the community. Board member
Steve McAleer represented the GFLGLCC and our members.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
attended the Gay Days Las Vegas Trade
Expo, where we promoted Greater Fort Lauderdale as the premier LGBT travel
destination and promoted our sponsor businesses at our booth.
October 2012:
· Sponsored the Greater
Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
· Held a fund raiser and social, to benefit for the Stonewall National Museum and Archives
at the iL Lugano Hotel and Residences.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
and Board member Steve McAleer,
along with Roger Handevidt promoted
the GFLGLCC and our members at our
booth at the annual Oktoberfest in
Oakland Park.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
attended the 13th Annual
Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) Conference in San Francisco with GFLGLCC Board Member, Alan Beck and Rickard Gray, newly appointed Managing
Director of the LGBT Market for the Greater
Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). While there, we promoted the Greater Fort Lauderdale
as THE LGBT travel destination.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
with Roger Handevidt and VIP2GO/FAB2GO participated with the City of Fort Lauderdale’s free Business
Education Seminar, designed to help your business grow. We displayed members’ business collateral in
our booth space.
November 2012:
· GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith Blackburn and Board
members Steve McAleer and Alan Beck attended the first-ever Federal
Procurement Fair for LGBT businesses at the Department of Commerce in
Washington, DC. Acting Secretary of
Commerce Rebecca Blank spoke to the attendees. 12 Federal agencies were
represented -- all looking to do business with our LGBT Certified members. Met
with the Small Business Administration
Deputy Administrator, Eugene Cornelius Jr.
The Federal
Procurement Fair is designed to connect LGBT-owned businesses with the over
$400 billion the federal government spends annually on goods and services, of
which nearly $100 billion is with small business suppliers. At the fair, NGLCC announced significant
memorandums with federal agencies, deepening collaboration with government
leaders to bring resources, access, and new opportunities to your
business.
· GFLGLCC
President/CEO Keith Blackburn
along with Board members Todd Bludworth,
Steve McAleer and Alan Beck attended the NGLCC's 10th Anniversary National Dinner:
Beyond Expectations
in Washington, DC at the National Building Museum. GFLGLCC President/CEO Keith Blackburn met briefly with Congressman Elect Patrick Murphy. Board
members Todd Bludworth, Steve McAleer and Alan Beck were present.
· GFLGLCC President/CEO
Keith Blackburn and Board
member Steve McAleer attended the
official opening for the NGLCC Supplier
Innovation Center, where U.S. Small Business
Administration Administrator
Karen Mills performed the
ribbon cutting honors.
· Teamed up with the NGLCC
and Small Business Saturday to
promote our chamber and small business owners.
Announced that our inaugural “Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay Travel Guide,”
which will have a circulation of 10,000 copies and a worldwide distribution.