WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the
business voice of the LGBT community, and the USBLN (US Business
Leadership Network), the disability inclusion business resource,
are pleased to share that The Billion Dollar Roundtable voted to
expand their criteria of diverse businesses counted toward a
corporation's billion dollar supply chain spend on diverse-owned
businesses to include: certified LGBT Business Enterprises
(LGBTBEs), Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs®),
Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises
(SDV-DOBE™) and Veteran-Disability Owned Business Enterprises
(V-DOBEs™).
"The inclusion of LGBT, disability, and veteran-owned businesses
into the Billion Dollar Roundtable reflects the national best
practice in supplier diversity of including all communities at the
table of opportunity," said NGLCC Co-Founder & President
Justin Nelson. "In the United States, LGBT-owned businesses are
creating tens of thousands of jobs and adding over $1.7 trillion to the economy, much of that due to
inclusion in corporate supply chains. We're proud to see our
businesses included in the criteria that rewards corporate
excellence in creating new opportunities for diverse-owned
businesses to thrive."
The Billion Dollar Roundtable was created in 2001 to recognize
and celebrate corporations that achieved spending of at least
$1 billion with diverse suppliers.
The BDR promotes and shares best practices in supply chain
diversity excellence through the production of white papers,
thought leadership, and annual meetings. The group encourages
corporate entities to continue growing their supplier diversity
programs by increasing commitment and spending levels each
year.
"In a country where 1 in 5 Americans have a disability,
corporations are realizing the importance of disability inclusion
across the enterprise," said Jill
Houghton, President and CEO of USBLN. "People with
disabilities are nearly twice as likely to be self-employed as
people without disabilities, and nearly one in 10 small businesses
nationwide are veteran-owned. The inclusion of disability and
LGBT-owned businesses presents more opportunities for diversity in
The Billion Dollar Roundtable and will lead to more economic
opportunity for people with disabilities"
To date, the Billion Dollar Roundtable reports at least
$72 billion in spend with
diverse-owned businesses. That number is expected to continue
climbing as corporations are encouraged and incentivized to work
with LGBT, disability, and veteran-owned firms.
ABOUT NGLCC
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the
largest global not-for-profit 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 USBLN
USBLN (U.S. Business
Leadership Network) is a national non-profit that unites business
around disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and
marketplace. USBLN has more than 130 corporate partners spanning
the technology, healthcare, financial, transportation,
entertainment, and retail industries. USBLN serves as a collective
voice of nearly 50 Business Leadership Network Affiliates across
the United States, representing
over 5,000 businesses. Additionally, USBLN has various nationally
recognized tools and programs, such as the Disability Equality
Index and the leading disability-owned business enterprise (DOBE)
certification program, to bridge inclusive companies with people
and organizations within the disability community.
http://www.usbln.org @usbln
NGLCC MEDIA
CONTACT
Jonathan
Lovitz
Senior Vice
President
jlovitz@nglcc.org
@jdlovitz
954.695.5896
USBLN MEDIA CONTACT
Elaine
Kubik
Director of Marketing Communications
elaine@usbln.org
@elainekubik
646.455.8319
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SOURCE National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce