The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) was proud to present this year’s NGLCC/Wells Fargo Business Owner of the Year award to Joy Silver at the 2009 National Dinner.
Silver, president and CEO of the LGBT-friendly retirement communities, RainbowVision Properties, received the fifth annual award for her outstanding business performance, innovation, growth and personal service to the community.
“The NGLCC and Wells Fargo were looking for an LGBT small business owner who has excellence in entrepreneurship and personal service to the community at large, and Joy Silver is a great example of what all small business owners should strive to be,” said NGLCC president and co-founder, Justin Nelson.
Silver’s RainbowVision Properties has developed communities for LGBT retirees in Santa Fe, Palm Springs, the California Bay Area, and Vancouver.
Before starting her business, Silver was a member of the Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) sub-committee for senior housing in New York City. Today, Silver sits on the board of the GLBT Historical Society and is a member of the LGBT Aging Issues Network at the American Society on Aging.
Earlier this year, Silver received an award for being a model of hope by Seasons of Pride, and a “Red Hot Entrepreneur” award from GO Magazine.
This year’s runners up for the NGLCC/Wells Fargo Business Owner of the Year Award were Bill Rodman, owner of Seattle-based aerospace engineering consulting firm, inVision Consultants, LLC, and Mia and Tracy Levesque, co-owners of the Philadelphia-based Web services company, YIKES.
