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Eileen Kessler writes that economic diversity can help your business grow. 
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The last five years have demonstrated that the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce was not only a good idea when it was founded in 2002, it was a necessary one.
The NGLCC has raised the profile of the LGBT business community, increasing the visibility of LGBT business owners and providing an avenue for LGBT entrepreneurs to communicate with power brokers and with each other.
"Without the economic component, without the world seeing that we are business people, men and women, who are trying to earn a living, we're not taken seriously," says Walter Schubert, president of the NGLCC Board of Directors and chairman and chief executive officer of the Schubert Group International, Inc. "The NGLCC has put a face on gay and lesbian owned and operated businesses in America."
But do we still need a national LGBT chamber to define what LGBT businesses look like? Can't the work of the NGLCC be duplicated now by other business groups such as the National Federation of Independent Business? Or for that matter by other LGBT advocacy organizations like HRC?
NGLCC a National Influence
That the NGLCC has become a vital force for LGBT business advocacy in Washington is proof alone of the importance of a national LGBT chamber bringing its unique perspective to the consideration of federal policy, whether it's the tax deductibility of domestic partner health benefits or winning workplace protections through ENDA.
At a time when people on Capitol Hill and Wall Street are more often moved to action—and acceptance—by the color green than the colors of the rainbow, the NGLCC often guarantees the LGBT business community a seat at the table.
