Portland-based Noma Hanlon Named Third Annual NGLCC/Wells Fargo LGBT Business Owner of the Year

Monday, October 29, 2007

Contact:  Aditi Dussault   202.419.0440 (office)  

 

(Washington, DC) The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced that Noma Hanlon, president of Portland, Oregon’s Hanlon Brown Design has been named the NGLCC/Wells Fargo LGBT Business Owner of the Year Award winner for 2007. Hanlon Brown Design will be recognized at the 2007 NGLCC National Dinner, An Evening of Courage, on November 2^nd at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC and will receive a cash grant of $5,000.

“The contribution Hanlon Brown Design has made to the LGBT business community is truly remarkable,” said Justin G. Nelson, NGLCC co-founder and president. “Noma has created a company that not only provides top-notch service to its clients, but also is a key community leader,” said Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell.

Hanlon Brown Design has consistently ranked as one of the leading graphic design firms in the Pacific Northwest. As a certified Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender Business Enterprise (LGBTBE), Hanlon Brown Design has excelled as a primary supplier to some of America’s top corporations. Noma Hanlon is being recognized for her entrepreneurial spirit as demonstrated by her company’s business performance, innovation, growth, and personal service to the community.

“We are pleased to join the NGLCC in recognizing Hanlon Brown Design with this award,” said Vincent Trombetta, senior vice president for Wells Fargo’s small business segment. “Nona and her team demonstrate the commitment to excellence, innovation, and strong community focus that are the keys to entrepreneurship in America.”

NGLCC and Wells Fargo, both dedicated to supporting LGBT small business needs, began their alliance in 2005 with the first annual NGLCC/Wells Fargo LGBT Small Business Award. 

NGLCC is the only national not-for-profit advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding the economic opportunities and advancements of the LGBT business community. A premier advocate of the LGBT community, the NGLCC seeks to expand this community’s financial opportunities, economic growth, continued innovation, and equality. As one of NGLCC’s founding corporate sponsors, Wells Fargo is committed to serving the needs of all businesses.

LGBT business owners interested in applying for next year’s award can email businessaward@nglcc.org to be notified when next year’s application is available.

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About the NGLCC:

The NGLCC represents the interests of the estimated 1.4 million LGBT owned businesses. Through its affiliated network of 45 state and local chambers and business organizations, the NGLCC is the largest LGBT business development and economic advocacy organization in the country.

About Wells Fargo & Company:

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $549 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through almost 6,000 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only bank in the U.S., and one of only two banks worldwide, to have the highest credit rating from both Moody’s Investors Service, “Aaa,” and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, “AAA.” Providing financial products and services to more than one and a half million businesses with annual sales up to $20 million in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, Wells Fargo is America’s #1 small business lender in total dollar volume according to the most recent Community Reinvestment Act (CRA data, 2005).

The second largest national Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in dollars, Wells Fargo is an SBA Preferred Lender in 28 states and the District of Columbia, and originated 4,937 loans for $578 million in 2006. Since 1995, Wells Fargo has loaned more than $34 billion to women and diverse business owners. For more information, please visit www.wellsfargo.com/biz.