Landmark US Small Business Administration – National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Partnership Highlighted in Raleigh, NC Meeting!

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Please make sure to review and use the additional links provided below on the organizations highlighted in this blog.

From left to right: Patrick Rodriguez (meeting speaker), Ben Kittner (local entrepreneur), and blog author Stan Kimer gather before the March 11 RBPN meeting. More info on people in photo bottom of the blog

From left to right: Patrick Rodriguez (meeting speaker), Ben Kittner (local entrepreneur), and blog author Stan Kimer gather before the March 11 RBPN meeting. More info on people in photo bottom of the blog


As a charter member and current treasurer of the Raleigh Business and Professional Network (RBPN), one of the 38 US affiliate chapters of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber (NGLCC), I was energized by the exciting news shared at our monthly dinner meeting. Over 40 local LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) and ally business owners, professionals and retirees were on hand to network and hear our guest speaker, Raleigh’s Senior Area Manager of the North Carolina District Office of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) Patrick Rodriguez. He shared the recent announcement of the new SBA – LGBT Business Builder initiative as well as explaining the details of various SBA programs and resources available to small businesses.

The new SBA- NGLCC “LGBT Business Builder” will bring together expertise and resources from the staff at SBA regional and district offices, NGLCC’s 38 affiliate chapters in the US and other resource partners so that LGBT-owned business will have full access to the NGLCC’s and SBA’s full suite of offerings that help business succeed. Link to the complete February 5, 2015 announcement. This partnership highlights that as with all minority communities, the fight for civil rights and for market rights / economic empowerment are strongly linked.

After sharing this announcement at the March RBPN meeting, Patrick provided the audience with a great tutorial of many services available from the SBA to help small business launch and then successfully grow and sustain themselves. The offerings include:
• Counseling. Small business owners are not out there by ourselves needing to figure out everything needed to start and run a business from scratch. Classes and one-on-one counseling help are available through the Women’s Business Centers (4 in NC), SCORE Chapters (10 in NC), and the Small Business Technical Development Centers (15 in NC)
• Capital. Loans of all sizes are made much more accessible and come with better terms through SBA guarantees. Loans are available for start up, company real estate and sustaining a business
• Contracting. Assistance in becoming an actual contractor or subcontractor for the many areas of the US Federal Government, which has multi-billions of dollars in procurement spending.

This new LGBT Business Builder partnership is still in its very early stages with many of the execution details to be launched, including here in North Carolina. I am looking forward with great anticipation as more LGBT-owned business start and grow in Raleigh and across the rest of NC and beyond!

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Blog author Stan C. Kimer is the founder and owner of Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer, the first certified LGBT-Business Enterprise in Raleigh, NC.

The Raleigh Business and Professional Network (RBPN) is one of the 38 NGLCC local affiliates in the US. Corporate sponsorships are now available!

RBPN board member Ben Kittner, included in the blog photo above, is founder and president of College Performance Coaching, a new entrepreneurial venture.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the US Federal Government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns. Additional link to North Carolina specific site.

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.

Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce CEO Harvey Schmitt Shares About Leadership and Collaboration

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NOTE: Links to my past blogs from Raleigh Chamber C-Suite Perspectives and information on getting involved with the Chamber are at the end of this blog.

Harvey Schmitt has provided visionary leadership as President and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce since 1994. (photo courtesy of suitepaws.com)

Harvey Schmitt has provided visionary leadership as President and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce since 1994. (photo courtesy of suitepaws.com)


About once a quarter, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce offers an excellent breakfast session at the superb Umstead Hotel and Spa called “C-Suite Perspectives” where successful local senior business leaders share perspectives on success and leadership from their own lives. On Friday February 13, instead of a commercial corporate leader, we were treated to perspectives from long time Raleigh Chamber President and CEO Harvey Schmitt.

Harvey has had a long 3 decade plus career in chambers of commerce leadership from Dubuque, Iowa to Greenville, SC; Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida; and now Raleigh. During his tenure starting in 1994 in Raleigh, the Chamber grew from a budget of $2.6M to $8.1M and a staff of 27 to 39. Key major collaborative efforts including opening the now PNC Arena and the downtown convention center.

An overall theme to Harvey’s successful leadership is understanding the importance of collaboration. For a broad community to grow successfully in a quality way, there has to be strong collaboration between business, community and political leaders. In the complexities of a community, no party can really achieve anything great on their own; we must work together and it takes a unique skillful leader to orchestrate that collaboration.

One of the very successful collaborative projects which Harvey helped become reality if the Raleigh Convention Center. (photo courtesy of myraleighcaryrealestate.com)

One of the very successful collaborative projects which Harvey helped become reality if the Raleigh Convention Center. (photo courtesy of myraleighcaryrealestate.com)


In terms of his own professional growth and successfully leading collaborative efforts as well as learning from a few missteps earlier in his career, Harvey shared some great sayings often referred to as “Harvey-isms.” Here are some of them:
• Be open to serendipity, take advantage of fortunate happenstance.
• Find a successful mentor: feed your passion with someone who can also share their experience.
• If you play hardball, you better win.
• Success requires vision, determination and patience.
• Focus on the issues of common interest.
• Change means different things to different people: to some it means a total change, to others it means the same people doing things a little differently, to others it means getting new people to do things the same way.
• Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast; impatience and ambition are a bad combination.
• Failure is a great leadership building experience.
• Be open to a path to success which may be different from your original plan.
• Create an environment where good things can happen.
• Take responsibility to communicate – in the absence of information, people assume the worst.
• And one of my favorites: Anything can get accomplished if you don’t care who gets the credit.

Consider joining the Chamber and coming to these informative and inspiration sessions!

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LINKS to Past Blogs about C-Suite Perspectives Sessions:

Exploring Leadership, Talent Development and Innovation with Greg Scheu, CEO of ABB North America.

Leadership Advice from a Senior Lenovo Executive with President of Lenovo North America Jay Parker.

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If you are in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill area and would like more information on how you and your company can get involved with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce (link), including membership benefits, contact Kim Niskey, (919)-360-8665, [email protected]