It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago (even 10 years ago) many brands/businesses/companies etc wouldn’t support the LGBTQ community in any capacity. It was actually taboo to do so early on, and could’ve meant major problems should any of them have made even a tiny amount of effort to show that they were with us.
My have times changed. Thousands of businesses have done a complete 180 and supported us in ways that we could’ve never imagined all that time ago. It’s progress that showcases just how hard our community has worked for decades, and is something to not be taken lightly especially in the times that we are living today.
Many brands out there are recognized as being National LGBT Chamber of Commerce certified. The NGLCC is an important not-for-profit organization that’s mission is to expand the economic opportunities and advancements of the LGBTQ community,
The certification comes from ones that are LGBT-owned, and the perks in having this sort of privilege is quite incredible. There’s the ability to openly network with other companies, building relationships with larger corporation and so much more. There are currently over 1,000 businesses certified across the United States.
One of which is Chicago-based Epic Popcorn, which is owned by Chicagoland CFO and Crain’s Chicago 2018 Notable LGBTQ Executive Bill Rossi. In addition to Epic Popcorn, Bill is a CFO for multiple businesses, and often speaks about his experiences in the LGBTQ community as a C-suite executive.
He spoke with me at Instinct about being the first popcorn company to be NGLCC certified and his opinion on why others should be as well. Take a look.
How does it feel to be the first NGLCC certified popcorn company out there?
We are truly honored and excited to be the first and look forward to where we can go from here. I was actually quite surprised there weren’t others when we submitted but as of today we are still the 1st and only NGLCC Certified popcorn company in the U.S.
Did you have a mission for your brand to be LGBTQ-inclusive from the get go?
It has always been part of who we are and what we stand for to be inclusive and was definitely part of the plan from the beginning.
Do you feel more brands out there should be doing the same (if they already aren’t doing so)?
Definitely others should work towards becoming NGLCC Certified and show the LGBT strength and numbers to the business community as well as the general public.
For more information on the NGLCC, click here.
