Celebrating Inclusiveness in Nashville Business
The Nashville LGBT Chamber will present its annual business awards at a high-profile virtual event on Friday, June 4, 2021.
Support the Nashville LGBT Chamber Foundation at our annual Pride in Business Awards, which includes a Who’s Who of Corporate leaders, small business owners, civic leaders, and professionals. While reimagined for a virtual world, this high-energy event will still bring a powerful audience, emotional acceptance speeches, and optimism among those committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Tickets are on sale now!
Individual Tickets: $25 members, $45 non-members
Half-Table Sponsorship: $500 for 5 attendees
Table Sponsorship: $1,000 for 10 attendees
Presenting Sponsor
title Sponsor
award Sponsors
Announcing the 2021 Finalists
We were proud to announce the 2021 Pride in Business Awards finalists on Friday, May 14th. You can watch the broadcast on Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube.
To learn more about all of our finalists and the awards, click here.
Corporate Diversity
Amazon
Bass, Berry & Sims
BNA- Nashville International Airport
Small Business Diversity
D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe
Green Pea Salon
TN Event Designs
Entrepreneur of the Year
Sarah Ashley, TN Event Designs
Christopher Lester, Clifton + Leopold
Elliott Noble-Holt, MediCopy
Business Leader of the Year
Hal Cato, Thistle Farms
Rich MacKinnon, Music City PrEP Clinic
Matthew Shaw, Dell Technologies
Ally of the Year
Donna Drehmann, Consultant
Dan Frailich, Dell Technologies
Beth-Ann Martorello, AllianceBernstein
Community Service
Rev. Dawn Bennett, The Table
Dakerri Rhone, HRC Nashville
Michael Reding, Nashville in Harmony
Leadership in the Arts
Nashville Children’s Theatre
Southern Word
Sponsor the Awards
Your Dollars at Work
The Nashville LGBT Chamber Foundation educates, inspires, and empowers our individual, small business, corporate, and nonprofit members, and the community-at-large; who share the values of promoting equality and diversity in business and society.
Our 2021 goals are to provide professional development education and programming for LGBT business professionals, provide programming for LGBT entrepreneurs and small business owners, advocate for contracting opportunities for LGBT business owners, fund a scholarship for an LGBT entrepreneur to participate in local programs, and offer scholarships for LGBT candidates to attend classes at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Launch Tennessee, and other programs.
Sponsorship Levels
Look over our Sponsorship Prospectus for benefits for each of the following levels:
Presenting Sponsor- $10,000- SOLD OUT
Title Sponsor- $5,000-
Award Sponsor- $2,500
DJ Sponsor- $2,000
Photo Booth Sponsor- $2,000
Table Sponsor- $1,000
Half-Table Sponsor- $500
Event Details
We will be holding the awards virtually on the Airmeet events platform. There will be an hour of networking, and sponsors and community partners will have virtual booths that you can visit and talk about their work. This will keep the amazing networking and connection past in-person awards were known for.
The awards ceremony will run from 12-1 and will be a hybrid event with presenters and nominees safely distanced in a location or online.
Enjoy your lunch while watching or join a “viewing party.” There may be opportunities at member locations around the city to watch safely in person.
Award Descriptions
The LGBT Chamber presents seven awards (see award names and descriptions below):
The Corporate Diversity Award (150+ employees) is given to the company that has the most policies and practices that protect and engage their LGBT employees, customers, and suppliers. The better candidate will be involved in the local LGBT community. The best candidate will have a consistent relationship with the LGBT Chamber.
The Small Business Diversity Award (<150 employees) is given to the company that has the most policies and practices that protect and engage their LGBT employees, customers, and suppliers. The better candidate will be involved in the local LGBT community. The best candidate will have a consistent relationship with the LGBT Chamber.
The Business Leader of the Year is presented to someone who identifies as LGBT and has an employer. First, the candidate should show strong business results over the last 12 months, including increased revenue, attendance, programs, clients, promotion, or whatever is relevant to their field. The better candidate will be involved in the LGBT community or give back to LGBT organizations. The best candidate will be able to tie their increased outcomes to the LGBT Chamber.
The Entrepreneur of the Year is presented to an entrepreneur or small business owner who identifies as LGBT. The candidate should be able to show increased outcomes over the last 12 months. The better candidate will give back to the LGBT community and the best candidate will have a consistent relationship with the LGBT Chamber.
The Ally Award is presented to someone who does not identify as LGBT and has shown a commitment to helping the LGBT community. Donations include monetary, time, policies, budgeting, treatment, support, engagement, etc. An ally uses their resources and centers of influence to provide opportunities for and empower their LGBT peers, employees, organizations, or the community.
The Community Service Award is given to an individual who identifies as LGBT or an organization that caters specifically to the LGBT community (like Pride or GLSEN). The better candidate will be involved in the local LGBT community. The best candidate will have a consistent relationship with the LGBT Chamber.
The Leadership in the Arts Award is given to an individual who identifies as LGBT or an organization (which does not) who, over the past year, has demonstrated a commitment to equality, especially LGBT equality. Considerations should be given to performance topics, performers, staff, audience, policies, and more.
Click here for a historical list of nominees and winners.
Judging
The Chamber opens nominations. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination form.
Nominees are assigned a category and sent a questionnaire for the appropriate category.
A diverse panel of judges, made up of Chamber board members and former award winners, score each questionnaire. The Chamber staff gives a score based on the nominees membership level and engagement in the Chamber. The 3 nominees in each category who receive the combined top scores are named the finalists.
Chamber members now get to vote for the winners. Each representative of a member gets one vote in each category. For example, a Silver level member has 4 representatives, so a Silver level member gets 4 votes, a Networking member gets 1 vote, etc. Finalists carry their judges’ scores with them all the way through voting. Members are adding points to the judges’ scores.
The finalist who receives the most points wins.
Past Pride in Business Winners
Corporate Diversity Award
2019 Asurion
2018 Cracker Barrel and Dell
2017 Waller
2016 Baker Donelson
2015 Fifth Third Bank
2014 Nissan
2013 Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Small Business Diversity Award
2019 Focus Middle Tennessee
2018 Medicopy
2017 The Turnip Truck
2016 GS&F
2015 Emma
Business Leader of the Year
2019 Pamela Sheffer, Oasis Center
2018 Kimberly Stephan-Tate, Asurion
2017 Paul Vasterling, Nashville Ballet
2016 Steve Smotherman, Cracker Barrel
2015 David Bzrozoski, Dollar General
2014 Bradley Pinson, Fifth Third Bank
2013 Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Entrepreneur of the Year
2019 Jenny Ford, JF Government Strategies
2018 Phil Cobucci, BAM! Social Business
2017 John Dyke, The Turnip Truck
2016 Jack Davis, J.D. Events & Festivals
2015 Bruce Pittman, Bruce Pittman, Inc.
2014 Joey Amato, Unite Magazine
2013 Amos Gott, AmosEvents
Ally Award
2019 Kathy Halbrooks, PFLAG
2018 Bethany Mason, Dollar General
2017 Sean Henry, Nashville Predators
2016 Amy Parker, Deloitte
2015 Megan Barry
2014 Christopher Robinette, Mass Mutual (Capital Financial Group)
2013 Don Abel, Jr., Fifth Third Bank
Community Service Award
2019 Brian Marshall, MashUp Nashville
2018 Joe Woolley, Get It Done Solutions
2017 Launch Pad Volunteers
2016 Jim Schmidt, Schmidt Government Solutions
2015 Marisa Richmond, Middle Tennessee State University
2014 Abby Rubenfeld, Rubenfeld Law Office
2013 Nashville CARES
Leadership in the Arts Award
2019 Belcourt Theatre
2018 Don Schlosser, Nashville in Harm
2017 Oz Arts Nashville
2016 Nashville Ballet
2015 Nashville Opera
2014 Jim Robert, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble
2013 Nashville in Harmony
