Volume 14 | January 15, 2019
January News and Updates
Join the Chamber for Brewing Up Business, Happy Hour, NEW Power Hour and MORE this month! We look forward to seeing you. Check out our upcoming January events and RSVP today!
Living Authentically - Sponsored by Comcast
The Chamber and our corporate partner Comcast are proud to present a day of events featuring retired U.S. Air Force Captain Mark David Gibson, author of Served in Silence on January 16.

Special Edition of Brewing Up Business - Living Authentically

Mark will speak about his memoir Served in Silence as well as LGBT Economic/Business Development strategies from the LGBT Business Builder initiative.

7:30 am - 9:30 am at Maggiano's Little Italy in the Galleria

Thank you to our hotel sponsor, Hyatt Houston Downtown.



LSVA, the Chamber and Comcast in Support of Vets

Join the Chamber for this special luncheon supporting LGBT Veterans hosted by Chamber member, Lone Star Veteran's Association (LSVA) and sponsored by Comcast as well as other event partners including: The Travis Manion Foundation, NextOp Veterans, and Chamber member, The Montrose Center. The program will feature guest speaker Mark David Gibson and an LGBT Veteran-focused career workshop.

11:45 am to 2 pm at Montrose Center


Comcast Meet and Greet with Mark David Gibson

Join the Chamber and our corporate partner and sponsor, Comcast, for a special onsite book reading and meet & greet with Mark David Gibson. Participating in the event will be Comcast’s OUT and VetNet employee resource groups as well as Chamber members and guests. Mark will read from his memoir Served in Silence .  

3 pm - 5 pm at Comcast

Regions Bank: Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting
The Chamber is proud to announce Regions Bank as one of our newest corporate partners!

Join us for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening Regions' newest state of the art branch in the Houston area. We'll cut the ribbon, enjoy wonderful refreshments and celebrate our newest corporate partner! Come out and meet the Regions Bank team, learn more about services for small business owners and about their strong commitment to LGBTQ diversity and inclusion.

January 25 at 10 am at Regions Bank
11150 Northwest Freeway, Suite 300

More Upcoming Events
January 31: Power Hour: Social Media Moves You Should Make it 2019

Join the Chamber for the launch of our inaugural Chamber Power Hour! What is the Power Hour? It's a fantastic hour of hands-on training with industry insiders designed to help you grow your business. The Chamber Power Hour kicks off right before the Chamber Happy Hour so you can join us for the Power Hour and then join other members and guests for the Chamber's monthly Happy Hour all in the same location.

We are proud to launch the Power Hour with the Chamber's social media sponsor, REFUGE Marketing ! The REFUGE Marketing team will share information about social media and the moves business owners should make in 2019 to capitalize on this growing communications medium critical for business today.


January 31: Chamber Happy Hour

Mix and mingle with fellow Chamber members and guests at our monthly happy hour. This month we are joined by our friends at EPAH for this co-hosted happy hour at Chamber corporate partner, East West Bank. We will celebrate the Chinese/Lunar New Year.

Editorial: What to Watch in the Texas Legislature
The 86th Texas Legislative Session is now underway. The Chamber will be active in advocating for LGBTQ inclusive legislation and fighting discriminatory bills that would hurt our businesses and our community. Save the Date for our upcoming "A Day at the Capitol with the Texas LGBT Chambers" advocacy day on Wednesday, February 20. More details coming soon! Check out this editorial from the Houston Chronicle on what to expect from this session.

Chamber Chat with Last Wishes
Saying goodbye to a loved one is never easy. And for many families, saying goodbye to a four-legged friend can be just as traumatic as the loss of a person. Unfortunately, the support services around the passing of a pet are often non-existent. It’s precisely that issue that Dr. Christie Cornelius set out to fix with her Houston-based company and Chamber member, Last Wishes.

Welcome New Members!
The Chamber is excited to welcome our newest member, Fran Watson, Attorney at Law.

Learn more about our member companies via our Online Directory.

The LGBT Economy is America's Future
Media Planet: Money talks. And now, more than ever, public and private sector leaders are listening to the collective voice of the LGBT community.

We have fought hard to secure our rights in the name of equality, but our true equity and ability to bring about change for our community lies in our economic power. 

Queer Teen Jackson Neal Named Houston's Youth Poet Laureate
OutSmart: As the city’s Youth Poet Laureate, Neal wants to “encourage all Houstonians to find each other through their stories, to make art and spaces for art to exist radically, relentlessly. We are in a time with destruction all around us, but poetry is the opposite of that. Poetry is alive; it is the revolution; it is the hope we have left to carry.”

Silver Corporate Partners
Bronze Corporate Partners
Founding Members
Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce | 832-510-3002 | info@houstonlgbtchamber.com | houstonlgbtchamber.com