Chad Turner, CEO, Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce

Chad Turner, the CEO of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce told Invest: that a major goal of the organization is to establish a unifying front uniting the minority-owned small businesses in the Carolina region. He also discussed challenging economic conditions and generating visibility for the LGBT+ community. 

What have been some of the most significant milestones over the last 12-18 months for the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce?

The most significant would be that we opened three additional networks throughout the Carolinas and doubled our office space and footprint to allow for growth and employment within the Chamber as well as growing our internship program. In addition to that, we opened a coworking space within our offices where sole-preneurs and entrepreneurs would be able to come and work with internet, computer space, printers, and anything else they might need while building their business. We kicked off our first small business university program, which allows small businesses to take courses on financial planning, oversight, marketing, and social media and AI usage, as well as how to certify your business as a minority business enterprise. In addition to that, we’ve crossed over a threshold to becoming one of the leading LGBT+ chambers in the nation in terms of certifying LGBT+ business enterprises. We certified 25% of last year’s LGBT+ enterprises in the nation. 

We’ve had a really impactful 12-18 months! One of the biggest milestones was opening three additional networks across the Carolinas, which significantly expanded our reach. We also doubled our office space to support growth, employment, and the expansion of our internship program.

Another exciting development is the coworking space we launched within our offices. It’s designed for sole-preneurs and entrepreneurs, providing them with internet access, computer stations, printers, and other essential resources to help them build their businesses.

We also kicked off our first Small Business University program, offering courses on financial planning, marketing, social media, AI usage, and certifying businesses as minority business enterprises.

On top of that, we’ve reached a major milestone by becoming one of the leading LGBT+ chambers in the nation for certifying LGBT+ business enterprises. We’re proud to have certified 25% of the nation’s LGBT+ enterprises last year!

How has the landscape for LGBT+ businesses evolved over the last year?

There has not been much evolution as it relates to North and South Carolina. Obviously being in Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Columbia is a lot easier for LGBT+ businesses to find visibility, to gain access and to be their authentic self in their businesses every day. Unfortunately, North and South Carolina has not moved the needle on that very much in the rural areas and surrounding areas. We work with city councils, planning commissions, the state legislature, and our governors to help bring visibility and access to all LGBT+ businesses and professionals. Unfortunately, though, that moves slowly. 

In the most recent months, we’ve seen changes around access for LGBT+ businesses in large corporations and nonprofits. Organizations like Bank of America Stadium and the Panthers are getting involved. For instance, during the renovation of the stadium, the developers have guaranteed that LGBT+ businesses will be utilized during the business inclusion process. We’re continuing to work with different groups. Hopefully, by the time we make it to a larger footprint of LGBT+ owned businesses having access, our states and municipal governments will see the benefits. 

The landscape for LGBT+ businesses in North and South Carolina hasn’t changed much in the past year, especially in rural areas. In cities like Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Columbia, it’s easier for LGBT+ businesses to gain visibility, and access, and to operate authentically. However, outside of these urban centers, progress has been slow.

We actively work with city councils, planning commissions, state legislatures, and governors to increase visibility and access for LGBT+ businesses and professionals. But, unfortunately, these efforts take time to yield significant results.  We are working to place LGBT+ businesses on disparity studies to justify adding them to inclusion programs.

On a positive note, we’ve seen some recent improvements in access for LGBT+ businesses within large corporations and nonprofits. For example, organizations like Bank of America Stadium and the Panthers are getting involved. During the stadium’s renovation, developers have committed to including LGBT+ businesses in the business inclusion process. We’re hopeful that as we continue to work with various groups, more opportunities will open up, and state and municipal governments will recognize the benefits of supporting LGBT+ owned businesses.

How are the current economic conditions, including inflation and interest rate changes, affecting your outlook?

Post-COVID, we’ve seen some very mixed signals in the small business community. Every other day we see another company shutting down or enacting layoffs. We see an increased cost of goods and services. The one thing that remains constant is small minority businesses (under 50 employees) employ 41% of the eligible workforce in the region, making them the single largest employer in the region. They need a seat at the table to ensure they are protected just like the larger employers throughout the region. 

A lot of times, small business owners do not see tax cuts or incentives, because many times, they are too busy working in their business rather than working on their business. They don’t have the pool of attorneys and lobbyists like the larger companies throughout the region who are constantly in the legislature, constantly talking to the city council or the county commission. What we’re trying to do is assist them in bridging that gap. In that way, we can offer to be the voice in the halls of the legislature and to our local elected officials. I will say small businesses continue to take a hit, although the economy is showing signs of relief, and inflation is waning a little, we are still seeing that small business owners must make decisions between hiring people and keeping the doors open. 

Post-COVID, the small business community has been experiencing some very mixed signals. Almost daily, we hear about companies shutting down or laying off employees, and the rising cost of goods and services isn’t helping. Despite these challenges, one constant is that small minority businesses, especially those with under 50 employees, are crucial—they employ 41% of the eligible workforce in the region, making them the single largest employer here. It’s essential that these businesses have a seat at the table, just like the larger employers in the region, to ensure they are protected.

Unfortunately, small business owners often miss out on tax cuts or incentives because they’re too busy working in their businesses rather than on them. They don’t have the same resources—like a pool of attorneys or lobbyists—that larger companies have, who are regularly in contact with the legislature, city councils, or county commissions. That’s where we come in. We’re working to bridge that gap by being their voice in the halls of the legislature and with local elected officials.

Even though the economy is showing some signs of relief and inflation is easing a bit, small businesses are still feeling the strain. Many are facing tough decisions, like choosing between hiring new people or simply keeping their doors open.

How is technology disrupting the work that the chamber is doing as well as the work of your members?

When I talked about technology most recently with our members and our partners, the one thing that most consistently came up was AI and access to systems, like cell systems, even down to credit card processing and that type of technology. Obviously, we’re moving more and more toward handheld devices and less and less toward things that sit on our desks. But the biggest question of all in our circles on a daily basis is: how do you utilize AI for marketing? How do I utilize AI to try to find the right employee? How do I use AI for my application systems? We’ve deployed different workshops throughout the year to assist our small business owners, our non-profits, even down to our gig workers. Our gig workers include entertainers, photographers, event planners, DJs and drag performers. We need to get them set up for success and able to utilize the technology they can get their hands on at a low cost or no cost. 

When I recently spoke with our members and partners about the impact of technology, the discussion frequently revolved around AI and access to critical systems like mobile communication platforms and credit card processing. As businesses increasingly shift toward handheld devices and away from traditional desk setups, there’s a growing need to understand how to leverage these advancements effectively.

The most common questions we hear are about AI: How can AI be used for marketing? How can it help in finding the right employees or optimizing application systems? To support our members, we’ve rolled out a series of workshops throughout the year designed to address these questions and more. These workshops cater to a broad range of our community, including small business owners, nonprofits, and gig workers like entertainers, photographers, event planners, DJs, and drag performers.

Beyond workshops, we offer personalized consultations to help businesses integrate AI into their operations, from streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing customer engagement. We also provide resources on cybersecurity to ensure our members can protect their data as they adopt new technologies.

Additionally, we’ve launched a mentorship program where experienced professionals guide smaller businesses through the process of adopting and implementing new tech tools. For those looking to expand their digital presence, we offer training on social media strategy, e-commerce platforms, and website optimization.

Our goal is to ensure that all our members, regardless of their size or industry, have access to the technology and knowledge they need to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced environment. By providing low-cost or no-cost solutions, we’re helping them not only survive but thrive in this increasingly digital world.  We do this by connecting them with experts that are members and partners of the chamber.

How do you engage with the broader community, especially as it pertains to economic equity?

We’re a small part of the minority business community in the Charlotte region, and we work really closely with our fellow chambers, and this includes the Latin American Chamber, the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber, the Women’s Business Center, the Black Chamber, the Black Business Owners of Charlotte, as well as all the small merchants’ associations that are located throughout Charlotte. One of the biggest value-adds for us, and for our community, is intersectionality. LGBT people do not exist in a silo. We exist in the Latin community, we exist in the Black community, we exist in the women-led business community. We exist everywhere. One of the most important things to learn as a successful business leader is that intersectionality is the largest value-add that you have because it brings every voice to the table and ensures that all the facets of the small business community are represented. And when we have everybody represented, and everybody’s voice is equal, then we can actually move the ball. We can increase revenue for our small businesses. We can gain more visibility. We can leverage our elected officials to do more for that business community. 

We’re an integral part of the minority business community in the Charlotte region, and we work closely with our fellow chambers, including the Latin American Chamber, the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber, the Women’s Business Center, the Black Chamber, and the Black Business Owners of Charlotte. We also collaborate with small merchants’ associations throughout Charlotte.

One of the biggest value-adds for us—and for the broader community—is the focus on intersectionality. LGBT+ people aren’t isolated; we’re part of the Latin community, the Black community, the women-led business community—we’re everywhere. As a successful business leader, understanding that intersectionality is crucial because it brings every voice to the table.

When all facets of the small business community are represented and everyone’s voice is equal, we can actually make meaningful progress. This collective representation helps us increase revenue for small businesses, gain more visibility, and leverage our elected officials to do more for our business community. It’s about ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table so we can work together toward economic equity for all.