A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE BUSINESS TIMES Daniel Lee has spent a career driving social change. Now he’s helping the Levi Strauss Foundation show its true colors. OUTSTANDING VOICES: In their own words, 12 Bay Area LGBTQ business leaders explain how they are making a difference. PAGES 27-44 Legacy Leader: Paul Pendergast 4-6 Corporate Pride: Genentech 14-16 Battle to preserve LGBTQ gains 8 Cracking the concrete ceiling 10-12 The ay Area’s 50 Largest LGBTQ-Owned Businesses 20-24 the business of SAN FRANCISCO Breaking news online BUSINESS TIMES r SanFranciscoBusinessTimes.com June 7, 2019 Vol. 33, No. 47, $10.00 On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 275 Battery St. @SFBusinessTimes Suite 600 San Francisco, CA 94111 Daily email updates L SanFranciscoBusinessTimes.com/newsletters 2 SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES THE BUSINESS OF PRIDE A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE BUSINESS TIMES EDITOR’S NOTE Perils are racing alongside progress t’s a famous quote, one that we cited in this very many speakers in this year’s publication, and some of the same space as recently as two years ago as a reason new dangers emerging are detailed in a story on page 8 . to remain optimistic: “The arc of the moral universe But if perils are speeding up, progress is matching is long,” Dr . Martin Luther King Jr . said, “but it bends them stride for stride . As it does each year, this publication toward justice ”. highlights some of the people and companies who are ISince then, however, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion driving equality forward . that the force of the federal government is being applied in They include Paul Pendergast (pages 4-6), who has an effort to bend it in the opposite direction . As we publish been successfully advocating for LGBTQ businesses this week our fifth annual Business of Pride, it is with the both locally and at the state level for more than a quarter realization that the Trump administration’s attempts to roll century . Pendergast has been instrumental in changing back years or even decades of LGBTQ progress are only laws and policies to ensure that LGBTQ-owned businesses accelerating on a number of fronts . It’s a theme cited by are able to compete for contracts from vendors as diverse CONTENTS BUSINESS OF PRIDE FEATURES THE LIST Mary C . Daly . 32 David Newson . .40 Techflash . 50 Getting a seat at the table . 4 Inside the List . 20 Erin Flynn . .34 Shelley Saraniti . 41 Bioflash . 52 Largest LGBTQ-Owned Richard Fuentes & Minna Tao . .42 New battle to preserve gains . 8 Hospitality . 54 Businesses . 22 Sean Sullivan . .35 Kate White . 44 Crack the concrete ceiling . 10 Banking . 55 Thomas Gaynor . 36 OUTSTANDING VOICES Equality is in their DNA . 14 Sherilyn Adams . 28 Dipti Ghosh . 38 ALSO INSIDE Viewpoint . 64 Entrepreneur: Vanguard . 18 José Cisneros . .30 Daniel Lee . .39 Structures . .48 Executive Profile . 67 WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR Wells Fargo’s commitment to the LGBT community By Ina Murray, EVP and San Francisco region bank president ells Fargo is proud to celebrate the Corporate Equality Index, earning the coveted distinction Pride month. We are excited of being one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” W to celebrate the contributions of LGBT entrepreneurs, business leaders, As a leading small business lender in the U.S., we are committed to helping and the community as a whole to the LGBT business owners access capital and financial resources. In 2004, greater Bay Area and our country. Wells Fargo became the first financial institution to join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), an organization created For over 30 years, Wells Fargo has to better address the financial and educational needs of LGBT-owned supported the LGBT community. In 1987, businesses. And in 2017, NGLCC not only recognized Wells Fargo as the Ina Murray the company added sexual orientation one of the “Best-of-the-Best Corporations for Inclusion,” our Chamber EVP and San Francisco to its non-discrimination policy. Training Institute program was named “The 2017 Best-of-the-Best Program region bank president Since then, Wells Fargo has provided or Initiative of the Year.” The program develops and empowers diverse financial and programmatic support chamber leaders with training on how to grow and build their local to LGBT organizations—contributing more than $50 million. organizations for the benefit of its small business community members. Since 1992, Wells Fargo has participated in hundreds of Pride We are committed to supporting the LGBT community, and to respecting parades and events, including appearances by our iconic Wells and encouraging diversity among our team members. We strive to Fargo stagecoach. Wells Fargo team members participate in more reflect the communities we serve so we can better understand and than 60 Pride celebrations nationally and internationally. help our diverse customers achieve financial success. When it comes to partnering to help our communities succeed, we are in this together. I Supporting our families is important to us. That’s why since 1998, look forward to continuing our partnership well into the future! all benefits extended to spouses of Wells Fargo team members have been extended to the domestic partners of team members as well. We are humbled to be recognized for our commitment to inclusion. For 16 consecutive years, The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality gave Wells Fargo a perfect score of 100 percent on JUNE 7, 2019 3 ABOUT US San Francisco Business Times is a publication of: American City Business Journals, 120 W. Morehead St., Charlotte, N.C. 28202 Whitney Shaw, CEO Ray Shaw, Chairman (1989-2009) The entire contents of this newspaper are copyrighted 2018 by The San Francisco Business Times, a publication of Business Journal Publications Inc., with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Single Copy: $10, Bay Area Book of Lists: $81. Back issues are available for $10. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Francisco, California, and at additional mailing offices. The San Francisco Business Times (ISSN 0890-0337) is published weekly by Business Journal Publications Inc. 275 Battery St., Suite 600, San Francisco CA 94111. Subscriptions as California’s utilities to Super Bowl 50’s In addition, this week’s entrepreneur Putting together the Business of Pride are 1‑year print and digital, organizing committee . That work has charts his real estate company’s course each year involves the efforts of a large $140, 1‑year digital, $115. Postmaster: Please send address earned him the designation as this year’s from its origins in San Francisco’s Castro portion of the Business Times’ staff, all changes to: San Francisco Business Selisse Berry Legacy Leader awardee for a neighborhood to a wider empire (pages sincerely appreciated . Three contributions, Times, 275 Battery St., Suite career of sustained positive social impact . 18-19) . however, merit special mention: Events 600, San Francisco CA 94111 It also includes Genentech (pages 14-16) . Our list of Largest LGBTQ-Owned director Felicia Brown is putting together The pioneering biotech company was Businesses (pages 20-24) includes 50 the Business of Pride celebration on CORRECTIONS blazing a trail in accommodating LGBTQ others who are successfully building June 11 at the Four Seasons Hotel . Visual members of its workforce long before business empires of their own . journalist Todd Johnson’s photo and video Fair and accurate corporate America starting doing the And last but certainly not least is the contributions are on these pages and coverage is at the same . Genentech’s work is recognized ever-popular OUTstanding Voices (pages online at http://bizj us/. 1pwdj9 . Finally, our heart of our mission . with the 2019 Corporate Pride award . 27-44) . Each year we select 12 LGBTQ banking and finance reporter Mark Calvey, We will promptly Progress toward equality in the business and nonprofit leaders and ask who has been a leading light for Business print corrections of construction and architecture industries has them to tell the story of their personal of Pride since its inception in 2015, shares substantive errors . If been slower than in some others . But as we journeys in their own words . This year’s personal thoughts on pages 64-65 . you believe incorrect detail on pages 10-12, cracks are starting to dozen had a lot to say on a range of topics, We hope you enjoy this year’s edition . or unfair information appear in the “concrete ceiling ”. and we hope you enjoy meeting them . — Jim Gardner, managing editor has appeared in the San Francisco Business Times, please contact Managing Editor Jim Gardner . Dedicated to saving lives. Heroes trained to alert their owners before blood sugar drops to Erin Flynn Dipti Ghosh life threatening levels…way earlier than any man-made monitor. Mark Ruefenacht, a scientist, who won the Jefferson Award is doing ground-breaking research that is the basis for applying this Congratulations training to other health issues. He also founded Dogs 4 Diabetics. board members Erin Flynn and We are proud that Presidio Bank is a part of his team. Dipti Ghosh, advisory board members Jose Cisneros and Daniel Lee, and all OUTstanding Voices for paving the way for LGBTQ workplace equality. The business bank that works. www.PresidioBank.com 4 SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES BUSINESS OF PRIDE SELISSE BERRY LEGACY LEADER Getting a seat at the table Paul Pendergast has spent a career helping LGBTQ businesses across California get a bigger share of its economic bounty BY ALISHA GREEN [email protected] ou can thank the opera for catapulting Paul sure that other groups were benefiting, too.