New Yorkers Roll the Dice and Win

Roll the Dice returned with this year's National Convention held in Chicago on August 10. Two of the finalists, and ultimately the winner, were NGLCCNY members. Joe Cote and Dakin Parker of NGLCCNY Bronze Business Member CapsulePen (www.pillcontainers.com) won the $10,000 prize. Roll the Dice is a program of the NGLCC National Business & Leadership Conference. Entrepreneurially minded certified LGBT businesses “pitch” a new product for funding. This year’s prize was originally set at $1,500, but on the spot, surprise contributions from Ernst & Young and Allstate moved the award to $10,000.

“I was walking down 9th Avenue when I got the call that we were finalists,” said Mr. Cote. “I called Dakin and we screamed into each other’s ear to celebrate.”

“When we won, I hugged Dakin and managed not to cry,” said Mr. Cote. “It was an acknowledgement of hard work, a sign we are on the right path. We have lots to do to move CapsulePen ahead, but we’re definitely off and running.”

Jim Hohl, owner of NGLCCNY Bronze Business Member CPS Creative, gave an excellent presentation and was close in the running with his new project management application, Tasklite (www.tasklite.com). “I participated to see how people would respond to Tasklite,” said Mr. Hohl. “The judges gave incredible feedback, and after the competition, the number of Tasklite accounts increased by 30%. Tasklite is easy to use, and the market is huge.”

President Richard Oceguera sat in the front row along with several Chamber members taking pictures and rooting for our contestants on stage. "I felt like a proud father to see our members pitching their products and giving it their all," said Mr. Oceguera. "This is what the Chamber is all about: giving business owners opportunities they otherwise may never have access to. This is why NGLCCNY exists."

CapsulePen is available at www.pillcontainers.com.

Tasklite is available at www.tasklite.com.