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The San Diego Equality Business Association promotes LGBTQ influence through business ownership, workforce equality and active consumerism, creating prosperity to support equality, diversity and inclusion.
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Our Mission, Vision, and Purpose
At the San Diego Equality Business Association (SDEBA), our mission is simple yet impactful: We promote and elevate LGBTQ+ businesses through advocacy, partnership, and collaboration. By working closely with our members and sponsors, we foster an inclusive business community where diversity thrives. Our goal is to empower LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals by creating opportunities through education, networking, and strategic partnerships.
Vision:
We envision a thriving, equitable economy where LGBTQ+ businesses have the resources, support, and representation they need to succeed. Through advocacy and collaboration, we aim to remove barriers and create a space where all professionals—regardless of identity—can achieve their full potential.Purpose:
Our purpose is to drive meaningful change for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs by advocating for their rights, providing access to key resources, and building a collaborative network. Through our partnerships, we strive to empower business owners and create lasting impact within the San Diego business landscape.
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Tuesday Lunch Uptown/Hillcrest
Aladdin Restaurant
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
1220 Cleveland Ave #101,
San Diego, CA 92103
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Membership Committee
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Who's Behind the Studio Door?
Ten years ago Patric Stillman decided to make a serious commitment to his art and to other artists. He took his experience as a successful businessman added his talent as an artist and created what he calls an arts incubator.The Studio Door focuses on assisting artists with art-to-market knowledge, price, brand, marketing and patron development, as well as creating opportunities that will help artists grow by providing working studio space, an online presence and curating exhibits. 
Professional Artist magazine named Patric the 2015 Mentor of the Year for his work at The Studio Door. "Patric is the go-to guy when you are having questions concerning your artwork, whether it be conceptual or nuts-and-bolts marketing." -
Thursday Morning University Heights
Lestat's on Park
8:00 am to 9:00 am
4496 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92116
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Mission, Vision & Values
Mission Statement
The Greater San Diego Business Association promotes LGBT influence through business ownership and supportive consumerism, creating prosperity through equality, diversity and inclusion.
Vision Statement
To lead LGBT economic equality, development and empowerment.Values
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Economic Empowerment: Provide innovative resources that support prosperity for our members.
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Stewardship: Advance professional excellence and demonstrates fiscal responsibility.
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Advocacy: Support an inclusive, diverse business community based on equality, integrity and respect.
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Inclusion: Nurture diversity within and across communities.
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Bob Lehman, Executive Director, San Diego Gay Men’s ChorusFor nearly 20 years, Bob Lehman has been an advocate for San Diego’s LGBT community. Following his service as a combat Marine sergeant, Lehman became a nationally recognized leader in the fight to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” founding San Diego’s chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, leading the first-ever contingent of gay veterans to march in San Diego’s Veteran’s Day Parade and serving as the first openly gay appointee to the County Veteran’s Advisory Board. Working with local veterans, Lehman co-founded the highly respected Stonewall Citizen’s Patrol in reaction to the brutal attacks against gay men outside the Pride Festival.
Lehman was also a leader in the fight for marriage equality including providing major funding and campaign offices against both antigay measures, Prop 22 and Prop 8. In 2008, Lehman and his husband Tom Felkner made history as the first two men to legally marry in California.
Today, Lehman serves as Executive Director and President Emeritus of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus. Under his leadership, the Chorus has doubled in size and dramatically increased its community outreach role. Just months ago, Mayor Faulconer honored Lehman and the Chorus with its own “SDGMC Day.”
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The Disaster Plan Your San Diego Business Probably Doesn't Have — and Needs
Emergency preparedness — having a written response plan, communication protocols, and backed-up data before a crisis strikes — is one of the most practical investments a small business can make. A quarter of businesses that experience a disaster will never reopen, and most of those losses hit owners who assumed they'd figure it out when the time came. For SDEBA members operating in San Diego, where wildfires, earthquakes, and storm flooding are recurring realities, that assumption carries real consequence.
The Confidence That Gets Businesses Closed
If you've run a business for several years without a major crisis, trusting your ability to adapt in a pinch feels earned. Resilience has probably carried you through difficult seasons before.
But most businesses have no written plan — 94%, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation — despite facing some of the greatest exposure to natural disasters. The problem isn't capability; it's timing. When a wildfire is moving toward your neighborhood or power has been out for five days, the window for clear-headed planning has already closed.
Bottom line: A written plan locks in your best decisions before an emergency forces a worse one.
Know Your San Diego Hazard Profile First
Generic emergency templates cover generic emergencies. San Diego's risk environment warrants something more specific.
If your business is in an inland area — El Cajon, Rancho Bernardo, or the eastern foothills: Wildfire evacuation and smoke-related closures are your primary risk. Red Flag conditions can bring mandatory evacuation orders with very little lead time.
If you're near a low-lying drainage area in the city: Flash flooding during heavy storms can affect inventory, equipment, and building access. The City of San Diego advises business owners to register for emergency notifications through Alert San Diego — a free, location-based alert system — and to request sandbags early, with supply limited to 10 bags per business.
For every San Diego business: Seismic risk is constant. Your plan should include utility shutoff procedures and steps for protecting data and inventory.
The City of San Diego Office of Emergency Services directs local business owners to Ready San Diego, the county's official resource covering region-specific hazards including wildfires, earthquakes, and flooding — a useful starting point for building or auditing your plan.
In practice: A hazard section only earns its place in your plan if it's built around your specific address and business type — not a national template with San Diego's name on it.
What an Effective Plan Actually Covers
FEMA's guidance on business readiness identifies communications planning, IT recovery, and continuity planning as core components — and treats regular training and exercises as non-negotiable. A document no one has reviewed isn't a plan; it's just a file.
Your plan should name specific people for specific roles: who notifies employees, who contacts clients, who secures the register, and who has backup access to your records if your location is inaccessible. Assign named backups for every critical role.
Emergency Preparedness Readiness Checklist
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[ ] Hazard assessment completed for your specific location and business type
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[ ] Written response plan covering wildfire, earthquake, and flooding
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[ ] Evacuation routes posted and practiced with all employees
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[ ] Named employees assigned to each emergency role, with backups
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[ ] Communication protocol in place for staff, customers, and key vendors
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[ ] Critical data backed up offsite or in cloud storage
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[ ] Emergency supplies on-site: first aid, flashlights, batteries, water, food rations
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[ ] Plan reviewed and updated within the last 12 months
What Your Property Insurance Doesn't Cover
Having property insurance feels like coverage — and it is, for some things. Here's where many business owners get caught off guard.
Only 33% of small businesses carry business interruption insurance, leaving most financially exposed when a disaster forces them to close, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Property coverage replaces your equipment and physical space. Business interruption insurance pays your rent, payroll, and operating costs while you're closed — a separate product that most small businesses don't carry.
If you've never specifically asked your broker about coverage for lost operating revenue during a forced closure, you may not have it.
Bottom line: Before your next renewal, ask your broker one question: "If I'm forced to close for two weeks, what does this policy pay?"
Putting Your Plan on Paper
Print materials give your team access to critical procedures when the internet is down and phones are overwhelmed. Posted evacuation routes, laminated procedure cards, and printed emergency contact lists work when digital systems don't — which is often when you need them most.
PDFs are the most reliable format for these materials because they preserve formatting and print consistently across every device and printer. If your floor plans, evacuation diagrams, or signage files are saved as image files, Adobe Acrobat Online is a browser-based converter that lets you export PNG to PDF by dragging and dropping your files — no software or account required. Keep printed copies in a secured on-site location alongside a digital backup.
The Work Worth Protecting
SDEBA has built something meaningful over 45 years: a community of businesses that advocate together, support each other, and make San Diego's economy stronger and more inclusive. A disaster that forces one member to close affects employees, clients, and the broader network we've built together.
Start by working through the checklist above and visiting Ready San Diego to identify hazards specific to your location. Set a calendar reminder to review your plan annually — and consider asking a SCORE mentor or San Diego SBDC advisor to review it once it's written. Preparedness is one of those investments that only shows its value when you need it, and by then, it's too late to make it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I review and update my emergency plan?
At minimum, once per year — and after any significant business change: a new location, added staff, major equipment, or a local emergency that exposed a gap in your current approach. The easiest habit is to tie the annual review to your insurance renewal so both happen at the same time.
Treat your plan like your insurance: review it before you need it.
Does my landlord's emergency plan cover my business?
Your landlord's plan covers the structure. It does not cover your client records, inventory, payroll obligations, or operating revenue during a closure. Building-level and business-level preparedness are entirely separate responsibilities — you need both.
A landlord's plan protects the building — yours protects the business.
I'm a solo operator. Do I still need a formal emergency plan?
Yes, scaled to your situation. The two most critical steps for solo operators are designating someone who can notify clients if you're incapacitated, and ensuring your essential business data is accessible to that person. A simple emergency contact card and shared access to key accounts can be enough to start.
Solo operators need two things above all: a named backup contact and accessible data.
What if my business has never experienced a disaster — where do I begin?
Start with your hazard assessment: identify the two or three emergencies most likely to affect your specific location based on San Diego's regional risks. From there, the checklist above covers the core components. You don't need to build a perfect plan on the first pass — a workable draft that you review and improve each year is far better than waiting for the ideal version.
An imperfect plan you practice beats a perfect plan that stays in the binder.
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