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BBB* Celebrates 60 Years ofEthical Enterprise in Southern Alberta
*Trade-mark(s) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus used under license
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BBB* Celebrates 60 Years ofEthical Enterprise in Southern Alberta
Published by:BBB Serving Southern Alberta
and East Kootenay
President & CEOSandra Crozier-McKee
Vice-president Marketing & Communications
Camie Leard
Vice-president OperationsShane Strebchuk
EditorLeah Brownridge
ContributorsDavid McKee, Geoff Whatley
Advertising ConsultantsJaydene Neis, Edie Smith
We welcome your comments and inquiries
You can reach us at:
BBB Serving Southern Albertaand East Kootenay
#5, 1709 8 Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 0S9(403) 531-8784 [email protected]
bbb.org
facebook.com/CalgaryBBB
@CalgaryBBB
Copyright 2014 by BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent from BBB
Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay.
Greetings .......................................................2
Celebrating 60 Years of History ...........4
Your BBB Today ..........................................8
Advancing Marketplace Trust .............. 10
Full Support ............................................... 12
The Voice of BBB ..................................... 13
At Your Service ......................................... 15
Expanding the Family ............................ 16
Savvy Consumers ..................................... 17
Partner Perfect .......................................... 18
Flood & Fire ...............................................20
Looking Forward ..................................... 22
Contents
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GREETINGS FROMTHE PRESIDENT & CEO
Sandra Crozier-McKee, President & CEOBBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay
Taking the helm of BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay three years ago represented one of the proudest moments of my career. To have the opportunity to lead an organization with decades of service to this community into a future where ethics will be more important than ever was an exciting challenge - and one I was honoured to undertake.
As your BBB celebrates 60 years in Calgary and area, we can look back with fondness and pride on the work we’ve accomplished in the region. The stories told on the pages of this publication are a testament to a legacy of advancing marketplace trust as is our mission.
This is as much your story, your organization, as it is ours. Together with our partners, Accredited Businesses and consumers in our communities, we help 1.2 million people in our region each year through unbiased business reviews, complaint handling, consumer education, business coaching and so much more.
BBB is a brand that has stood the test of time and one that will continue to play an important role in the next 60 years. As commerce continues to migrate from bricks and mortar to cyberspace, fraudsters, scammers, false advertisers and other nefarious characters are finding new ways to part people with their money. BBB is right there on the forefront and will continue working towards our vision of an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other - whether the marketplace is physical or virtual.
Let’s continue to work together to advance marketplace trust and build a community guided by the BBB values of excellence, integrity, teamwork, trust and respect.
This is as much your story – your organization – as it is ours. Together with our partners, Accredited Businesses and consumers in our communities, we help 1.2 million people in our region each year.
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Celebrating 60 Years of History with your BBB
BBB Celebrates 60 Years ofEthical Enterprise in Southern Alberta
It was an age of suit-clad, smooth talking shysters and slick salesmen hawking snake oil with outlandish advertising claims. As the brave new world of mass media advertising began to flourish, it was clear that an organization was needed to establish and promote business ethics in the Wild West that was the turn-of-the-century marketplace.
The Better Business Bureau was that organization. Founded and funded by business people committed to ethics in advertising and in business, BBB made
its start in Wisconsin in 1912 with Coca Cola’s Samuel Dobbs in the leader’s chair.
By the 1940s, marketplace misbehaviour had the businesses and consumers of Calgary, Alberta calling for truth in advertising, ethical enterprise and mar-ketplace trust. A strong-worded editorial read, “There are no valid arguments against a Better Business Bu-reau…the formation of such Bureau has been overdue in Calgary for years.”
By 1952, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the local Rotary Club joined forces to drum-up inter-est, time and money towards the creation of a BBB
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in Alberta. With their initial efforts gaining a tepid response, John Rawlinson, a Calgary businessman and member of multiple community organizations and the Southwest Kiwanis Club took over the project and proposed a plan to create and increase public confidence, wherby the Province of Alberta officially incorporated Better Business Bureau as a society in 1954. With $8,000 in fund-raising efforts by 118 Ro-tary Club of Calgary members, plus the helping-hand of BBB Winnipeg’s manger, operations were soon underway.
In 1955, BBB set up shop in the basement of a down-town building aptly named the Examiner, which became the newsletter moniker, located at 611-7th Street SW. It was here in 1962 that your BBB wel-comed its first chairmen of the board, Ronald H. Jenkins who was joined by former Montreal BBB staffer and former RCMP officer, Allan N. Rose, who became the secretary and manger.
Rose, who recognized the importance of having the support of the Calgary business community, helped create the first local BBB Board of Directors includ-ing:
• The Albertan (now the Calgary Sun)• The Calgary Herald• SML Entertainment• CFCN TV (now CTV)• CFAC and CKXL radio• CHCT TV (now Global)• Calgary Tent & Awning Ltd. • The Ski Cellar• Renfrew Furs• The Yale Hotel • The Lone Pine Supper Lounge Ltd.
Though located in Calgary, BBB’s initial territory included the hills of Alberta and the flatlands of Sas-katchewan. Known as “District No. 2,” BBB quickly established itself as it received about 250 calls each month by 1960. As the city’s population increased, so did BBB’s momentum. During the early ‘60s, appli-cations rapidly increased and were projected to do so as the city continued to grow. Alex G. Bailey took over as board chairman and in 1962 alongside new president and CEO Myrl Courtright, Calgary Mayor Harry Hays declared March 25-31 “Better Business Week” in recognition of ethical enterprise in the Cal-gary area. Later that year, Rose was named the new head of the Association of Canadian Better Business Bureaus and towards the end of the decade, the young Calgary BBB set the bar for community service by winning the Canadian National Award for outstand-ing public service.
Five years later, in 1967, BBB won an award for outstanding public service under the reign of Board Chairman Al Vogt, General Manager Allan Rose and past Board Chairman George Seaborn.
By the early 70s, Rose and his staff were operating at full steam and processed more than 18,000 inquiries and complaints each year. This is compared to the 6,000 calls processed by the federal government’s Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs each year at that time for the entire country.
December 1972 marked the first change in your BBB’s leadership when David S. Oakes took over as secre-tary and manger and steered the ship for the next 11 years. Towards the end of the decade, Oakes spoke about the future of BBB including the eventual intro-duction of arbitration services to benefit both busi-nesses and consumers.
By the early 1980s, BBB was fielding 32,000 in-stances of service as Board Chairman, P. Gresko, says, “BBB’s biggest job is disseminating information and resolving misunderstandings, rather than chasing racketeers, a popular misconception.” Gresko’s state-ment remains true today with your BBB fielding more than one million inquiries annually.
By the early 70s, (BBB) processed more than 18,000 inquiries and complaints
each year. This is compared to the 6,000 calls processed by the federal
government’s Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs each year at that
time for the entire country.
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The next 20 plus years were packed with change and started with Oakes’ retirement in 1983. He was replaced by board member Ty Smith stepping in as interim President and CEO for approximately one year. In 1985, Norman Haines, a former CFCN (now CTV) president, replaced Smith and headed BBB for the next 15 years. In 1986, BBB brough Medicine Hat in as a Calgary BBB affiliate and in 1991, BBB said goodbye to downtown and moved to Fisher Park, a business complex located in SE Calgary. One year later, Lethbridge signed on as a satellite office.
Your local BBB spearheaded the dispute settlement movement for Canadian BBBs when it launched Canada’s first dispute settlement centre in 1993. “Most of our offices have done reconciliation, and all have done arbitration, but we’re the first to get into the mediation field,” said Al Briggs, general manger of BBB.
As the Internet ushered its way into the mainstream during the early 90s, Operations Manager, Ellen Wright, predicted the installment of online business reviews and an overall increase in BBB’s marketplace presence and relevancy. “Eventually you’ll be able to click onto our website, look up a company and see our report,” she said. Today BBB has an extensive online
presence with an average of about 100,000 website page views each month and an active social media presence.
As the millennium approached, your BBB became the second-largest branch in Canada and fielded more than 100,000 calls per year. Board member Al Searle replaced Haines as interim president and CEO in 2000. Former H&R Block Senior Vice President and National General Manager, Bonar Irving, replaced Searle later that same year. It is Irving who intro-duced BBB’s seal of approval, which allowed Accredit-ed Businesses to display it on their websites, through-out their offices and on their company vehicles as a symbol of trustworthy business and commitment to BBB’s Standards for Trust and values.
In 2003, Wright became president and CEO and remained so for the next seven years. In 2009, BBB’s territory changed and became BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay, as it is today. Now, Cal-gary’s office numbers 27 staff persons, three contrac-tors and handles more than one million instances of service annually.
In 2011, Sandra Crozier-McKee became the current president and CEO after a brief tenure by Molsen
Brewery sales executive, Barry Baim. With experience in both the private and non-profit sectors, Crozier-McKee says though the past 60 years have provided much to reflect on, the emphasis is on the future. “Though it’s certainly a time to look back at our proud legacy, our focus is very much on the future and find-ing ways we can better serve the public and business community,” she says.
Today your BBB offers a variety of free services for businesses, consumers and its 4,000-plus Accredited Businesses including dispute settlement, consumer reviews, complaint processing and publishing, ac-creditation consultation, community education and other services.
Future goals include improvement and expansion of current services, a paperless office environment, increased community partnerships and engagement and further proactive interaction with the public and business sectors.
“This is an exciting time for BBB,” says Crozier-McKee. “We look forward to continuing to encourage ethical behaviour in the marketplace for another 100 years!”
Norm Haines (l to r) Myrl Courtright, Ted Eustace and Allan Rose
Vaughn Watts (left) and All Briggs
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1912 NATIONAL VIGILANCE COMMITTEE IS FORMED IN DALLASbased on “Ten Commandments of Advertising” by Samuel Candler Dobbs of Coca-Cola®
FIRST BBB OPENSIN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTAFOLLOWED BY CLEVELAND AND SALT LAKE CITY IN 1913.
TOP INDUSTRIES FOR COMPLAINTSIN 1915
TOTAL INSTANCES OF SERVICE IN 1915
1 ,432,228
INCHeadquartered in Cleveland, Ohio
A “federal” organization of local BBBs evolved through several name changes such as
1921
INCORPORATED IN
1921 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS, INC.
1946 ASSOCIATION OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS, INC.
and
NATIONAL BETTER BUSINESS COMMISSION, INC.OF THE ASSOCIATED ADVERTISING CLUBS OF THE WORLD
and
1928 BBB GOES INTERNATIONALOPENS A BBB LOCAL IN MONTREAL
BBB WARNS OF BAIT AND SWITCH TACTICS
1945New ad slogan:“Before you Invest, Investigate,”BBBs warned swindlers. National BBB dedicates a division to protect servicemembers from con artists.
1930 ASSOCIATION OF BBBs DEVELOPSTRUTH IN ADVERTISING STANDARDS which underpin Federal Trade Commission advertising rules.
INCORPORATED ON JULY 31, 1970COUNCIL OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS
Was formed by a merger of National Better Business Bureau & Association of Better Business Bureaus
COUNCIL OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS (CBBB)
NATIONAL CHARITY REVIEWCHILDREN’S ADVERTISING REVIEW UNIT
MOVES INTO:1971
1994BBB GOES TO THE WEBOne of the first non-profits there.Today BBB websites receive more than six million visitors a month.
1996 WITH BROAD BUSINESS SUPPORT,BBB LAUNCHES ITS FLAGSHIP TRUSTMARK PROGRAMTO PROMOTE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE ON THE INTERNET.
1991 BBB WEB PRIVACY PROGRAMS LAUNCHED
2000 CODE OF ONLINE BUSINESS PRACTICES
2003 REVISED CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS
2006 CHILDREN’S FOOD AND BEVERAGE ADVERTISING
BBB SETS STANDARDS FOR TRUST
2007BBB UPDATES ITS BRANDBBB gets a facelift and combines its business practice codes to clarify the standards BBB uses to accredit more than 400,000 businesses.
20104 MILLION BUSINESS REVIEWS
1 MILLION CONSUMER
COMPLAINTS RESOLVED
TOP INDUSTRY FOR COMPLAINTS
AUTO DEALERS - NEW CARS
TOTAL INSTANCES OF SERVICE IN 2010
88,594,720TOP INDUSTRIES FOR INQUIRIES
ROOFING CONTRACTORS
IN 2010
IN 2010
2011BBB APP RELEASEDDownload the BBB IOS App.
1930WINNIPEG
1937OTTAWA
1949HALIFAX1954
CALGARY
1939VANCOUVER
1957EDMONTON
1962VICTORIA
1976KITCHENER
1981REGINA 1984
LONDON
CANADIAN BBBs COME ON BOARD
2012BBB CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
1912 NATIONAL VIGILANCE COMMITTEE IS FORMED IN DALLASbased on “Ten Commandments of Advertising” by Samuel Candler Dobbs of Coca-Cola®
FIRST BBB OPENSIN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTAFOLLOWED BY CLEVELAND AND SALT LAKE CITY IN 1913.
TOP INDUSTRIES FOR COMPLAINTSIN 1915
TOTAL INSTANCES OF SERVICE IN 1915
1 ,432,228
INCHeadquartered in Cleveland, Ohio
A “federal” organization of local BBBs evolved through several name changes such as
1921
INCORPORATED IN
1921 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS, INC.
1946 ASSOCIATION OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS, INC.
and
NATIONAL BETTER BUSINESS COMMISSION, INC.OF THE ASSOCIATED ADVERTISING CLUBS OF THE WORLD
and
1928 BBB GOES INTERNATIONALOPENS A BBB LOCAL IN MONTREAL
E IS FORMED IN DALLASvertising” by Samuel Candler Dobbs of Coca-Cola®
TATT1913.
BBs evolved through several name changes such as
BBB WARNS OF BAIT AND SWITCH TACTICS
2014BBB SERVING SOUTHERN
ALBERTA AND EAST KOOTENY TURNS 60
BBB: A HISTORY OF ADVANCING MARKETPLACE TRUST
BBB* Celebrates 60 Years ofEthical Enterprise in Southern Alberta
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Large Team Photo
Back: (l to r): Nirmal Ghosh, Denise Higginson (Board), Geoff Whatley, David McKee, Jeremy Davies, Tavis McKee, Sandra Crozier-McKee, Larry Metz (Board), Norbert Brinkhaus (Board), David Steele (Chair, Board), Gerry Simons (Board), Camie Leard, Sergio Neaves, Kyle Sims
Middle: (l to r): Shaheed Mollah (Volunteer), Karen O’Grady, Bernice Swan, Sharlene Massie (Board), Leah Brownridge, Julie Harji, Alison Peltokangas, Todd Binning
Seated (l to r): Keith Davis (Board), Patti Falconer (Board), Leah Turner, Jaydene Neis, Darlene Pentz, Brittany Steele, Winnie O’Brien, Brad Clements (Volunteer), Ben Calica, Raymond Coffey
Missing staff: Shane Strebchuk, Angela Higginson, Lynda Brown, Ron Riemann
Missing Board: Tony Fisher, Harper-Lee Overli, Nick Sims, Julie Berdin, Jim Gillespie, Dal Lewis, Al Searle, Greg Shannon, Charron Ungar, Paul Williams, Nathan Wong
Your BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay: 2014
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Your BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay: 2014
EXECUTIVE TEAM
(Lto r): Sandra Crozier-McKee, President & CEO; Camie Leard, VP Marketing and Communications; Shane Strebchuk, VP Operations
SERVICE AREA
MISSONTo be the leader in advancing
marketplace trust
VISIONAn ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust
each other
VALUESExcellenceIntegrity
TeamworkTrust
Respect
BOARD OFDIRECTORS
PRESIDENT& CEO
VPOPERATIONS
EXECUTIVEASSISTANT VP MARCOM
MARKETPLACESERVICES
ADMINISTRATIONSERVICES
ACCREDITATIONSERVICES
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
ACCREDITEDBUSINESSSERVICES
Your BBB serves more than 40,000 postal codes throughout Southern Alberta and East Kootenay reaching about three million people and 50,000-plus businesses representing more than 4,000 Accredited Businesses.
STRUCTURECalgary
Lethbridge
MedicineHat
Airdrie
Fernie
BrooksHigh River
Okotoks
Claresholm
Fort Macleod
Strathmore
Crowsnest Pass
SparwoodKimberley
Invermere
Golden
Creston
ALBERTA
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Didsbury
Olds
Innisfail
Cranbrook
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Providing objective advice and listening to both sides of the story is what your local BBB’s Marketplace Services (MPS) team does for the businesses and consumers throughout the Southern Alberta and East Kootenay region. From dispute resolution to advertising reviews to investigations, MPS has been promoting and contributing to marketplace trust for the past 60 years.
BBB first set foot on the local marketplace in 1954 and by the early ‘60’s was well on its way to becom-ing a recognized community resource. In 1960, BBB received about 3,000 calls per year but by the end of the decade, that number skyrocketed to more than 18,000 a year. Today, your BBB fields more than one million instances of service annually.
Here’s how we do it:
BBB Business Reviews
Our online business reviews present a summary of important information for both Accredited Busi-nesses and non-Accredited Businesses. When viewers search for a business, they are able to see:
• Its BBB rating • The reasons behind the rating • Company contact information, location and
website• How many complaints are on file and how many
of those complaints have been resolved• What the nature of the complaints are and details
about the resolution process between the busi-ness and consumer
• Government actions• Additional business information
BBB Business Reviews are intended to give people as much relevant information as possible so they can make informed decisions.
Complaints
As of March 2014, your BBB joined BBBs across North America in publishing complaint details ensur-ing BBB remains in line with its own standards and values while communicating relevant marketplace information to the community.
We do this by verifying the legitimacy of the com-plaints and businesses are given the chance to respond and all personal identifiable information is removed prior to publishing.
By publishing complaints, businesses and consum-ers are able to differentiate nominal complaints from more serious ones as well as see businesses customer service skills.
Advancing Marketplace TrustMARKETPLACE SERVICES
Marketplace Services: (l to r): Nirmal Ghosh, Maketplace Services Consultant; Angela Higginson, Marketplace Services Consultant; Alison Peltokangas, Co-Manager; Kyle Sims, Co-Manager. MIssing: Tavis McKee, Marketplace Services Consultant, Lynda Brown, Marketplace Services Consultant, Brad Clements, Volunteer Markeplace Services Consultant.
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Local Service Statistics2013/14 Fiscal Year
Web Inquiries 1,183,957
Complaints 3,551
Mediations/Arbitrations 2
Media Instances 187
Investigations 26
Advertising Reviews 52
Emails, walk-ins and phone calls 19,439
Total Instances of Service 1,207,214
Mediation and Arbitration
Sometimes you need a little help from a neutral source to help provide perspective and objective in-sight when trying to settle disagreements. BBB offers mediation services that allow businesses and consum-ers the opportunity to work out their differences in a neutral environment with an unbiased mediator.
Investigations
Part of upholding our mission involves denouncing substandard marketplace behavior. Alison Peltokan-gas, who oversees BBB’s investigations, says she con-ducts investigations for a variety of reasons. “When I initiate an investigation, it’s usually to determine if a certain business is legitimate and operating in an ethical manner,” she says. “If I find that an organiza-tion is in fact engaging in sub standard marketplace behaviour, we are able to communicate our findings to consumers and businesses so they can protect themselves.”
Consumer Reviews
The most recent service added by the MPS team is consumer reviews. Kyle Sims, co-manger of market-place services, explains this BBB is the first Canadian location to join the numerous American BBB’s who have already implemented this change. “In keeping with our eight Standards for Trust, we are remaining transparent to businesses and consumers by giving them the chance to provide positive, neutral or nega-tive feedback about their marketplace experiences - vetted by BBB for truth and accuracy,” he says. “It also increases our relevance and expands our market-place presence.”
Moving forward, your BBB’s Marketplace Services team strives to strengthen BBB’s brand and market-place presence through strong leadership and edu-cation. “As a team, our hope is to progress with the evolving marketplace, provide more efficient services to the public and ultimately become the go-to experts on all facets of BBB,” says Sims.
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Full Support
Administrative Services: (l to r): Julie Harji, Office Clerk; Bernice Swan, Manager, Administrative Services; Karen O’Grady, Accounts Recievable Clerk
On any given day, your BBB is serving more than 4,000 Accredited Businesses and the more than 1.2 million consumers who use our services every year. Nearly 30 staff, 18 board members, contractors, volunteers, suppliers and service providers make your BBB a hive of activity, and our administration team is the glue that holds it all together.
“Our office receives an average of 400 phone calls a month plus eight to 10 consumer walk-ins,” says Bernice Swan, manager of administrative services. “We host dozens of meetings, answer hundreds of questions, return emails, coordinate communications and much more – and we’re very proud of the work we do.”
Shane Strebchuck, vice president of operations, says there’s more to administration than answering phones and sending mail. “For our office it’s about being a vital part of a team that works collectively to-wards BBB’s vision of establishing an ethical market-place,” he says.
The office administration team is often the main point
of contact between the public and BBB. Swan and her teammates know what’s happening where, when why and how to get there.
“We often help the public and BBB communicate with each other so it’s crucial we know the ins and outs of our office so we can effectively direct traffic and keep our customers – both consumers and businesses - happy,” she says.
With a staff of nearly 30 people, keeping up with each department’s duties is no easy feat but it’s the pursuit of the challenge that keeps the administration team, and the rest of the office, on its toes.
Swan says ever since she became a part of BBB’s team nearly eight years ago she considers herself lucky to be a part of an organization that she personally looks up to, believes in and hopes to make a worthwhile contribution.
“I would hope to contribute to BBB’s vision of es-tablishing an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other,” she says.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
BBB VALUESTo accomplish our mission, we commit to the following values to guide all of our decisions and behavior, with each other and with all those we serve:
EXCELLENCEStrive to do our very best. Be account-able to the general public, our Accredited Businesses, and to each other for every-thing we do. Commit to providing the highest quality service with excellence and consistency everywhere we operate.
INTEGRITYBe honest and ethical in all of our busi-ness activities. Treat everyone with integ-rity, keeping our promises and learning from our mistakes. Have the courage to hold fast to our professional convictions.
TEAMWORKCommunicate, cooperate and collaborate freely across organizational and territo-rial boundaries, and work as one team to fulfill our mission.
TRUSTTrust in our colleagues throughout the BBB system and in ourselves. Say what we mean and mean what we say. Commu-nicate with honesty and candor.
RESPECTTreat everyone with respect and dignity, valuing individual and cultural differences. People are our fundamental asset. We will empower them to develop and use their talents and capabilities to the fullest.
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The Voice of BBB
You see us on the news, hear us on the radio and read about us in the papers. With a mission of advancing marketplace trust, your BBB relies on the media, the internet, tradeshows and advertising to get the word out … most often we’re talking about the latest scam or offering advice to consumers on how to be savvy with their money.
BBB in the Media
Maintaining an extensive media presence is a big part of BBB strategy to advance marketplace trust. Shar-ing expert knowledge as well as timely and relevant information with businesses and consumers is an essential, daily task. BBB works with media outlets of all sizes and media to ensure BBB’s voice is heard on local, national and international platforms.
Over the last 12 months, your BBB appeared in the media a total of 187 times all over Southern Alberta and East Kootenay creating more than 32 million media impressions.
BBB in the community
In 2013, we launched the Savvy Consumer Education program to educate seniors, homeowners, investors and other consumers throughout Southern Alberta. Together with our partners, we have reached more than 1,000 consumers in the past year with informa-tion on how to protect themselves from scams and how to be a savvy consumer.
“It’s about getting out there in the community and making that face-to-face connection,” says Camie Leard, vice-president of marketing and communica-tions. “Not only are these presentations educational but people are able to get an instant understanding
of what the BBB does, who we are as an organization and why we are relevant.”
On average, BBB does four or five Savvy Consumer presentations each month. Whether it’s business owners looking to educate their staff, investors who want to play the markets wisely or a group of seniors looking for a trustworthy voice of reason.
“There’s so much information out there and some-times it’s hard for people to decipher what’s true and what isn’t,” says Leard. “But with 60 years of working to advance marketplace trust under our belts, people know they can trust BBB’s information.”
BBB regularly attends tradeshows in Calgary, Leth-bridge, Medicine Hat and Cranbrook to help educate consumers and businesses. From common scam scenarios to questions about BBB processes and pro-
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Marketing & Communications: (l to r): Geoff Whatley, Digital Markeitng Coordinator, Leah Brownridge, Marketing Communications Coordinator; David McKee, Community Engagmenet Coordinator
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cedures, tradeshows allow BBB to address individual, specific concerns. They also provide opportunities for BBB to seek out community vendors who may possess the potential to become part of its Accredited Business family. Trade shows also provide a face-to-face forum for the public to ask questions and obtain relevant, accurate and trustworthy marketplace information. Whether it’s to ask a question or find a listening ear, BBB believes in the value of community engagement.
BBB on the Web
With the vast majority of our interaction with the public and businesses happening online, BBB launched a new website in February, 2014, to update its online presence and enhance the digital experi-ence. BBB averages:
• About 83,000 visits a month (and growing)• About 200,000 page views a month
BBB also recently added complaint details to the robust database of regional businesses giving the
consumer access to more information as they decide which companies they want to deal with. Coming soon will be vetted consumer reviews.
“BBB is committed to remaining relevant to today’s online consumer while maintaining the integrity of the brand we have built over the last 60 years in this market,” says Leard. “We develop new initiatives with those two factors in the forefront as our greatest asset as an organization is the fact that consumers can trust the information we provide.”
With nearly 2,000 Twitter followers and more than 600 Facebook page likes today, your BBB is finding more and more consumers and businesses reaching out through social media.
“We regularly field questions on social media as more of our audiences use these media in their day-to-day communications,” says Leard. “It’s probably the fast-est, easiest way to touch base as we’re always moni-toring social media – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
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At Your Service
BBB Accreditation is a way for businesses to communicate their commitment to ethics. Carrying the seal allows companies to tell customers they are committed to eight standards of trust all with one simple symbol that has meant the same thing for over 100 years across North Amercia: you can trust us.
But Accreditation is much more than the ability to display the seal and the Accredited Business Services team is dedicated to ensuring our Accredited Busi-nesses get the most out of their accreditation.
“We offer networking and professional development opportunities in addition to discounted credit card processing fees, employee benefit plans, a free HR hotline, advertising opportunities and much more,” says Camie Leard, vice-president of marketing and communications
Two accredited business coaches (one in Calgary and one in Lethbridge) meet with Accredited Businesses in person, online or on the phone to coach them on maximizing their accreditation.
The AB services team also offers advertising oppor-tunities unique to Accredted Businesses giving them the opportunity to truly leverage their affiliation with BBB online and offline while they communicate trust to their customers - existing and potential.
Today, your BBB represents more than 4,000 Accred-ited Businesses ranging from one-man contracting operations through to large insurance companies and everything in between – all with one goal in mind:
“Each of our Accredited Businesses is committed to upholding BBB standards and communicating that commitment to the marketplace,” says Leard. “And we help them do just that.”
ACCREDITED BUSINESS SERVICES
Accredited Business Services: (l to r): Ron Riemann, Accredited Business Coach (Lethbridge), Jaydene Neis, Accredited Business Marketing Consultant; Sergio Neaves, Accredited Business Coach (Calgary)
Enhanced Credibility1. Be recognized: Use the BBB symbol of trust to
increase consumer confidence in your business2. Competitive Edge: Given the choice, wouldn’t
you prefer to deal with an Accredited Business? 3. Stand Out: Use the BBB’s logo in your marketing4. Be part of an elite group: Only qualified
businesses are approved
Enhanced Visibility: 5. BBB Business Review instills confidence in
consumers and increases your exposure with over 1 million visits to the BBB, Southern Alberta site annually
6. Be found where consumers search for trustworthy businesses – the BBB Accredited online directory
7. Enhance your website’s SEO with the BBB Dynamic Seal
Save Time:8. Free advice and support with our HR Help Line 9. Increased leads with e-Quote10. Dispute resolution services 11. Reduce collection hassles with Capitol Credit and
consulting at preferred rates12. Protect yourself from potential advertising
claims with free ad screening
Save Money: 13. Lower credit and debit card fees14. Save on home and auto insurance 15. Enhance employee retention with discounted
employee benefit plans 16. Save money on payroll services17. Create a cost-effective website with the optional
BBB website creation program 18. Reduce advertising costs by marketing in our
Business-to-Business discount directory19. Cut digital marketing costs with our optional
Search Engine Solutions and Featured Listings 20. Use our marketing consultants to develop a
complete BBB advertising plan to make the most of your marketing budget
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Expanding the Family
Accreditation Services: (l to r): Todd Binning, Ben Calica, Winnie O’Brien (Manager), Jeremy Davies, Brittany Steele, Darlene Pentz, Raymond Coffey
Currently, more than 50,000 companies are doing business in BBB’s Southern Alberta and East Kootenay region. That’s a lot of choice for area consumers and a lot of information to wade through. How do consumers know who they can trust? That’s where BBB comes in.
Our Accreditation Services team researches business-es in the community looking for those who demon-strate ethical practises. Each day, BBB’s Accreditation Services team actively seeks out qualified candidates, gathers relevant information like licensing, time in business, history of complaints and other factors that determine eligibility. The team consults and educates businesses about ethics, their individual accreditation process and how to become a part of BBB’s family.
Winnie O’Brien, manager of accreditation services, says there’s more to managing the accreditation services team than numbers. “My purpose is to men-
tor, coach and inspire our accreditation consultants so they can in-turn fulfill those same roles to busi-nesses,” she says. O’Brien also oversees businesses’ accreditation applications, working together with the Markeplace Services team to determine if accredita-tion approval will be awarded or denied. “Accredita-tion is not automatically awarded to every business,” she says. “There is an application process consisting of numerous factors including alignment with BBB’s values and Standards for Trust.”
BBB’s Eight Standards for Trust are:
• Build trust• Advertise honestly• Tell the truth• Be transparent• Honour promises• Be responsive• Safeguard privacy • Embody integrity
“Part of pursuing our mission of striving to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust includes creat-ing a community of trustworthy businesses,” says Shane Strebchuck, vice-president of operations. “That means holding Accredited Businesses accountable to our standards and giving them a framework for ethi-cal enterprise.”
Strebchuck, who also oversees the office administra-tion and marketplace services teams, says there’s more to sales than numbers. “Our team brings in about 80-100 applications for new Accredited Busi-nesses each month,” he says. “That means our sales team has to take on the roles of researcher, educator, consultant and observer to ensure those applicants are a great fit for BBB’s family, which in turn will make our community a better place to do business.”
Accreditation consultants approach potential candi-dates for accreditation who share these principles and other BBB values.
Today, the accreditation team is interacting with a mix of business owners from baby boomers and mil-lennials. This means having a diverse team who are well-versed in the different ways to approach busi-nesses is a must.
Whether it’s helping businesses modernize their mar-keting, teaching them about best business practices or explaining the benefits of BBB’s brand, our team is able to rise to the challenge by living the BBB values of excellence, integrity, teamwork, trust and respect.
“Meeting BBB values is one thing, but to continuously adhere to those behaviours is what allows businesses to keep their BBB accreditation,” says Strebchuck. “Part of setting standards for marketplace trust is holding businesses accountable to ethical standards.”
Today, your BBB represents more than 4,000 Ac-credited Businesses and serves more than 1.2 million people in Southern Alberta and East Kootenay. BBB accreditation consultants work as a cohesive team to coach businesses on ethical behavior and how to build stronger, more trusting relationships with their customers.
ACCREDITATION SERVICES
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Savvy InvestorsFighting Investment FraudKnowledge is power and it is the first step in becom-ing a fraud fighter. Learn some of the more common investment scams, red flags, warning signs and clues to help avoid handing your money over to the wrong people.
Savvy Newcomers Welcome to Canada... Beware of ScammersBBB and CCCSA present the Savvy Newcomers Con-sumer Education Program aimed at educating new Canadians on how to be savvy consumers. Available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Stay tuned for more languages in the coming months.
Savvy ConsumersOld Scams, New TricksThey say there’s nothing new under the sun - or is there? Find out how modern-day fraudsters apply new tricks to old songs and dances with surprisingly effective results.
Internet ScamsThere’s lot’s of “phish” in the sea. Learn how not to get caught get caught up in the many forms of fraud on the ‘net.
Savvy SeniorsBig Picture on Scams Targeting SeniorsSeniors have a strong attachment to manners and “being friendly” and may have difficulty saying no to high-pressure sales tactics. Learn how to recognize the most common scams targeting seniors and how to protect yourself.
Heartstring Scams
Discover these scams that play on your emotions to take money from you. They are sophisticated and difficult to detect because we want to believe they are real.
Windfall Scams
All about scams that promise large sums of money or prizes for little or no effort and play on financial insecurity and fear.
House and Home ScamsDoor-to-door solicitation, telemarketers, rental scams, mortgage frauds and fly-by-nighters are just some of the potential pitfalls for homeowners. Learn what to look for and how to avoid being taken.
Just for CaregiversIs the senior you care for at risk? If your senior has three or more of the presentation risk factors, they may be a target for con-artists.
Savvy HomeownersHouse & Home Scams, How to Hire a ContractorWhat should you look for in a contractor? How do you choose? What are some of the steps you can take to protect yourself? Find out the answers to these and other questions that will help make your next home improvement project a success.
BBB’s Savvy Consumers education program provides free presentations and information to consumers of all ages, in all walks of life. Funded by our Accredited Businesses, Savvy Consumers aims to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to protect themselves from scams, fraudsters or shady business practises.
To book a Savvy Consumer presentation for your group, email [email protected]
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Partner Perfect
Just as the Canadian national anthem says, “From far and wide, O Canada we stand on guard for thee…” BBB stands on guard for the multicultural citizens who come to Canada from far and wide. On Canada Day 2014, BBB and the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association (CCCSA) part-nered to launch the Savvy Newcommers Consumer Education Program aimed at educating new Cana-dians on how to be savvy consumers.
Together, BBB and CCCSA offer educational ses-sions in English, Cantonese and Mandarin on top-ics including scams that are targeting them, about how to check out a company’s marketplace reputa-tion and what kind of recourse they have if they’ve been taken advantage of and much more.
Lily Kwok, executive director of the CCCSA, says it can be hard for people with cultural and language
BBB PARTNERSHIP PROFILES
barriers to come forward if they have been taken advantage of. “Very often, Chinese newcomers don’t want to make a fuss or speak up to ask questions or report something that has happened,” she says. “We think this partnership with BBB will help bridge that gap and give the Chinese community both in-formation and a voice in the Calgary marketplace.”
BBB plans to launch similar partnerships with other cultural communities to ensure all newcomers are well informed and able to protect themselves from scammers and fraudsters.
CCCSA is a non-profit ethno-cultural community service agency with a strong and successful history of partnering with other organizations that has been serving Calgary since 1978.
Calgary Chinese Community Service Association (CCCSA)
BBB President and CEO Sandra Crozier-McKee (l) with Calgary Chinese Community Service Assocaition President Lily Kwok.
Lethbridge Regional Police ServiceFrom fighting fraud to community education to regulation of business practices, BBB and the Lethbridge Regional Police Service (LRPS) have been partners in crime prevention for more than 10 years.
Constable Steven Baker says community part-nerships are just as important as patrolling the streets. “Policing is a dynamic endeavor which needs to have a proactive approach rather than a reactive one,” he says. “That’s why these partner-ships are a valued part of LRPS.”
BBB and LRPS have collaborated on multiple projects including the Business Watch program and the annual Fraud Prevention Month event.
Fraud Prevention Month (FPM) is a collaboration that focuses on crime awareness, education and prevention. “We focus primarily on education, which is the best crime prevention tool available,” says Baker. “Together with BBB, we attend pre-sentations and community events to provide busi-nesses, consumers and citizens with the red flags and tips of common fraud as well as resources for those who have been taken advantage of.”
In addition to community collaborations, BBB and LRPS work together on day-to-day tasks. “LRPS attends over 40,000 calls per year and some of those calls are assisted by the skills and services offered by BBB,” says Baker. “Some calls lead us to BBB to gather information about scams and sometimes BBB will work with us to issue public warnings about fraudulent business activity.”
LRPS Constable Steven Baker (l), with BBB Accredited Business Coach Ron Riemann
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Ad: TBD
Part of establishing marketplace trust is provid-ing people with accurate and reliable informa-tion. Lyle Falk, a program specialist who works in the Consumer Awareness, Research and Educa-tion Unit at Service Alberta, provides relevant marketplace information to the same consumer groups as BBB. “Our unit develops information to help vulnerable groups such as youth, seniors, new immigrants and Aboriginal populations.”
For the past 30 years, Service Alberta has worked with BBB to provide a variety of public services including:
• Consumer programs, legislation and investiga-tions
• Monitoring BBB’s Top Ten Scams to gauge areas that require attention
• BBB includes government actions against businesses as part of its rating applied to busi-nesses
• Service Alberta consults with BBB as one of its stakeholders for input into consumer legisla-tion
• BBB checks to make sure applicants who re-quire a provincial business license from Service Alberta are licensed appropriately before issu-ing a membership to them
“It is a collaborative working relationship that is beneficial to Albertans, Service Alberta, BBB and its Accredited Businesses and others,” says Falk.
On its own, Service Alberta provides additional public services for both businesses and consum-ers including: issuing business licenses and reg-istrations, registering charitable organizations, investigating consumer complaints and enforces consumer protection legislation and other ser-vices.
Between inquiries, complaints, media instances as well as mediation and arbitration, BBB and Service Alberta handle more than one million in-stances of service annually. Moving forward, Falk says he sees a future of education, enrichment and enhanced marketplace knowledge. “I see continued collaboration with BBB and network-ing that will serve us, BBB and Albertans in an increasingly complex marketplace.”
• The Calgary Police Service
• The Lethbridge Regional Police Service
• The Medicine Hat Police Service
• The R.C.M.P
• The Bank of Canada
• Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association
• The Electronic Recycling Association
We’re proud to partner with the following organizations for Fraud Prevention Week and other initiatives
• Alberta Motor Association
• The Calgary Chinese Community Service Association
• Service Alberta
• Alberta Securities Commission
• The Kerby Centre
• The Competition Bureau
BBB initially received 250 calls a month, ev-erything from door-to–door salespeople pitch-ing fur-lined bathtubs to requests from future in-laws requesting BBB check on the character of would-be husbands. Even the government of Kuwait contacted the bureau about a local oil firm’s reputation. It’s the era of sharpies, shy-sters, racketeers and con-artists as these ex-cerpts from the BBB’s monthly newsletter The Examiner reveal:
“Last week a lady told us she heard we were the ‘agency for legitimate business’ and hence was directing her inquiry to us. It seems she wishes to adopt a child and had been offered one by a woman she knows only slightly. She wanted to know if the BBB could tell her if the child was legitimate.”
“Grass Seed & Nursery Stock: The Department of Agriculture knows of no grass that ‘never needs mowing’ & ‘always stays green’. If a salesman tells you otherwise, show him the door.”
“Home-Improvement Sharpsters who just hap-pen to be in your neighbourhood...your Bureau has already received complaints this year of some of the ‘boys’ in ‘siding’ business who carry some lovely samples of building siding manu-factured by a firm in Edmonton - which never heard of them.”
“A Toronto visitor took his car in for a $1.50 car wash and ended up with a bill for $8.00. The service station blamed it all on the extra labour required to remove “all that sticky Saskatch-ewan mud he drove through on the way out.”
From the Files...
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On June 20, 2013, record rainfall and the spring melt combined to send a surge of water through the river basins of southern Alberta. An estimated 120,000 people were evacuated, 22 communities declared a state of emergency and the Bow River hit 1,700 cubic metres per second - six times its normal volume and it’s highest recorded level since 1897.
As the flood waters began to recede and Albertans emerged to assess the estimated $3-$5 billion in damage, BBB Serving Southern Alberta jumped into action to ensure those who were victimized by mother nature, did not suffer the same fate at the hands of storm chasers.
This is the story of how the BBB torch burned bright in the wake of a devastating flood.
Grassroots Communications
As soon as flood waters broke the banks, our presi-dent and CEO, Sandra Crozier-McKee was armed with her steel-toed boots and storm chaser flyers. It was hard to convince her to wait until the water subsided to safe levels before venturing out into the flood zone.
How the BBB torch burned bright during the 2013 floods
Headed directly for the most affected communities, Sandra spoke to dozens of flood victims personally - encouraging them to stay vigilant as they rebuilt their homes and their lives.
Having printed more than 4,000 storm chaser flyers, Sandra and other staff members personally distrib-uted them to community re-entry points, emergency shelters and places where even those who have lost their homes have to go - grocery stores and banks.
We distributed e-mail versions of the flyer to city officials, councillors, and Members of the provincial Legislative Assem-bly (MLAs) to share with their constituents.
We also visited the flood-relief headquarters in High River south of Calgary - one of the most devastated communities in the province. We left storm chas-er flyers and Trusted magazines in the resource centre for flood victims to access as the need arose.
Public Information Sessions
Building on the momentum of our intense media
presence following the flood, we received invitations from the City of Calgary to attend post-flood citizen information sessions to help answer questions and guide residents through the contractor hiring process, filing complaints, avoiding storm-chasers and more. We attended two at the Bowness Community Centre, one at Christ Church in Elbow Park and provided information to a third at the Sunnyside Community Centre - all three areas were heavily impacted by the flood.
BBB Events
Our annual Torch Awards are held at the end of Octo-ber and we wanted to find a way to tie the event to the cause on everyone’s mind. Our team decided to make the event a fundraiser for small businesses affected by the floods. Calling the event Flood & Fire, we also introduced a silent auction and raffle component to our event that year.
Advertising
We have been very fortunate to work with some great vendors who jumped in to help us get the BBB mes-sage out to consumers post-flood. Pattison Outdoor Advertising donated nearly $2,500 worth of digital billboard space giving us four prime locations coming into and out of the downtown core as well as in the centre city itself. The message was simple: Be sure. Check before you buy at bbb.org.
We were able to secure some great “advertorial” space in the Calgary Sun for a two-page spread on rebuild-ing after the flood. The feature ran each Wednesday. We provided the editorial content and our ABs and RenoMark contractors support it with advertising. The piece garnered nearly 160,000 media impres-sions a week for six months and was heavy with BBB messaging.
As our city recovers, resources such as
the Better Business Bureau continue to be
invaluable in ensuring people have access
to reliable, unbiased information.
- Druh Farrell, Councillor, City of Calgary
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Our Torch Award media sponsorship nearly doubled in 2013 giving us about $25,000 worth of advertising for the event in support of small businesses affected by the flood - on radio, in newspapers and in our business magazine. We also created a custom postcard and set up our tent on a busy outdoor mall during the lunch rush to distribute them.
Outreach
One of the most amazing and inspiring things to happen in the wake of the floods were the thousands of people who simply showed up in haz-mat suits and hepa masks to help strangers in need. As people cleaned up their mold-ridden homes, an army of volunteers came out to help - sometimes by the bus load.
In the midst of all of our “official” work follow-ing the floods, the BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay team wanted to do a little more on the personal side. So, we hatched a plan to bring a little music, a little food and a little information to the homeowners and volunteers working hard in one of the most devastated com-munities in Alberta: High River.
We loaded up with 300 hot dogs, 300 buns, fixin’s, 50 apples, 50 bananas, 200 bags of chips and 420 bottles of water (thanks to dona-tions from our staff and grocery store Sobey’s Okotoks). Half our staff (even one of our daugh-ters) headed 100km south with the a BBQ and our BBB Bandwagon - a branded minivan that pumps out the tunes as it goes.
After dropping off some info at the flood relief headquarters, we fired up the grill in the back of a pick-up truck and we set off with food, cold drinks and music.
It was a truly inspiring afternoon. Seeing how resilient the people of High River were as they rebuilt their homes helped by friends, family and strangers. Grateful for the break and the refreshment, many people told us they had heard our message and were grateful for the tips.
Social Media
With only one person in our communications department at the time, our BBB limited its social media efforts primarily to Facebook and then Twitter. Each of our press releases was Facebooked and Tweeted and we let our fol-lowers know about Accredited Businesses who were offering help to flood victims.
The biggest social media piece was an in-house video we created outlining the BBB’s work following the floods including our trip to High River. The video allowed us to reach more than 12,000 people on FB that week - increasing our weekly reach 800 per cent. Our page likes also steadily rose after the flood as did our Twitter followers.
Our work during the 2013 floods earned us the Outstanding Bureau Award from the Council of Better Business Bureaus in the Outreach category.
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Looking ForwardWHAT THE NEXT 60 YEARS HOLD
While the communication channels may have changed from face-to-face to Face-Time and from flipping pages to clicking links, as long as people are doing business, BBBs mission of advaning marketplace trust will always be relevant.
There’s an App for that
The pipes in your basement just burst and you need a trustworthy, qualified plumber immediately – there’s an app for that. You’ve been approached by a door-to-door salesman offering you a once-in-a-lifetime investment deal, but you aren’t sure the deal is legitimate – there’s an app for that too.
In a world of instant, digital communication, BBB is constantly looking for new ways to connect with the marketplace. This means the funding and advance-ment of technology has become a major focus of our strategic direction.
Between launching a new website, exploring so-cial media platforms, and creating a mobile app for smartphones, your BBB has its finger on the pulse of technological advancement.
“We want to develop efficient and reliable technol-ogy that will allow people to access BBB info in any platform on any device,” says Sandra Crozier-McKee, president and CEO of BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay. “Mobile technology, data sharing
through APIs and continuous monitoring of emerg-ing trends are some of the ways we are achieving that goal.”
BBB the Next Generation
Serving millennials has become the focus of BBB’s big picture. Today’s marketplace is living in the social media/mobile/customer-focused era. Millennials want to be in control of information gathering and processing, including the sales process. This means they increasingly rely on opinions and usually turn to social media to find their information.
So, what better way to serve millennials than to provide them with a trustworthy outlet to voice their opinions about products and services? As of Septem-ber, your BBB has become the first Canadian branch to implement customer reviews. BBB customer reviews allow people to voice their positive, negative or neutral feedback about their marketplace experi-ences.
With the next generation of up-and-coming business owners already known for being constantly plugged in to their mobile devices, BBB know millennials are influenced by consumer reviews and actively write
their own online reviews of product ratings, services and marketplace trends.
For BBB, the big picture means providing modern tools to remain the focus of the future business world.
Role of BBB in an ethical marketplace
BBB’s mission, vision, values and Standards for Trust are steeped in more than 100 years of history. In 2014, your local BBB is celebrating its 60th anni-versary of achieving goals, servicing businesses and consumers as well as communicating relevant mar-ketplace information.
Last year, more than 120 million North Americans relied on BBB Business Reviews, consumer tips and scam alerts. Our territory of Southern Alberta and East Kootenay consists of approximately three million people and we served more than one million of them. Being able to say that we reach an average of one out of every three people is an extraordinary testament to our relevancy and worth in the marketplace and the community.
BBB’s founding principles of honesty, transparency, responsiveness and integrity, provide a value-based framework for the community.
“As society changes so do the methods of community service,” says Crozier-McKee. “But the core of what we do, the mission, vision, values and standards have remained the same - and will for decades to come.”
If there are still marketplaces in 100 years, BBB will still be setting standards for marketplace trust and creating a community of trustworthy businesses.
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Cheers to60 Years
The BBB Standards for Trust are eight principles that summarize important elements of creating and maintaining trust in business. Our BBB Code of Business Practices is built on these standards.
Build Trust Establish and maintain a positive track record in the marketplace.
Advertise Honestly Adhere to established standards of advertising and selling.
Tell the Truth Honestly represent products and services, including clear and adequate disclosures of all material terms.
Be Transparent Openly identify the nature, location, and ownership of the business, and clearly disclose all policies,
The Standards for Trustguarantees and procedures that bear on a customer’s decision to buy.
Honor Promises Abide by all written agreements and verbal representations.
Be Responsive Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith.
Safeguard PrivacyProtect any data collected against mishandling and fraud, collect personal information only as needed, and respect the preferences of consumers regarding the use of their information.
Embody Integrity Approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and commitments with integrity.
Each year, BBB celebrates ethical enterprise with its Torch Awards for Ethics. Previously called the Busi-ness Ethics Awards, the event recognizes businesses who demonstrate exceptional business practises.
Your BBB hosts two events: a luncheon in Lethbridge and a gala dinner in Calgary focused on celebrating local businesses.
Consumers can nominate businesses year-round at bbb.org and companies submit their applications in one or more of the following categories:
• Management Practises• Marketing & Communications• Community/Investor Relations• Green Award
The award submissions are judged by a panel of local ethics experts including business professors, consum-er reporters, longstanding business people, govern-ment officials and others.
During the ceremony we also honour some of our longstanding Accredited Businesses celebrating mile-stone anniversaries. For more information on the Torch Awards, visit us online at bbb.org.
The Torch Awards for Business Ethics
The Interfaith Food Bank and Family Centre Societies of Lethbridge celebrate their Torch Awards in 2013
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BBB’s 60th Anniversary Celebration proudly sponsored by:
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BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay#5, 1709 8 Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 0S9
