BBB Award Application Provides Valuable Learning Experience

Annual awards presented by local Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) may have different names, but they honor similar qualities. Each of the awards recognize businesses and nonprofits that operate in an ethical fashion, have a good reputation in their industry, and demonstrate a commitment to customers, employees, and the community they do business in.

Each of the awards also requires an application process that is quite involved. After being nominated or nominating themselves, organizations must complete an application form that asks about their business practices. The Eclipse Integrity Awards Business Submission from the BBB of Dayton and Miami Valley, for example, has nine pages. It asks for brief essays and supporting documents regarding leadership commitment to ethical practices, communication of ethical practices, leadership practices to unify the organization, organizational commitment to performance management practices, organizational commitment to ethical human resource practices, and organizational commitment to the community.

When each year’s winners are announced, local BBBs recognize the honorees at awards ceremonies, in press releases sent to media, and in some cases with videos posted online.

Representatives of three propane marketers that have been named finalists for local BBB awards in recent years say their participation in the awards and in other BBB activities has been a valuable experience.

“The application is huge! It is also very detailed,” said Tyler McCormick, branch manager/safety coordinator at Collett Propane (Xenia, Ohio). “We have been a finalist twice. The first time was definitely a learning experience.

“It is a big undertaking, but it is neat to see all the aspects that go into the application,” he added. “We tend to get busy working in the business every day; going through this application process lets you step back and take a good look at the company.

“The Better Business Bureau gave us a little write-up in the local business journal that goes out to all the local business leaders,” McCormick said. “I think 200 businesses were represented at the awards dinner, so we made a lot of contacts. We can definitely say that we got new business from this honor. It also helped build our brand, because we can say we were an Integrity Award finalist. The honor definitely had a positive impact on our business.”

Amanda Bacon, director of sales and marketing at Palmer Gas & Oil (Atkinson, N.H.), said her local BBB’s application was 10 pages, single spaced.

“Writing the application out reminds us (Palmer Gas & Oil) who we are and what matters,” she said. “It gives us pause to see what we are doing great, and where we can improve.

“For us it starts internally. Our employees feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, which translates to the work they do each day, sustaining our excellent customer service,” Bacon added. “Our customers and community see a company they do business with throughout the year as a leader, and as an entity they can have confidence in.”

Stephan Chase, president and CEO of Fuel Services Inc. (South Hadley, Mass.), has served on the board of his local BBB as well as being named a finalist for an award.

“The BBB doesn’t always take the side of the consumer,” he said. “A lot of businesses worry about that. But if you try to resolve the complaint, the BBB will recognize that. To maintain your rating, you must respond in a timely manner.”

“When we were named a finalist, we wrote it up on our website,” Chase added. “We received congratulatory notes from customers and surprisingly from other businesses in the area.”