2014
ANNUAL REPORT BBB DENVER/BOULDER
BUILD TRUST
Establish and maintain a positive track record in the marketplace.
OUR VISION ethical marketplace
ADVERTISE HONESTLY
Adhere to established standards of advertising and selling.
An
where buyers and sellers can trust
TELL THE TRUTH
Honestly represent products and services, including clear and adequate disclosures of all material terms.
each other.
BE TRANSPARENT
Openly identify the nature, location, and ownership of the business, and clearly disclose all policies, guarantees, and procedures that bear on a customer’s decision to buy.
OUR MISSION To be the leader in advancing
marketplace trust.
HONOR PROMISES Abide by all written agreements and verbal representations.
BE RESPONSIVE
Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith.
SAFEGUARD PRIVACY
Protect 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.
BOARD INITIATIVES THE BBB BOARD ESTABLISHED KEY INITIATIVES FOR 2015 AND BEYOND As the BBB expands its strength and
value
in the community for both consumers and
businesses, it is important that 2015 is a year when we sharpen our
focus on intentional outcomes,
create key leadership and enhance
initiatives within our community
coordination to increase results
throughout the
organization.
Our internal and external the
theme this year is to follow
mission and vision of the BBB with purpose,
measurement and passion and that we do so with accountability and integrity.
2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO As your BBB embarked on its next 100 years of fulfilling its mission of advancing marketplace trust, it focused on remembering its roots while taking a giant leap into the future. In 2014, BBB increased its services to the public more than ever before, showing that your BBB is not only continuing to grow in relevance, but in awareness as well. BBB helps people find and recommend businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2014, your BBB hosted more than 2.6 million unique website visits. In addition, people clicked through more than 42,500 times on BBB Dynamic Seals on BBB Accredited Business websites. These are people checking to verify a business’ BBB Accreditation status. In keeping with today’s marketplace demands, your BBB launched customer reviews, which gives consumers the voice they need to share experiences outside of our complaint process. The program continues to grow with nearly 9,000 reviews posted so far on denver.bbb.org. In 2014, your BBB continued to focus on promoting BBB Accredited Businesses throughout its 12-county service area. BBB partnered with media outlets and shared messages from educational tips to scam alerts and hard-hitting investigations. BBB continues to be your key advisor, most reliable evaluator, and most objective expert on the topic of trust in the marketplace. More and more businesses are seeking BBB Accreditation as the standard under which businesses must operate—The Standard of Trust—and your local BBB continues to be one of the largest business associations in Colorado. These accomplishments would not be possible without strong support from the business community, a forward-thinking Board of Directors, and a dedicated staff. In closing, I want to express my gratitude to all BBB Accredited Businesses for your ongoing dedication to BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust. On behalf of the BBB Board and staff, I am honored to present this year’s Annual Report.
Kimberly S. States President & CEO BBB Denver/Boulder
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
OUR VALUES TO 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. EXCELLENCE Strive to do our very best. Be accountable to the general public, our members, and to each other for everything we do. Commit to providing the highest quality service with excellence and consistency everywhere we operate.
INTEGRITY Be honest and ethical in all of our business activities. Treat everyone with integrity, keeping our promises and learning from our mistakes. Have the courage to hold fast to our professional convictions.
TEAMWORK Communicate, cooperate and collaborate freely across organizational and territorial boundaries, and work as one team to fulfill our mission.
TRUST Trust in our colleagues throughout the BBB system and in ourselves. Say what we mean and mean what we say. Communicate with honesty and candor.
RESPECT Treat 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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DENVER/BOULDER 2014 BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESS ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY
6,9 35
13
20 3,8
$5
ACC RE DI TE D EMPLOYEES ESS SIN BU
ACCREDI TED BU SI
ES S ES N
34
BIL LI O
N
A CC UE RE N DIT VE E R ED B USINESS
THE STRENGTH OF THE BBB BRAND BBB is a private, nonprofit organization that provides services and programs to assist businesses, consumers, donors, and charities. The focus of BBB’s activities is to promote an ethical marketplace by encouraging honest advertising and selling practices, effective dispute resolution, and charity accountability. BBB was established in 1912 with your local BBB Denver/Boulder opening in 1951. Today, there are 112 BBBs across North America representing more than 400,000 Accredited Businesses and serving millions of consumers and other companies. BBB offers services and outreach initiatives throughout a 12-county metro service area. Having more than 100 years of strength in its brand, your BBB continues to be competitive and relevant by offering educational programs and services in the ever-changing global marketplace. 4
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
2014 BUSINESS & CHARITY REVIEWS READ N AT I O N A L LY
165 MILLION BUSINESS & CHARITY REVIEWS READ L O C A L LY
4.28 MILLION BBB Denver/Boulder and its Foundation impacted over four million consumers and more than 100,000 businesses in our community. We are one of four BBBs across the state of Colorado that represents the population as a business and consumer resource, advocate, advisor, and partner in the community. One of BBB’s primary functions is to provide free, unbiased Business and Charity Reviews. We encourage the public to contact BBB before doing business with a company or donating to a charity. Your local BBB maintains nearly 68,200 BBB Business Reviews. These reviews offer basic background information as well as a company’s rating, complaint history, and advertising concerns.
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BBB ACCREDITATION BBB Accreditation is offered to businesses that meet and maintain our eight Standards for Trust. BBB Accreditation raises the level of ethics in the business community and helps consumers and donors choose trustworthy organizations with which to interact. BBB Accredited Businesses and Charities support the BBB’s free public services and accreditation monitoring by paying annual dues. The highly recognizable BBB logo is authorized only for Accredited Business use. The logo is a trademarked symbol that is synonymous with trust. Each business is provided a BBB dynamic seal for use on their website. In 2014, there were 42,597 dynamic seal clicks by consumers searching for a trusted BBB Accredited Business. As of December 31, 2014, there were 6,935 Accredited Businesses and Charities in the BBB Denver/Boulder’s 12-county area.
NEW BBB ACCRE DITE D BUSINESSES
1,079
T O TA L R E N E WA L S
$2,806,592
ACCRE DITE D BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES
6,935
NEW SALES REVENUE
RETENTION R AT E
DY N A M I C SEAL CLICKS
$733,331
86.6%
42,597
DISPUTE RESOLUTION In 2014, out of nearly 7,000 BBB Accredited Businesses, 98.87% of all complaints were resolved. BBB acted as a neutral third party and as a facilitator for communications between the complainant and the organization that received the complaint, showing the ethical business practices that Accredited Businesses employ. We are proud that a large number of our BBB Accredited Businesses make a good-faith effort to resolve the issues raised by complainants. By providing BBB Business Reviews to the public, we hope to assist with resolution in all sectors of the marketplace. Unfortunately, problems still occur, which create a demand for dispute resolution services. BBB’s general complaint services are free to the public. 6
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
ADVERTISING REVIEW
LOCAL IMPACT
With roots dating back to 1912, Advertising Review was BBB’s founding principle. The Ad Review program creates a space for advertisers to voluntarily substantiate claims made in their advertising. If no substantiation is available, the program provides insight into the BBB Code of Advertising to act as a resource in modifying or discontinuing those claims. This space bolsters the relationship between BBB and our community as well as cultivates self-regulation within the marketplace. Today, we continue that tradition; in 2014, 553 Ad Challenges were made to advertisers in our region and 90% of those challenges were resolved favorably.
ADVERTISING REVIEW CHALLENGES
553
CHARITY REVIEW NONPROFITS REVIEWED
The BBB Charity Review program’s mission is to promote accountability for local charities, help establish confidence in the sector, and encourage charitable giving. Organizations are reviewed using the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability which address its governance, finances, effectiveness, fund raising, donor privacy, and other issues. We provide the public with information on specific charities and wise giving practices, and we also advise nonprofits on how to meet and maintain high ethical standards of operation.
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25,240
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n PBS Rocky Mountai ld House Ronald McDona ver, Inc. Charities of Den ressive Alliance Safehouse Prog for Nonviolence ce Center Senior Assistan Center, Inc. Seniors' Resource rovement SouthWest Imp Council, Inc. Exchange The Adoption Hearing, Speech The Center for & Language ims ter for Crime Vict The Denver Cen ndation for the The Kempe Fou tment of Child Prevention & Trea Abuse & Neglect America Volunteers of ch Colorado Bran Inc. Warren Village, YMCA County Family YMCA - Adams Family YMCA ra Auro YMCA ily YMCA Fam n ntow YMCA - Dow Family YMCA YMCA - Glendale Family YMCA YMCA - Littleton A an Family YMC essm Schl A YMC est/Chatfield YMCA - Southw A Family YMC M. Duncan YMCA - Susan Family YMCA litan Denver ropo Met Of A YMC
ing decisions. with wise giv . h confidence logo to assist and give wit ited Charity BBB Accred charity report Look for the k up a BBB loo to rd. rg .bbb.o and your boa ors Visit denver don r ncy for you ay! and transpare Charity Tod confidence B Accredited 987 Build trust, Become a BB or 303.996.3 onprofits.org BBBDenverN
THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE & SOCIAL MEDIA
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BBB IMPACT Dynamic Seal Clicks
Nationally 390,000
BOULDER
denver.bbb.org
bbb.org
Total Local Website Visits
Total National Website Visits
Page Views
Request a Quotes
$ 8
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
68.4%
2.4%
29.2%
CUSTOMER REVIEWS Adding to the many free services BBB offers, BBB Customer Reviews provide consumers with the opportunity to post a ‘verified for authenticity’ review. BBB Customer Reviews give further insight into a company’s behavior and are processed by BBB staff to ensure validity. This program allows the customer to post a review on a business experience and the business can respond to the review. In 2014 we had nearly 9,000 customer reviews at denver.bbb.org
TOP 10 MOST INQUIRED ABOUT INDUSTRIES
TOP 10 MOST COMPLAINED ABOUT INDUSTRIES
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
1. Television - Cable, CATV & Satellite 2. Internet Access Provider 3. Real Estate Services 4. Money Orders & Transfers 5. Auto Dealers - New Cars 6. Property Management 7. Airlines 8. Home Warranty Plans 9. Collection Agencies 10. Roofing Contractor
Roofing Contractors Collection Agencies Marketing - Home Based Business Plumbing - Contractor Contractors - General Heating Contractors Property Management Landscape Contractors Auto Repair & Service Movers
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SOCIAL MEDIA FACE B O O K IMPRESSIONS
1.3 Million
FACE B O O K LIKES
3,356
With social media proving to be the most instantaneous and heavily-used source for online media, we are continuing to evolve our presence. We recognize that it provides an excellent way to distribute vital information to a number of groups: consumers, Accredited Businesses, Accredited Charities, and to those who would like to become accredited. Over the last year we have seen our Facebook likes and YouTube channel views nearly triple, as well as an increase in Twitter followers. We seek to create content that is both informative and fun in order to keep our followers interested in and excited for upcoming posts and video. We plan to continue to expand our online presence throughout the upcoming year with a strong campaign message across all mediums.
TWITTER FOLLOWERS
2,919
2014
YO U T U B E VIEWS
3,000 BBB Community Guide
BBB COMMUNITY GUIDE REACHED
300,000 CONSUMERS
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
BBB Denver/Boulder is a respected voice in the community that delivers messaging to both the business and consumer bases. News media regularly seek BBB’s expert advice on businesses, charities, scams, frauds, and general information for consumers. BBB reaches the population through regular appearances on local television, radio, print media, and through strategic advertising. In 2014, your BBB had 2,022 earned media stories and mentions and 52 press releases. BBB Denver/Boulder publishes its own quarterly Community Guide magazine that reaches over 300,000 consumers annually. The magazine is comprised of over 40 pages of consumer tips, alerts, information about our Accredited Businesses and Charities, and upcoming BBB events and workshops.
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NETWORKING, AWARDS, EDUCATION & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
FIESTAS PATRIAS RESULTS OF INTEGRITY EDUCATION SERIES
9TH ANNUAL VETERAN’S APPRECIATION BREAKFAST
12TH ANNUAL TORCH AWARDS FOR MARKETPLACE TRUST
12TH ANNUAL TORCH AWARDS FOR MARKETPLACE TRUST
COLORADO GARDEN & HOME SHOW
BOULDER CREEK CLEAN-UP ANNUAL APPRECIATION EVENT FOR BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES BOULDER CREEK CLEAN-UP 12
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2014 BBB DENVER/BOULDER ANNUAL REPORT
2014 BBB BOARD OF DIRECTORS Your support and leadership are crucial, and we are grateful for all the time and talent you bring to BBB. CHAIR Trish Thomas, President, Trish Thomas Consulting, LLC CHAIR-ELECT Carlos Pacheco, CEO, Premier Members Federal Credit Union TREASURER Scott Shields, CEO, Family Tree, Inc. SECRETARY Vicki Pine, Director of Administrative Services, Swingle Lawn, Tree and Landscape Care IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR: Paul Johnson, Trusted IT Advisor, Corus 360 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Chris Boumeester, Vice President, Colorado Asphalt Services Bill Cook, President, Howard Lorton Galleries Mischa Danaceau, Director of IT, Smash Burger Juli Dimos, Creative Director, Voco Creative John Eckstein, Director, Fairfield and Woods, P.C. Sam Hosfelt, Sr. Project Manager, Kiewit Building Group Tunde Johnson, Bellco Credit Union Brenda Jones, President, Premier Commercial Interiors Marvin Kansteiner, President, Brothers Plumbing & Heating Greg Livin, Principal, Bradley Consulting Group, PC Kim Oberg, Executive Director Healthcare Strategy, Kaiser Permanente Mark Renn, CEO, The CS Team Kirby Slunaker, President/CEO, Metrolist, Inc. Dave Steiner, Partner, EKS&H Jerry Vigil, CIO, Bill Barrett Corporation
THANK YOU!
BBB DENVER/BOULDER’S 12-COUNTY SERVICE AREA Boulder
Broomfield Denver
Gilpin Adams Jeff ers on
Clear Creek
Arapahoe
Douglas
Yuma Washington
Elbert
BBB Denver/Boulder is a membership-based nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to promoting and fostering the highest ethical relationship between businesses and the public through voluntary selfregulation, consumer and business education, and service excellence. Founded locally in 1951 and an active member of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) based in Arlington, Virginia, BBB Denver/Boulder offers free information on businesses and charities in addition to dispute resolution, mediation, and arbitration services. BBB provides 24-hour services through its automated inquiry line at 303.758.2100 and website at denver.bbb.org.
1020 Cherokee Street Denver, Colorado 80204 Phone 303.758.2100 May 27, 2015
denver.bbb.org • findacompany.org • becomeaccredited.org • bbbdenvernonprofits.org This publication created and designed by Vickie Denham, Graphic Designer, BBB Denver/Boulder.