Celebrating 25 Years of Business Excellence! 2017 20192022201 201 201 201 201 201020112009 2012 2002007 200 20020020020022001 1997199199 199 1999 2000 September 16, 2022 • Price: $2.00 Vol. 48 No. 37 BBB SPECIAL SECTION
Page 6 • September 16, 2022
FINKPETER TRANSMISSION
“We always try to have this rosy picture of, ‘If you do the right thing, you’re always going to be financially successful and be able to keep your business open,’ but it’s not true. You [can] take a big risk when you act with integrity,” Kracher said. “But consequences can also be good, and the way I define success is feeling good about yourself and about the institution or business when all is said and done.”
“I always had the belief in, and tried to foster, taking care of the customer,” he said. “That’s what we’ve always believed in, and that’s what we’ve trained in … It’s the right thing to do, to take care of people and help people.” BUSINESS BUREAU, SUPPORTING INTEGRITY FOR OVER A CENTURY
It’s not easy to succinctly describe what exactly “business ethics” means, said Jim Hegarty, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Nebraska, South Dakota, and parts of Kansas and Iowa.
“It’s about striving to do what’s right versus wrong, what’s good instead of bad; looking long-term and not just short-term; and striving to be noble, to be honorable and true in workplaces, organizations and all business dealings,” she said. “Success can be measured by financial gain, but at end of it all, it’s about feeling good about what you did, whether it’s creating jobs, caring for the environment, or having all your vendors say, ‘It was great
“That’s a big question, and one of the ways we like to simplify that at the Bureau is, ‘It, oftentimes, is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.’ I think, from a business perspective, it’s voluntarily understanding what your responsibilities are and being willing to adhere to a code of business conduct that you can be proud of,” he said. “From our accredited businesses’ perspective, it’s really a commitment to approach all business dealings and marketplace transactions and commitments with high integrity.”
CREIGHTON
PRIDE IN business ethics
BBB
KRACHER,BEVERLY PH.D. UNIVERSITY
CERTIFIED
Fink agreed with Kracher that today’s marketplace is challenging, especially in a time when a single dissatisfied customer can leave a black mark in a sea of positive online and social media reviews, or widely share statements that are unfair or inaccurate. Nevertheless, he said, customer feedback is motivating, as a good reputation gives companies something to live up to.
Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., has taught and advised in business ethics for decades. She’s the founder of the Business Ethics Alliance as well as the holder of the Robert B. Daugherty chair and professor in business ethics and society at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.
He added, “It’s not just the way in which you interact with customers, it’s the way in which you interact with vendors, with suppliers, with partners … I think it’s also understanding the importance of taking care of your employees and providing a culture that supports the employee.”
HEGARTYJIM
working with him or her.’ Business ethics creates success of the kind that is deep and Krachermeaningful.”addedthatadhering to ethical practices isn’t necessarily easy.
COVER story BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU BETTER
Peter Fink’s company, Certified Transmission, was the first business to be awarded the BBB Torch Award (then called the BBB Integrity Award) in 1995. Certified Transmission has been a BBB member for nearly four decades and Fink joined the board shortly after his company won its Integrity Award. He said a good rule of thumb for business owners is striving to provide service to customers at the same level as if they were a family member.
The organization has evolved, but the mission has stayed the same, Hegarty added.
- BEVERLY KRACHER, PH.D.
Kracher noted that the event celebrates nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike, with the same goal.
do business the way they do,” Kracher said. Businesses and nonprofits do not need to be BBB-accredited to apply for Torch Award consideration.
“Our BBB Student of Integrity scholarship program is really designed in the same way. It’s not based on academic performance or athletic performance; the award is based primarily on high character,” he said. “These students are selected by their teachers, their counselors and their administrators at their schools for being students whose character has stood out throughout their high school experience in a way that was undeniable to everybody that observed them.”
“We need to have ceremonies that celebrate the positive business practices,” Kracher said. “It can help balance out the negativity we hear about businesses in theThenews.”luncheon also has a student recognition component, Hegarty said.
The Torch Awards luncheon keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter John Carreyrou, whose book “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup” follows his Wall Street Journal reporting on Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, one of the biggest corporate frauds in history.
MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL
“The people who earn the awards get to stand up and talk about why they
BY KARA SCHWEISS
“Our bureau has evolved into a regional BBB that serves four states. When I first came to work for the Better Business Bureau, we were supported by 600 businesses. We’re now supported by nearly 10,000 businesses in our four-state regional area. We’ve become one of the largest and most respected Better Business Bureaus in the North American system,” he said.
This year’s Torch Awards for Ethics luncheon returns Sept. 21 for its 25th anniversary after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, which takes place at Embassy Suites Omaha-La Vista, honors businesses and nonprofits in the Omaha metro area and southwest Iowa.
“These awards are all about evaluating businesses on their commitment to our standards, so they’re standard-based awards,” Hegarty said. “They are judged by panels of independent judges that are not affiliated with or employed by the Better Business Bureau.
When Hegarty joined the Better Business Bureau in a marketing position 27 years ago, it was strictly local and called the Omaha Better Business Bureau. He’s led the local Bureau for 17 years and also served in numerous roles at the national level, and is the immediate past board chair of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.
Kracher said events like this are important when there is so much bad news about business practices.
More information on the event is available at BBB.org/OmahaTorch.
We need to have ceremonies that celebrate the positive business practices. It can help balance out the negativity we hear about businesses in the news.
MBJ
Page 7 • September 16, 2022
“I think most people understand the role we play in denouncing substandard business practices, and the Better Business Bureau is very focused on protecting our community when there are bad actors that have the potential to impact them. But we are also very focused on celebrating marketplace role models, which is one of the main purposes of our Torch Awards, and we are deeply committed to creating communities of trustworthy businesses so that when either businesses or individuals need companies they know that they can trust and count on, they can rely upon the Better Business Bureau to direct them to companies that have made a commitment to our standards.”
Protecting the Community
Torch Awards for Ethics
“We spend so much time at the Better Business Bureau in the trenches warning consumers and businesses about schemes and scams; it’s pretty hard to go through a week where you’re not going to see me or one of our spokespeople on one of the local television stations talking about someone who’s been taking advantage of. To be able to pause each year and spend some time in the light of good business and celebrate marketplace role models is certainly one of the more rewarding aspects of the year,” Hegarty said, adding that he’s seen the celebration grow from a handful of attendees in the first years to the recent celebrations for 800 to 1,000 people. “It’s been inspiring and rewarding.”
“These awards are designed to recognize businesses for their exceptional commitment to business ethics, to integrity, to taking care of their customers and employees in ways that oftentimes go beyond what would be reasonably expected … They are being rewarded essentially for their professional and business character rather than their bottom line.”
Kracher said the Theranos scandal “will go down in history as a case study” like the Enron scandal and called it “a fascinating story of a downward spiral” of not being able to produce what is promised and how people can get caught in a cycle of greed and corruption. She also said the story is as much about the courage of the people who stood up and helped bring the company’s fraudulent practices to light.
“Our mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust,” he said. “We do that in a variety of ways.
“The speakers we select to be the keynotes at our awards program are selected because of the timeliness of what they’re involved in. We’ve had some really remarkable speakers over the years,” Hegarty said. “John Carreyrou is an extremely interesting and engaging speaker, and he promises not to disappoint. We think the crowd will be enthralled by this story and we are so excited that we were able to secure him for this event.”
Cox Communications Mutual of Omaha
Omaha AWARDS Event Sponsors McKinnis Torch Award Sponsorship
BBB Torch
Ethics Sponsors
Integrity Sponsors Trust Sponsors
Jeremy
BBB would like to give a special thank you to the following sponsors of this year’s Torch Awards. Without the help of these generous organizations, we would not be able to honor local business leaders in Omaha committed to running their businesses in an ethical, community-minded way.
Pride Sponsors
MIDLANDS journalbusiness AT WORK IN NEBRASKA & WESTERN IOWA Media Sponsor Publishing Sponsor Values Sponsors
Nebraska Furniture Mart NMC Cat
Page 10 • September 16, 2022 TRUTHSWEATBLOOD,+ BBB TORCH AWARDS LUNCHEON RSVP by September 14 at BBB.org/OmahaTorch 11:30 AM–1:15 PM Luncheon and award presentations 1:30 PM–2:15 PM Coffee and Conversation for sponsors only An exclusive VIP opportunity to speak with John Carreyrou at a Q&A session Featured Speaker | John Carreyrou Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup 25th Annual Theranos, A Scandal Unraveled PUBLICATION: Midlands Business Journal SEP 21, 2022 BBB-3930_TorchAwards_MBJ_FullPageAd_v3.indd 1 7/18/22 8:57 AM
Celebrating 25 Years of Business Excellence! 2017 20192022201 201 201 201 201 2010 20112009 2012 2002007 200 20020020020022001 1997199199 199 1999 2000
-Jim Hegarty, president & CEO, BBB
BBB Torch Awards • Page 12 • September 16, 2022
Back in 1995, there were no media mentions of our little event, no food and certainly no keynote speaker. But just as it is today, it was a celebration of ethics and integrity in our community, and it was the beginning of what has become an annual tradition of celebrating marketplace role models.
So much has changed in the past quarter-century. Much of the business industry has been brought online. New systems have emerged to simplify and expedite certain processes. We experienced a pandemic, which caused the event to be canceled in 2020 and 2021. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of integrity and ethics for both businesses and consumers. If anything,
This event has featured an incredible array of keynote speakers — from Daymond John of “Shark Tank” to Bennet Omalu, the physician played by Will Smith in the movie ”Concussion.“ Jenn Lim of Zappos served as speaker in 2017 and helped us raffle off a handful of tickets to attend her company training sessions in Las Vegas, which drew enormous interest. One year, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield was a highly touted keynote speaker, and had a contract that included him bringing ice cream along for all our guests. But apparently supply chain issues existed back then as well, and he showed up in Omaha with no ice cream. Much of our marketing for the event had highlighted that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream would be served for dessert, so we scoured the city in the early-morning hours on the day of the event and, if my memory serves, we somehow scooped up more than 600 cartons to the delight of our attendees. This year we’re thrilled to have secured John Carreyrou to be our keynote — you won’t want to miss this account of his groundbreaking investigation of Elizabeth Holmes, her crimes and the eventual collapse of Theranos.
When I reflect on the past 25 years, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the leaders in our community. There aren’t many initiatives that get to celebrate 25 years of existence, and without the support of so many, this event wouldn’t have reached this milestone. As the saying goes, it truly takes a village and the village we are blessed to be a part of is truly remarkable.
Nearly three decades after the first iteration of these awards was held in a hotel meeting room for a handful of attendees, the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics (formerly known as The Integrity Awards) will celebrate its 25th anniversary Sept. 21 by bringing hundreds of people together at Embassy Suites-La Vista Conference Center.
Congratulations to the newest class of Torch Award recipients, and thanks to everyone involved in making this event what it has become.
Finally, it would be impossible to look back on the success of this event, as well as the success of our BBB, without saying thanks to my dear friend and past BBB Communications Director, Margo Riekes. Margo was the driving force and lifeblood of this awards program for 24 years before retiring in 2021. Her tenaciousness and commitment to advancing marketplace trust and her relentless efforts to elevate the BBB brand and mission will never be forgotten. She is truly one of a kind.
it’s now more essential than ever to distinguish the reputable from the fraudulent and we are proud to shine a light on those who exemplify business being done the right way.
Letter from BBB PRESIDENT & CEO, JIM HEGARTY
The event has evolved significantly. We went from that handful of attendees during our humble beginnings to packing a conference center with more than 700 attendees at our 2019 program. Rather than the coffee and tea that were served as the main course at those first few events, attendees now enjoy delicious dual-plated meals, featuring Omaha Steaks. We’ve removed application barriers and held workshops that provide those interested in applying for an award with guidance through the submission process. As a result, dozens of companies now proudly call themselves Torch Award winners and many of them promote this exclusive honor in their day-to-day marketing and prominently display these coveted awards in their places of business.
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We’ve been helping to protect the financial future of families like yours, making a difference in hometowns across America and honoring our country since 1890. As a not-for-profit life insurance company, we put money back into the community. We’re here when you need us most.
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Pat Salerno Retired OPS English Supervisor
Marjorie Waterman Retired OPS EnglishBrownell-TalbotandTeacher
Stacey Dunbar Academic HighPapillion-LaCounselor,VistaSchool
Elizabeth Barton Chair, Nebraska Furniture Mart
These awards, funded by BBB Foundation, uniquely honor students not just for what they have done but how they have done it. Unlike many other scholarships, BBB Student of Integrity Awards are not based on ethnicity, grade point average or financial need. They are presented annually to high school seniors that “walk their talk” and are genuinely respectful, honest and trustworthy. Each Student of Integrity received a $2,000 scholarship.
Dave McKinnis McKinnis Inc.
Omaha Board of Directors
BBB Torch Awards • Page 14 • September 16, 2022
Tom Berger
Melissa Zimmer
BBB Foundation Services and Programs
Student Video Contest – This competition provides an opportunity for high school students to express their creativity while learning the values of BBB: being trustworthy, ethical, reliable and objective. It also challenges students to discover how these values can be applied in their everyday lives.
Ann Kelleher
Fraud and Cyber Security Education – Programs are offered throughout the year to help consumers and businesses learn about detection and protection from different kinds of fraud and cyber threats that are so prevalent in the marketplace today.
Eric Hanneman KETV Doug Hiemstra CFO Systems
Beverly Kracher, Ph.D. Creighton University Heider College of Business
CHARLESSAMS
Steve Swanstrom
Retired OPS Social Studies Teacher
Retired, Integrity Staffing & Solutions
Torch Awards for Ethics – Since 1995, businesses and charities have been honored annually for their commitment to an ethical marketplace.
BLAIREHILBERS
Centris Federal Credit Union
Metropolitan Community College
“Rebuild With Trust” – This booklet has tips to help consumers and businesses in this BBB’s service area that have survived a natural disaster find trustworthy businesses and charities before beginning damage repair.
Baird Holm LLP
PETERSUKSTORF
Mark Schulze
Marilyn Holcomb Retired OPS Honors English Teacher
Senior Services – Developed and implemented BBB Senior Line, “File of Life” magnets, video reenactments exposing the most common scams targeting seniors and frequent presentations to groups and organizations about scams that specifically target seniors.
Marilyn Mecham Executive Director, Mentors Foundation
Student of Integrity Award Judges
R. J. (Randy) Stevenson
Anne Branigan Greater Omaha Chamber
Sponsors of BBB’s Torch Awards are supporting the BBB Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that delivers services and programs to both consumers and businesses across the metro Omaha area.
Retired, Fuchs Machinery
ARCHBISHOP BERGAN HIGH FREMONT,SCHOOLNEBRASKA
Student of Integrity Awards – Twelve high school seniors in our BBB’s service area receive $2,000 college scholarships in BBB’s annual Student of Integrity Awards competition.
Peter Fink Certified Transmission
GRETNA HIGH SCHOOL GRETNA, NEBRASKA
Michael Robinson Business Ethics Alliance
Ann Underriner Retired OPS English Teacher
2022 Scott Mecham Student of Integrity Awards
OMAHA NORTH HIGH OMAHA,SCHOOLNEBRASKA
Omaha Steaks, Inc. 22IC2820 OmahaSteaks.com 1.800.228.9055 Lakeside Plaza 17390 West Center 96th & J Street North of L Street Tower Plaza 78th & Dodge Omaha Steaks is proud to sponsor the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics and recognize businesses and nonprofits for putting ethics into action. HONORING ETHICAL COMPANIES WHO CONTINUE TO CARRY THE TORCH
Jason Shaneyfelt Vision2Voice
Vice President of Communications & Public Relations Josh Planos said consumers often connect with the Better Business Bureau when a need arises, like when they want to find a reputable contractor as they launch their first major home improvement project; or when they suspect a strange email, phone or mail offer might be a scam. The BBB can help with both of those things, and more.
“The organization is so wide-ranging that you could take a poll of 10 consumers and they might all have a different on-ramp regarding the BBB brand. There are folks who think of us solely as dispute resolution and there are folks who think of us as a government entity, which we’re not. There are some folks that know we’re a nonprofit,” Planos said. “Our mission has been the same since the first BBB was formed in 1912, and that’s to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust.
passion for its members, always acting in their best interest and providing them with support and superior service, while
operating with integrity and commitment. The organization is rated A+ (Superior), the second highest rating out of 15, for its financial strength and operating performance by A.M. Best, an independent rating company, and was named one of America’s Best Insurance Companies 2022 by WoodmenLifeForbes.offers
Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society Home Office: Omaha, NE
Dawn Bashara Immigrant Legal Center
Jackie Davis
BBB Torch Awards • Page 16 • September 16, 2022
WoodmenLife, founded in 1890, helps protect the financial future of families in hometowns across America. As a not-for-profit life insurance company, WoodmenLife puts money back into the community. Members join together in a shared commitment to family, community and country.
Retired, SAC Federal Credit Union
Cindy Powers Seldin, LLC
It’s easy to connect with the BBB, Planos added, via phone, email, or online.
As a proud member of the Better Business Bureau and a winner of the BBB Integrity Award in 2011 and 2019, the organization is committed to ethical business practices and providing leadership in the communities in which it WoodmenLifeoperates.hasa
every week for 10 consecutive years, or the newly released payday loans study a consortium of five Better Business Bureaus around the U.S. teamed up to produce.
Tom Berger, Chairman BBB Omaha Board of Directors
“We try to meet companies with the messaging, mode and volume that meets their needs,” he said, adding that high membership retention reflects that. “They know that they are going to have the human alertefforts,throughBBBtopresentationsseminarsshreddingoutreachresources,accessMembersconnection.”willhavespecialtoinformationandbutcommunityeffortssuchasevents,cybersecurityandtopicalcommunityareavailableeveryone,Planossaid.Thealsoservesthecommunitygeneralawarenesslikewiththescamtheorganizationhasreleased
Advancing Marketplace Trust FOR CONSUMERS AND BUSINESS
quality life insurance and retirement products. A person becomes a member and gains access to valuable extras when he or she purchases a WoodmenLife product. To learn more about the organization or how to become a member, visit WoodmenLife.org
Ann Pedersen OBI Creative
Jennie Hudnall Bridges Trust
Kerry J. Heinrich WoodmenLife
Torch Awards Committee
“In a capitalistic society, or really any society, the principle of someone sticking up for the voiceless can fall to the wayside easily,” Planos said. “That is why we exist.”
BBB Member Spotlight: Woodmen Life
“We have various tent poles for the organization that cover quite a bit of terrain. We started primarily to correct advertising abuses, but then expanded our footprint to include other responsibilities like becoming the go-to resource for sizing up business performance and trustworthiness, there’s a scam prevention and awareness element, there’s a dispute resolution element. Our job, if you could whittle it down to a sentence, is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust for both businesses and consumers — because it’s a twoway street — and there are not a lot of organizations who are duty-bound to provide that sort of service, and I’m proud to work for one who does.”
BY KARA SCHWEISS
Traci Matthew McKinnis, Inc.
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KeynoteJOHNSpeakerCARREYROU
Behavioral Health • Children‘s Services • Community Services (402) 342-7038 • LFSneb.org
John Carreyrou is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. For his extensive coverage of Theranos, Carreyrou was awarded the George Polk Award for Financial Reporting, the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism in the category of beat reporting, and the Barlett & Steele Silver Award for Investigative Business Journalism. Carreyrou lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.
BBB Torch Awards • Page 18 • September 16, 2022
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL LIONSTAR
Consortio provides insurance solutions for businesses and individuals.
Consortio Group is proud to partner with BBB as an Integrity Award Winner.
on behalf of our clients.
has a rich history of acting
the
CLAYTON BECKER PRESIDENT
Farmers National Company as values are based on Integrity, Commitment to Fiduciary Receiving BBB Torch Award is strong evidence of on commitment to this
Excellence, and acting as a
STEVE SWANSTROM PRESIDENT AND CEO
The public recognition in press releases, blog posts, social media, local advertisements and BBB’s website is priceless. It brings public awareness and helps enhance public confidence in Centris Federal Credit Union. Ultimately, the BBB Torch Award for Ethics honors organizations whose leaders demonstrate a high level of personal character; ensure that the organization’s practices meet the highest standards of ethics; and consequently, generate trust with its customers and the community. Centris Federal Credit Union is deeply honored to be a past recipient of this prestigious award.
Being a previous recipient of the BBB Torch Award also speaks to the culture we have at Cox Business. We encourage our employees to connect with purpose, model the way and respect differences and share ideas and diverse perspectives. Our employee resource groups (ERG’s) reflect our community and our values. We believe in a culture of belonging where everyone can come to work as their authentic selves. We encourage and engage in open dialogue with the understanding that culture is built on people, discussion, and actions.
Being selected by a panel consisting of members of the business, nonprofit, and academic sectors of the community is a huge compliment and motivates our employees to model Centris Federal Credit Union’s vision, mission and values every day.
culture. BBB Torch Awards • Page 20 • September 16, 2022
DENISE NATALI-PAINE VICE PRESIDENT
a trusted advisor for our clients. Our
our
It was a tremendous honor to be a past recipient of the BBB Torch Award. To be publicly recognized as a company dedicated to integrity and ethical practices parallels with our own vision. Part of our commitment at Cox is to make the world a better place for our employees, our customers and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. A few of the ways we do that is by doing the right thing always – for people, for the company and for the planet. We lead by example – treat everyone with respect, be accountable and be present. And everything we do, we do it in the spirit of Cox with a culture of giving back, a brave entrepreneurial spirit and a determination that our company should be a force for good in the world.
To understand what the Torch Award for Ethics means to Centris Federal Credit Union, it is important to know the Torch Award embodies BBB’s mission of advancing business trust. The selection process judges the character of the organization’s leadership, how an authentic culture is being fostered, how the company prioritizes its relationship with customers, and the impact the organization is making in the community.
The recognition that comes from being selected as an award winner is an honor unlike any other award. It communicates to the community and to our memberowners that Centris Federal Credit Union’s top priority is ensuring we live up to the trust they have instilled in us to help protect their financial well-being.
Congratulations to this year’s winners!
A Q&A with Past Winners
BBB Torch Awards • Page 21 • September 16, 2022 MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Receiving this award twice has validated the hard work we’ve been doing while at the same time driven us to do more. Our efforts are constantly evolving. We look at our data – client outcomes, employee engagement, client and staff grievances, and other indicators – and make changes to do better and be better. Mistakes are made, but with our commitment to trauma-informed care and the standards upheld by the Torch Award for Ethics, we do all we can to learn from those mistakes and continue our evolution. We are a work in progress.
JOHN JEANETTA PRESIDENT/CEO, HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICE
THRASHERDAN CEO GALGERUDTOM
For Heartland Family Service, our organizational culture is tied directly to our mission and outcomes. Founded in 1875, we are a nonprofit agency whose mission is to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through advocacy, education, counseling, and support services. We touch over 140,000 people annually via 40 programs that address a wide array of behavioral health challenges and related social problems, such as homelessness. When we live out our values of safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and equity, our clients can create trusting relationships with our staff, access traumatic memories, make healthy decisions, set goals, and secure the quality of life they want and deserve. Thus, the work we have done to build our trauma-informed culture, for which we have received recognition from the Better Business Bureau in 2011 and again in 2019, is central to our ability to help the people we serve and strengthen our community.
To consistently live out our values across all our programs and 20 locations requires constant commitment and vigilance, especially over the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and remote/hybrid work. We thank the Better Business Bureau for shining the light on the importance of ethics. Our organization has benefitted greatly from participating in this award program. We know we will continue to benefit from our association with the Better Business Bureau and look forward to gleaning additional opportunities for growth as we are introduced to future Torch Award for Ethics winners and the inspiring practices they’ve developed to earn such valuable recognition.
Having won the Torch Award multiple times in our relative short history has really solidified our reputation in a very competitive and sometimes less than ethical industry. We take a great deal of pride in trying to raise the bar to a higher standard than our competition and show our customers that there are still companies that provide craftsmanship and care about the finished product. How a company handles issues that arise during the course of work says a lot as to how much that company cares about their customers and the services they provide.
Being a four-time winner of The Torch Award is an important acknowledgment for our customers and our employees that we are a company that stands by our principles and our word. This helps to build the trust and authenticity vital to a thriving workplace and place in the community.
We asked previous recipients of the Torch Award: What has receiving this award meant to your company or organization and your team? How has it impacted your culture? OWNER PRESIDENT GENERAL MANAGER
ROHENICK
PORTOFEEMARC
Build trust: Establish and maintain a positive track record in the marketplace.
As a nonprofit organization, the BBB relies upon donations and fees from accredited businesses to continue its mission of advancing marketplace trust.
Misconceptions of BBB
Advertise honestly: Adhere to established standards of advertising and selling.
The BBB isn’t funded by the government
Keep up with the news, people, and companies related to business in Nebraska & Western Iowa Proud Sponsor of: Subscribe Now at MBJ.com - Only $7 / Month MIDLANDS business journal
Accreditation is earned, not bought
The BBB not only protects consumers from unscrupulous businesses and serves as a useful reference for all consumer and business-related matters, but it also delivers comprehensive investigative work to shine a light on con artists and emerging scams.
BBB Standards for Trust
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.
In an age when fake reviews are rampant, BBB.org houses the most trustworthy reviews online. Before reviews go live on the site, they’re confirmation-processed and verified to ensure that a real person has submitted the review. Then the company is given a chance to respond to the review, before it is published.
Honor promises: Abide by all written and verbal agreements.
About the BBB
BBB reviews are the most trustworthy
For a business to qualify for BBB Accreditation, it must continually meet standards that are based on BBB’s determination of the attributes of a better business. These attributes incorporate not only lawful business practices, but also BBB’s experience with ethical advertising, selling and customer experiences.
Tell the Truth: Reveal all related conditions or exceptions regarding products or services offers.
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.
Be responsive: Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally and in good faith.
The value of accreditation
As a century-old brand, the BBB puts its reputation on the line every time a business is accredited. BBB Accreditation gives consumers confidence that they’re dealing with an ethical and vetted business. Trust has an address: BBB.org
The BBB is a leader on a variety of fronts
BBB Torch Awards • Page 22 • September 16, 2022
PROUD TO BE A 2016 WINNER AND TO SUPPORT ANDINTEGRITYETHICS! Congratulations Winners! As a 2007 winner, we are proud to support the 2022 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics and are excited to help celebrate 25 years of honoring ethical businesses in Omaha! OMAHA CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CENTER congratulationswinners!winners!3-timebbbintegrityawardwinner2017•2010•2002 monarchsiding . com Nebraska is gratitude, because each day is a gift. 2022 W nner Bank 22_POG34_BBB_25ANNIVERSARY_AWARDS_CANOE_AD.indd 1 9/12/22 9:07 AM
Early Out Services, Inc.
Kiewit Koenig/DunneCorporationDivorce Law, PC, LLO
2009
Daniel J. Kennelly
HuskerDave’sCommunicationsAutoBodyCo.Siding&Windows, Inc.
The Driveway Company
2006
OBI OneWorldCreativeCommunity Health Centers Inc.
2002
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Care Consultants for the Aging Medical Solutions
2012
AA Windows ‘N’ Doors General Service Bureau, Inc.
2018
Autism Action
Don & Ron’s CARSTAR Collision Center
Legal Aid of Nebraska
2001
Pinnacle
CEO, OneWorld Community Health Centers
AA Windows ‘N’ Doors ARN GeneralNetworksService Bureau
Centris Federal Credit Union
Cox ThermalRobertsDave’sCommunicationsAutoBodyCo.Pool&SpaServices,Inc.
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company ShipCarsNow, Inc.
John A. Gentleman Mortuary Midwest Eye Care, PC Salvation Army
Bel Air Fashions
Certified Transmission DataFlo Corporation
2019
1999
Certified Transmission Farmers National Company
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Nebraska Monarch Siding and Windows, Inc.
Vision2Voice
Turner VisitingTechnologyNurseAssociation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska
United Healthcare/ A United Health Group Co.
RESPECT Midlands Mentoring Partnership
Jim Earp Chrysler Jeep McCarthy’s One Hour Heating and Air MonarchConditioningSiding and Windows, Inc.
Dingman’s Collision Center
Bridges HeartlandTrustFamily Service
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1997 Galvin Tires,NorrellGlassServicesInc.
Timothy Langdon
Health System
1998
Butch Ethington Retired Ombudsman and Director of Ethics, Union Pacific Railroad
Diana Fuller Retired Director of Ethics and Compliance, Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
Omaha Metro Area and Southwest Iowa The BBB Torch Awards for Ethics honors organizations whose leaders demonstrate a high level of personal character; ensure that the organization’s practices meet the highest standards of ethics; and consequently generate trust with its customers and the community. The Torch Award embodies BBB’s mission of advancing business trust. 2022 Burton A/C Heating & Plumbing and More Florence Home Hurrdat, LLC Mr. Car Shipper, LLC North End Teleservices Outlook Enrichment PayPal
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Seldin Company
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Apollo Building Corporation Charlie Graham Body & Service Center Millard Lumber, Inc. The Pacesetter Corporation
New Cassel Retirement Center
2003
Joyce Davis Retired Assistant Dean, Creighton School of Nursing
2007
Monarch Siding and Windows, Inc.
Boys Town Cox
Norwest Bank Nebraska NA
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2017
FirstLight Home Care Heartland Hope Mission
Professional Veterinary Products
Jones Automotive, Inc.
Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
Fat Brain Toys
BBB Omaha Torch Award
NP Dodge Company
First National Bank Omaha
2005
Advantage Home Improvements, Inc. Hy-Vee Food Stores
Arbor Bank
OPPD
2015
AAA Nebraska
2000
2013
Thrasher, Inc.
Makovicka Physical Therapy NMC, Inc.
Shari Flowers VP of NebraskaCompliance,Methodist
1995
Camp CentrisCoHoLoFederal Credit Union Estate Gardeners, Inc. KETV Offutt7Collision Repair
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2010
ThermalSolutionOneServices, Inc.
Royalty Roofing and Renovations Thrasher, Inc.
Ehly’s Decorating, Inc.
1996
Andrea Skolkin
Total Construction Services, Inc.
Ann M. Helm
CLASS North American Holdings, Inc. Consortio Group LLC
Ron Brown President, Jones Automotive
2014
2011
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EymanCommunityChariots4HopeAlliancePlumbingHeating & Air
TheSignatureBankPerformanceHarryA.KochCo.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.
A Well-Dressed Window Farmers National Company
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Pella Windows and Doors of Omaha and Lincoln
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Judges
Husker Siding, Windows and Roofing McKinnis, Inc.
The Schemmer Associates, Inc.
Dan Thrasher CEO, Thrasher
2004
2008
2016
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Early Out Services, Inc.
Visiting Nurse Association
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Gary Bren Managing Partner, Turner Technology
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska Old Market Limousine Service Stereo West, Inc.
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Millard Sprinkler, Inc.
Total Construction Services
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