Arlington, VA., March 31, 1998 -- The Council of Better Business Bureaus today awarded the 1998 Better Business Bureau National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics to three companies:
- Praxair, Inc. of Danbury, Connecticut,
- Highlights for Children, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio and
- Fletcher Communications of Waco, Texas.
Competing against hundreds of businesses nationwide, the companies were selected by an independent panel of judges for exceptional ethical conduct in the marketplace. Abt Electronics & Appliance, Morton Grove, Illinois was recognized with an honorable mention award.
"These companies are being honored for demonstrating their outstanding commitment to ethical business practices in day-to-day operations," said James L. Bast, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), the umbrella organization for the nation's 135 Better Business Bureaus (BBB). "Acting with integrity and adhering to very high standards of conduct in relationships with customers, employees, suppliers, industry peers and surrounding communities ensures a company's continued success and benefits the overall marketplace."
Accepting the BBB National Torch Award on behalf of the winning companies were: H. William Lichtenberger, chairman and CEO, Praxair, Inc.; Garry C. Myers III, CEO, Highlights for Children, Inc.; John Fletcher, president, Fletcher Communications; and Robert Abt, president, Abt Electronics & Appliance. Bob Schieffer, chief Washington correspondent, CBS News, was keynote speaker at today's awards ceremony.
Praxair, Inc. (large-sized category, more than 1,000 employees) in Danbury, CT is one of the world's oldest, largest and most successful producers, marketers, and distributors of industrial gases. With more than 25,000 employees in 40 countries, Praxair's solid adherence to ethical policies and practices is evident around the world.
Renown for maintaining superb customer relations, demonstrating a caring attitude toward employees, and assigning high priority to community support initiatives, Praxair contributes to the ethical, safe and responsible conduct of the industrial gas business through its participation in numerous industry organizations.
CEO Lichtenberger credits Praxair's employees for the company's excellent reputation, noting that their strict compliance with the principles espoused in its Business Integrity and Ethics Policy ensures a high standard of conduct here and abroad.
Highlights for Children, Inc. (medium-sized category, 100-999 employees) in Columbus, OH fulfills its commitment to consistently provide a quality, educational, fun and entertaining magazine for children by exercising business integrity and serving its customers in a fair, honest and ethical manner. Its devotion to little readers is legendary.
The magazine has a long-standing policy not to advertise to children; it vigilantly protects their privacy; and it goes to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of its products, as well as the safety of its subscribers. Beloved by children everywhere, the magazine receives approximately 6,000 letters from readers each month, and every letter from a child gets a response.
Highlights fosters excellence in writing and art for children by sponsoring an annual week-long writers workshop, and the company serves as a driving force to foster quality and ethical standards in the direct marketing industry.
Fletcher Communications (small-size category, less than 100 employees) in Waco, TX was founded on the concept of "fanatical commitment to customer service." This attitude has won this full-service advertising and public relations firm an impressive list of long-term, major clients.
Fletcher's many ethical policies include a commitment to represent clients with truthful advertising and a promise not to mark up fees from outside vendors. The firm details the high caliber of conduct expected of each employee (referred to as associates), and in turn, the agency provides employee benefits well beyond the industry norm.
Fletcher places considerable emphasis on maintaining quality business relationships with vendors. Invoices are paid promptly, and it's not unusual for the agency to send meals to vendors working late hours to deliver projects, or to assume the overtime costs of vendor employees.
Abt Electronics & Appliance (honorable mention) in Morton Grove, IL has grown from an original $800 investment to a multi-million dollar family-owned retail operation through a strong commitment to high marketplace ethics. Its motto for 62 years has been "The House That Service Built."
Abt has a one-page Customer Service Policy Handbook, which reads "The Answer is Always Yes to Any Reasonable Request." Its unwavering commitment to quality, service and complete customer satisfaction has earned it an extremely loyal customer base (92% of its customers are repeat business or customer referrals).
Employees service everything they sell, undergoing considerable (and continual) training from Abt and manufacturers alike. Abt's customer-pleasing offers include free instructional classes for camcorder and VCR operation, and a standing offer to upgrade any out-of-stock item at the current price.
The judges reported that this year's competition was particularly close, with numerous high quality businesses nominated through local Torch Award competitions conducted by more than 30 Better Business Bureaus across the country. Listed in alphabetical order by size category, the finalists in the 1998 national competition included:
Large-Size Category (more than 1,000 employees)
- Commercial Financial Services, Inc. (Tulsa, OK) -- debt collections
- Jewel-Osco (Chicago, IL) -- retail food and drug
- Mary Kay Inc. (Dallas, TX) --skin care and cosmetics
- McKee Foods Corporation (Collegedale, TN) -- food products
- Ukrop's Super Markets, Inc. (Richmond, VA.) -- retail grocery chain
Medium-Size Category (100-999 employees)
- Airtron Heating/Air Conditioning (Dayton, OH) -- air conditioning services/equipment
- Betts Cadillac/Betts Lexus (Des Moines, IA) -- automobile dealership
- Century Communications (Colorado Springs, CO) -- cable services
- JK Moving & Storage, Inc. (Sterling, VA) -- moving/storage company
- The Siebenthaler Company (Dayton, OH) -- landscaping/lawn care
- Texas Recreation Corporation (Wichita Falls, TX) -- manufacturer, recreation-related products
Small-Size Category (less than 100 employees)
- Action Business Systems, Inc. (Baltimore, MD) -- office equipment sales and service
- Basement Waterproofing Nationwide, Inc. (Edgewood, MD) -- waterproofing
- Huff Equities (Philadelphia, PA) -- commercial real estate
- Illinois Service Federal Savings & Loan Assn. (Chicago, IL) -- savings and loan
- Spring Break Travel, Inc. (Chapel Hill, NC) -- travel agency
"These 20 companies -- the winners and the finalists -- provide proof that adhering to BBB ethical standards is the hallmark of successful, competitive companies. Through the national competition, and the many local competitions, the Better Business Bureau system is sending an important message: consistently practicing business in an ethical fashion is important and deserving of recognition," said Gale Duff-Bloom, chair of the CBBB and president of marketing and company communications for J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
About the BBB National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics:
The Judging: The award-winning companies were selected by an independent panel of ethics experts drawn from the business and academic communities: Kathleen Calligan, CEO of the Better Business Bureau, Nashville, Tennessee; Professor Thomas Dunfee, Department of Legal Studies, The Wharton School; Robert Mercer, former CEO of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and former chairman of the Council of Better Business Bureaus; Professor Laura Nash, Institute for the Study of Economic Culture, Boston University; and Diana Treftz, president of Cascade Pest Control, a 1997 BBB National Torch Award finalist.
Award Criteria: Companies were evaluated against criteria that included commitment to and demonstration of ethical practices in the marketplace; high standards of behavior toward customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and communities; truthfulness and accuracy of advertising and sales practices; ethical reputation among industry peers and in communities in which they do business; long-term value of ethics policies to shareholders, customers and employees; and training and communications programs to assist employees in carrying out established ethics policies.
Previous Recipients: The Council of Better Business Bureaus established the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics in 1996. Previous national award winners include: Sony Electronics Inc., of Park Ridge, NJ and Dollar General Corporation of Nashville, TN (large size companies); Certified Transmission Rebuilders, Inc. of Omaha, NE and Jordan's Furniture of Avon, MA (medium size companies); and E. E. Ward Transfer and Storage of Columbus, OH and Cuglewski, Timko, & Associates, D.D.S., Inc. of Parma, OH (small size companies).