Arlington, VA, October 1, 2001 - The Council of Better Business Bureaus today announced the winners of the 2001 Better Business Bureaus' National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The five honorees are: United Supermarkets, headquartered in Lubbock, TX; Cook's Pest Control, Decatur, AL; Walker Information, Inc., Indianapolis, IN; Packer Thomas, Youngstown, OH; and, International Minute Press, Boise, ID.
In addition, three companies -- Callaway Golf Company, Carlsbad, CA; DeSantis Landscapes, Inc., Salem, OR; and Viplex Industries, Inc., Bend, OR -- were recognized with Honorable Mention distinction.
"The Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics honors businesses - no matter how big or small -- that make a demonstrable effort to promote ethical business practices," said Ken Hunter, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), the umbrella organization for the nation's 129 Better Business Bureaus (BBBs). "This year's national winners have reaped many rewards as a result of their commitment to high ethical standards, including greater employee commitment, stronger customer loyalty, enhanced reputation and sustained long-term performance."
According to the independent panel of judges, the 2001 competition was noteworthy for three reasons. It is the largest competition in the six years of the national award program, with entries from 72 local Torch Award competitions conducted by Better Business Bureaus across the country. Second, the competition now spans North America, with entries from businesses based in Mexico and Canada, as well as the United States. Third, the judges are awarding five Torch Awards this year, as opposed to the four awards given in prior years, to recognize a tie in one of the categories.
The special awards ceremony was held in Nashville in conjunction with the International Assembly of Better Business Bureaus. Accepting the BBB National Torch Award on behalf of the winning companies were: Gantt Bumstead, president, United Supermarket, Inc.; John Cook, chairman, Cook's Pest Control, Inc.; Steven F. Walker, president, Walker Information; Phillip B. Dennison, president, Packer Thomas; and Alan Sturtevant, president, International Minute Press.
About the Winners:
Category I, more than 1,000 employees: United Supermarkets, Lubbock, Texas Founded in 1916, United makes it a priority to give each customer superior service while providing quality products at a fair price. Its "Personal Touch" philosophy is so appreciated that customers send in hundreds of letters and phone calls each day, praising, "my" checker, "my" sacker or "my" United. Fostering an atmosphere of mutual trust, the company lets its 5,500+ employees know that their work and abilities are appreciated through recognition, career advancement and benefits programs. By exhibiting standards above and beyond the normal supplier/customer relationship, United elicits impressive loyalty from its vendors. The company continues its founder's philosophy of growing and expanding into markets to "build up" communities. In recent years, United has given back approximately 20% of its pre-tax profits to the communities it serves. It is the only company to have been awarded three local Torch Awards, from Better Business Bureaus in Amarillo (2001), Lubbock (1999) and Wichita Falls (1998). Untied earned Honorable Mention distinction in the 2000 National Torch competition.
Category II, 100 - 999 employees (tie): Cook's Pest Control, Inc., Decatur, AL. Founded 75 years ago, Cook's quality expert service and attention to detail engenders impressive loyalty - over half its termite protection customers and many of its pest control customers have been with Cook's more than 20 years! The company shows equal dedication to employees through recognition programs, ongoing training, fostering trust in the workplace, valuing appearance and promoting positive attitudes. Its four-week employee training class is acknowledged as the best in the industry. Industry publications call Cook's a "showcase pest control company" and "one of the most respected on a national scale." It encourages two-way communication with suppliers so that they may learn from Cook's experience to develop new products, technologies and services that benefit all pest control companies, customers and communities. Cook's protects the health and property of its communities by providing superior pest control services, as well as beautification, educational and philanthropic assistance. In 2000 Cook's was awarded a local Torch Award by the BBB of North Alabama.
Category II, 100 - 999 employees (tie): Walker Information, Inc., Indianapolis, IN. Walker Information has prospered for 62 years, dedicated to credibility, integrity and trustworthiness. By regularly assessing its own corporate reputation, business practices, employee commitment and customer relationships, Walker gains proof of its effectiveness acting in a fair and ethical manner. Its in-house ethics training dates back to the 1970s. Strict procedures insure integrity of client data and protect the security and confidentiality of customer's information. Walker doesn't hesitate to "speak out" within the industry; particularly noteworthy was its campaign to convince other research organizations to respect the feelings, time and rights to confidentiality of survey respondents. Walker Information freely shares information collected through its benchmark surveys on ethics in the workplace to benefit all businesses and to create positive change in the marketplace. The Walker Family Foundation provides grants to benefit the long-range growth of the Indianapolis community, as well as the information industry.
Category III, 11 - 99 employees: Packer Thomas, Youngstown, OH. Packer Thomas has been a leading regional CPA and business consulting firm since 1923. It focuses on achieving high standards of integrity and professional conduct toward all of its constituents. The firm's mission states, "In the long run, if you don't put ethics before profits, there won't be a long run." Its detailed quality control policy and procedures manual, including its expectations of ethical behavior by its associates and partners, is the product of 78 years of refinement. Packer Thomas voluntarily undergoes the highest standard of Peer Review under the guidelines of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. It helps employees balance their personal and professional lives by creating a seasonal approach to the work year so they can "bank" hours for use during less intensive seasons of the year. A mentoring process teams interns and new associates with experienced firm members to ensure professional and personal growth. Staff is encouraged to assume roles of responsibility in charity and community groups. Packer Thomas earned a local Torch Award from the BBB of Mahoning Valley, OH in 2000.
Category IV, 1 - 10 employees: International Minute Press, Boise, ID. This small printing service considers strong employee, customer and vendor relationships as critical components to the success of its company. Established almost a decade ago, its focus is two-fold: "to strive to operate at the highest ethical level offering a superior product and unsurpassed service at a fair price" and "to treat all employees, clients and vendors as we would like to be treated." Its policy of offering a quality product at a fair price not only endears existing clients, it also helps to attract new ones that have discovered the downside of always hiring the cheapest printer. Employee turnover is virtually non-existent. When employees are sick or experiencing family problems, the company doesn't abandon its philosophy of offering a comfortable workplace with job security. Staff actively team with a number of non-profit groups, printing at a reduced rate or gratis on most projects, and accommodating the organization's budget and time constraints. International Minute Press was awarded the Integrity Counts Award by the BBB of Southwest Idaho in 2000.
About the Award: Each year, more than 2,000 businesses are nominated by customers, employees, competitors and industry groups to enter local Torch Award competitions conducted by BBBs in every region of the country. Winners of the local competitions are forwarded for consideration among other business entries in the national competition. An independent panel of judges with expertise in business ethics evaluates the entries against specific criteria, selecting from four size categories the finalists and ultimately, the winning companies.
In addition to the five winners and three honorable mentions, 14 businesses earned finalist distinction in the 2001 national competition: American Beauty Landscaping (Boardman, OH), Berry's Discount Warehouse (Abilene, TX), Gordon Brothers Water (Salem, OH), Jam-N-Yams (Flossmoor, IL), Kituku & Associates (Boise, ID), Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (Lafayette, LA), Pro-Liquitech International (Louisville, KY), Repacorp Label Products (Tipp City, OH), RLI Corporation (Peoria, IL), Sifton Properties Limited (London, ON, Canada), Smithfield Manufacturing Inc. (Clarksville, TN), Vetrotex America (Wichita Falls, TX), Virginia Varsity Transfer, Inc. (Roanoke, VA), and Woodrose Company, Inc. (Ft. Worth, TX).
The Judging: The award-winning companies were selected by an independent panel of business ethics experts: Allen Beatty, former senior vice president, Bureau Network Division, Council of Better Business Bureaus; Joan Koebernick, owner of Dakota-K Auto Repair, a 2000 BBB National Torch Award winner; Ronald Miller, president of the BBB of Central Ohio, Inc.; Laura Nash, senior research fellow, Harvard Business School; and John Yost, professor, Bradley University.
Previous Recipients: Previous winners of the national Torch Award competition are posted on the BBB central web site at www.bbb.org/BizEthics/winners.asp.
