History of BBB Diamond Awards

Take a look at the history and recipients of the Diamond Award for Excellence over the years.

BBB Local Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics began in SETX in 1998, to create public recognition for local businesses with a solid commitment to conducting their business in an ethical manner. In the first year of our Award program, BBB included our annual meeting in conjunction with our programming.

Since its inception, the Torch Award program has been our primary fundraising event for our student scholarship programs and endowments. In 2019, we began awarding scholarships through our Student of Integrity program, where deserving High School Seniors apply for scholarships and funds are distributed directly to their University or Higher Education Institution of choice.

The 2019 Torch Awards introduced the BBB Spark Award, a Torch Award recognizing business owners 35 and under and/or businesses that have been in operation for 3 years or less.

The Torch award has always been open to all for-profit businesses that serve retail and wholesale markets in SETX whether or not they are BBB accredited. For many years BBB Southeast Texas did award in the nonprofit category, however, that ended in 2020 due to regulation changes.

In 2020, BBB of SETX implemented 3 business categories within Torch: Small, Medium and Large. In 2022,BBB added in the "Micro-Small" category in a way to be more fair to the many businesses in our area that consist of 1-2 employees.

Each year BBB Southeast Texas determines an individual, business or organization to be named the "The John L. Bell, Jr. Friend of the BBB" Award Winner, in honor of John L. Bell, Jr.

BBB saw an additional need in 2023 and implemented the "Leaders of Industry" recognition award.

We introduced two new Torch categories in 2024: Veteran Owned Business and Minority Owned Business. And in 2025 we introduced BBB Southeast Texas Businessman and Businesswoman of the Year, and the Industrial Excellence Award.

In 2026, the BBB introduces the BBB Diamond Awards for Excellence. The awards originally started in 1997 as the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics. Building upon a distinguished legacy of ethics-based recognition, we are proud to introduce the Diamond Awards for Excellence.

These newly envisioned awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for BBB Accredited Businesses within our region.

The Diamond Awards for Excellence honor organizations that go beyond meeting ethical standards and celebrate those that consistently demonstrate leadership, accountability, transparency, and meaningful impact. Ethics and trust are foundational expectations of BBB Accredited Businesses.

The Diamond Awards recognize those who elevate these principles into a sustained culture of excellence.

2026 Diamond Award Recipients

Micro-Small Business Category Winner

J&J Exterminating of Beaumont

Small Business Category Winner

Port Arthur Community FCU

Medium Business Category Winner

G&G Enterprises

Large Business Category Winner

DuGood Federal Credit Union

Minority-Owned Business Category Winner

Iron Gate Studios

Veteran-Owned Business Category Winner

Southeast Texas Trimlight LLC

Emerging Enterprise Award Winner

Alpha Products

Other 2026 Awards

Southeast Texas Businessman of the Year

Lashon Proctor,
Proctor's Mortuary

Proctor's Mortuary

Southeast Texas Businesswoman of the Year

Katie Celli,
Flagship Mail Room & Emporium
ISTC - Industrial Safety Training Council

ISTC - Industrial Safety Training Council

John L. Bell, Jr. Friend of the BBB Award

Honorable Bob Wortham

John L. Bell, Jr. Friend of the BBB Award

Brian Alter

Alter's Gem Jewelry

BBB Champion of the Year Award

Judith Hardy,
Utility Tax Consultants

Utility Tax Consultants

Industrial Excellence Award

Jackie Padgett,
Accent Compliance

Accent Compliance

Leaders of Industry Award

Dr. Angela Hill,
Lamar Institute of Technology

Lamar Institute of Technology

Leaders of Industry Award

Dustin Loden,
Valero

Leaders of Industry Award

Wassim Ghanem,
CP Chem

Leaders of Industry Award

Eduardo Leja,
Port Arthur LNG