Historic BBB’s mission evolves with the times
Having an organization that advances trust in the marketplace is important to any economy—whether it’s national, international, regional or local. Serving Clarke, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby and Warren counties, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Dayton and Miami Valley offers both businesses and consumers a reliable source of verified, unbiased information on businesses and nonprofits by setting standards for trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, educating consumers, celebrating business role models, calling out substandard business behavior and creating a community of trustworthy businesses and nonprofits.
While its mission of evaluating integrity and performance is timeless, the BBB’s practices are evolving to meet new challenges presented by the internet and digital economy.
“The concept of a Better Business Bureau is all about holding businesses accountable through self-regulation,” says John North, president and CEO of the Dayton BBB. “Our local BBB was founded in 1925 by what were some of our area’s largest corporations, many of which are still around today.”
Fifth Third Bank, which was originally known as Dayton National Bank, is over 162 years old. The Dayton Daily News is over 120 years old, while Dayton Power & Light, today known as AES Ohio, joined the BBB as one of its first BBB Accredited Businesses in 1925.
“While we still have many large companies and nonprofits that are BBB Accredited Businesses, most of our membership are smaller organizations with less than 10 employees that are looking for a seal that shows they are associated with the BBB,” says North. “Today we have just over 3,500 BBB Accredited Businesses, making us, by membership, the largest 501(c)(6) organization in the Miami Valley.
“The biggest benefit we offer is trust by association. Businesses and consumers recognize our torch as a symbol of trust,” adds North.
Of course, the Dayton BBB offers traditional services that many business membership organizations offer, such as discounts on products and services, a worker’s compensation group discount program, business networking opportunities and co-op and other advertising and marketing opportunities.
“We have a program where businesses and consumers can log onto our website and request a quote from our more than 3,500 businesses,” says North. “Enhancing the user experience, a business can upload pictures and videos to its BBB Business Profile. Business Profiles offer the opportunity for users to interact via complaint resolution, consumer reviews and view the letter grade rating issued by the BBB.”
Perhaps the BBB’s biggest challenges are ahead. During the pandemic, technology and the internet has become a standard part of life.
“However, we should not forget that scam artists are doing the same thing,” says North. “As we give out our personal and business information on websites, we are more easily accessible at our homes and offices. That makes us all a bigger target.”
That’s why the BBB has gotten involved in helping the public recognize scams. It’s a leader in scam education and identity protection services.
While recognizing scam artists is an important service, the BBB also recognizes companies for their integrity and service. It recently announced the finalists for its 2021 Eclipse Integrity Awards, given to Miami Valley businesses and nonprofits that model ethics, honesty and integrity in the area. The winners will be announced Aug. 24 at the BBB’s Eclipse Integrity Awards at the David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center.
“The pandemic has been tough on businesses and nonprofits in our marketplace, making it even more important to recognize these finalists and announce our winners at the Eclipse Integrity Awards,” says North. “They have weathered these trying times and stood strong on the foundation of integrity their organizations are built on.”
