St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 1, 2011 – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois presented BBB TORCH Awards to 10 businesses and two charities and Student of Ethics awards to three students at a luncheon Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.
“The Better Business Bureau champions trust in the marketplace, and these awards recognize companies and charities who exemplify exceptional customer service and ethical business practices,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB president and CEO. “Our Student of Ethics awards recognize students who have shown they understand ethics and how ethics play a part in everyday situations.”
Derek Glanvill, corporate president of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. of Rock Hill, Mo., accepted the top award from the 2010 top winner, Hugh Grant, president, CEO and chairman of Monsanto Company.
“This award confirms we are on the right track — and it tells us the direction we’ve chosen, and the values we hold dear — should never change,” Glanvill said. “We hope others latch onto those values so together we can raise the level of trust, ethics and integrity in business.”
Nine other companies and two nonprofits were recognized for their commitments to business ethics and customer satisfaction:
- Amazing Siding & Windows Corp. of Missouri, Ellisville.
- Budnick Converting, Columbia, Ill.
- C & S Enterprises, doing business as Culligan of Mid-Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
- Epworth Children & Family Services, Webster Groves.
- Foundation Care LLC, Earth City.
- Hansen’s Tree & Environmental Wood Resources, O’Fallon, Mo.
- Linda Rombach Personalized Cleaning, St. Peters.
- Mirelli Tuckpointing, Maplewood.
- Moneta Group, Clayton.
- Mungenast St. Louis Honda, south St. Louis County.
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis, St. Louis.
The Student of Ethics winners will receive $2,500 each to be applied toward college expenses. They were selected from 252 students who submitted essays, transcripts and recommendations. The 2011 winners are:
- Nicholas Koval, Duchesne High School, St. Charles, Mo.
- Haley Stevens, Frankfort Community High School, West Frankfort, Ill.
- Elliott Berry, Cape Central High School, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Sponsors for the 2011 TORCH Awards were Charter Communications, an underwriting sponsor; and event sponsors Brown Shoe Co., Delta Dental of Missouri, Laclede Gas Co. and Schnuck Markets Inc.
The BBB encourages companies and charities to submit
nomination forms for the 2012 TORCH Awards. Forms are available from the BBB
website.
Businesses are evaluated for their commitment to customer service through exceptional standards for ethical business practices. The awards committee, made up of previous winners, looks at how the company benefits customers, employees and the larger community. They also must meet BBB ethical, advertising and selling standards.
Companies and charities may nominate themselves, or they may be nominated by customers or other businesses.
The BBB presents winners with a crystal trophy that they can display. They may promote their status in advertising, marketing and on their websites.
Contacts: Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-584-6800,
mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Chris Thetford, Vice President-Communications, 314-584-6743 or 314-681-4719 (cell),
communications@stlouisbbb.org
The BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. The BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Reviews, dispute resolution service, charity wise-giving reports, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information.