St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 15, 2011 – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois will present 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 TORCH Award signifies the impeccable standards of ethics and service these businesses hold for their customers, communities and employees,” said Mary Kullman, BBB board chair and chief governance officer and corporate secretary of The Laclede Group Inc. “In trying economic times such as these, it is encouraging to see businesses upholding such high standards,” she said.
The top award will go to Derek Glanvill, corporate president of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. of Rock Hill, Mo., in recognition of his company’s commitment to exceptional customer service and ethical business practices. Last year’s top recipient, Hugh Grant, chairman, president and chief executive of Monsanto Company, will present the award to Glanvill. Jennifer Blome, KSDK news anchor, will emcee.
Nine other companies and two nonprofits will be 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.
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.
Three high school students will receive Student of Ethics awards of $2,500 each to be applied toward college expenses. They were selected from 252 students who submitted essays, transcripts and recommendations. The 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.
“We applaud these students for their interest in ethics and their academic achievement. They set an excellent example for other students as well as adults in the working world today,” Kullman said.
The luncheon is in the Khorassan Room at the Chase Park Plaza. Tickets for the luncheon are available at $50 a person, or $500 for a table of 10. Patron tables for 10 are available for $1,500. For additional information or reservations, contact the BBB at 314-645-0606.
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.