2023 Annual Report

2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report BBB of Central Ohio

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President’s Message Dear Members of the BBB Community, BBB’s vision as an organization has always been to create an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other. This vision has not changed, in fact, we know the need to heighten awareness to the important aspects of trust remains as critical as ever.

In 2023, BBB accelerated efforts to help consumers make informed decisions and to support the evolving needs of our business community. From small startups to established local businesses and national organizations, the quest to establish and maintain trust remains a pivotal factor in shaping consumer experiences and loyalty. BBB stands as a committed champion of businesses who want to grow and showcase their commitment to trust.

One way our investment in Accredited Businesses materialized last year was through The Sign of a Better Business, a national campaign signaling to consumers the importance of using an Accredited Business. Through paid local support of this advertising campaign, BBB encouraged consumers to “Look for the Sign” before making purchase decisions… and look they did. More than 150 million consumers visited BBB.org last year alone and nearly 80% of the business searches specifically targeted Accredited Businesses.

BBB’s investment in consumer educational programs also gained momentum and focused on proactive tips on how to safeguard against scams and seek out ethical businesses. Updates made to the BBB’s Scam Tracker created additional functionality, allowing consumers to assess their own scam risk based on demographic and psychographic information. The results of this assessment provides perspective to users on their potential risk while emphasizing the importance of Starting with Trust.

Featured in this Annual Report are key highlights showcasing BBB’s investments and the impactful contributions made throughout the year. I am thankful to our Board of Directors for their guidance and insight as well as to our dedicated staff for helping to deliver programs and services that reached millions in our Central Ohio community. And, to our valued Accredited Businesses, thank you for your investment in BBB and support of our mission. I invite you to actively engage with us this year, not only to showcase the BBB Seal signifying trust, but to leverage BBB as a business partner.

Judy Dollison President, BBB of Central Ohio

BBB Board of Directors Chair of the Board Scott Steckel Plunkett’s Pest Control/Varment Guard Vice Chair of the Board Jasmine Y. Green Nationwide Secretary-Treasurer Betty Collins Brady Ware & Company President Judy Dollison Better Business Bureau Assistant Treasurer Mike Farris Accounting Solutions Group Legal Counsel Douglas J. Schockman, Esq. Fishel Downey Albrecht & Riepenhoff LLP Amy Peterman Kemba Financial Credit Union Nevin Bansal Outreach Promos/Small Biz Cares Brian A. Brooks E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co., LLC Garry Brown Highlights for Children, Inc. Glenn Bryan Focus4C Betty Clark CPMedia & Marketing Sara Gordon SAGE Avenue Pat Halaiko Custom Air Conditioning and Heating Co. Mark Hensley VITAS Healthcare Robert Hiss Huntington National Bank Tom Hodgson Shrunk 3D Columbus David K. Johnson Byers Auto Group Kevin Keiffer Dublin Police Department Lubna M Najjar IL Moda Brand Development

BBB Center for Character Ethics Board Glenn Bryan Focus4C

Dr. Lucy Frontera

Chip Weiant CMJ Israel, Jerusalem

Theresa E. Potter Franklin University Mike Rosati Rosati Windows

Investing in Businesses BBB defines trust as a function of two factors, integrity and performance. Integrity involves respect and ethical intent while performance speaks to a business’s track record of delivering results consistent with BBB’s standards and addressing customer concerns in a satisfactory manner. Developing and supporting a community of Accredited Businesses that meet high standards is the core of the BBB mission.

When assisting with customer complaints, our Dispute Resolution and Customer Service teams work diligently to mediate conversations between parties.

By actively engaging with BBB’s Dispute Resolution consultants, business owners can address customer concerns, contributing to the development of a more trusted reputation.

We also believe that sometimes a deeper partnership with BBB is needed, beyond the daily efforts working with complaints and customer reviews. For businesses with more complex needs, BBB offers in-depth consultation, providing strategic guidance to aid a business along their journey to build and grow best practices that showcase them as a reputable business.

In 2023, BBB increased our support of organizations in need of more intensive reputation management consultation. Recognizing that many businesses aspire to elevate their practices but may not know exactly how to work with BBB, our Operations Consultant took proactive measures to understand the unique challenges faced by businesses in need of this comprehensive evaluation. Identifying patterns and nuances in their operations, strategic guidance was offered to address challenges related to complaint resolution, customer review response, and overall reputation management. These efforts underscore BBB’s commitment to fostering a thriving business community in Central Ohio.

If your organization is interested in a deep dive into how BBB can support your business, contact Stephanie Evans at sevans@centralohio.bbb.org

4830

62

Total Central Ohio Accredited Businesses

Accredited Charities

778

New Accredited Businesses

86.7% Retention Rate

8.9% Market Share

17,794 Customer Reviews

13,425 Complaints

88.4% Complaint Resolution Rate

Petland Inc.

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“Your team’s guidance over the last two years has helped us focus on ways to strengthen relationships with our current supporters, open doors for new, and change the narrative for some doubters. This is a tremendous step forward for us. We are not perfect, but we strive to be. Your proactive efforts did not go unnoticed. It’s one thing to be available when we need you. It’s another to make yourself available….continually looking out for us and New Accredited helping us navigate and avoid potential roadblocks. I will never see BBB as a “complaint department” again.

Businesses BBB is a solutions champion”.

CollisionRight In a strategic initiative to enhance enterprise-level engagement, BBB forged a collaborative partnership with CollisionRight. The dialogue opened avenues to streamline operations and establish a centralized BBB headquarters, consolidating all CollisionRight locations into one cohesive hub. BBB developed an enterprisewide onboarding process unique to the organization’s own structural needs. This innovative approach not only signifies a commitment to efficiency to better serve the business, but also by centralizing their presence, CollisionRight demonstrated a proactive dedication to aligning with BBB standards and fostering a unified, standardized approach across its diverse locations.

New Accredited Business Benefit: CEO Forum Group In 2023, BBB introduced a new benefit to aid in building better businesses – a complimentary membership to the CEO Forum Group. We invite you to take part in our new benefit, which includes: • Access to thousands of past interviews with Top CEOs Sign up for your • New CEO interviews every week complimentary • Weekly CEO Survey Report membership: • Exclusive access to attend special quarterly CEO Summit events • The CEO Forum Magazine

BBB Welcomes You to our Space!

If you are in need of a space for your next meeting or presentation, just ask BBB. As a benefit of Accreditation, BBB offers complimentary use of our Conference Rooms*.

Contact rooms@centralohio.bbb.org to reserve your space.

1169 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 614-486-6336 Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm *Limit of 6 complimentary meetings per year

Operations Team Receives “Outstanding BBB” Award for Fifth Consecutive Year BBB of Central Ohio proudly received the Outstanding BBB Award from the International Association of BBBs for the 5th consecutive year, a testament to our commitment to excellence in serving Accredited Businesses. This recognition highlights the exceptional performance of our Operations Team, emphasizing their consistent delivery of services crucial to our Accredited Businesses and consumers.

“Our success is a result of the team’s dedication and a balanced mix of experience and innovative perspectives.” - Pat Cassidy, VP of Operations

47,951

Bread Financial

Customer Service Calls

1,950 Customer Service Chats

24

Mediations Held

6

Autoline Mediations

Bread Financial recognized the important role of BBB as a trusted advisor as they navigated consumer concerns related to intermittent service disruptions the financial services company faced in the summer of 2022.

This was particularly successful as both entities navigated the delicate balance of confidentiality constraints in the financial services industry while assisting customers.

BBB’s operations and sales teams collaborated to create an alert/advisory system on Bread Financial’s business listing and provided internal scripts for BBB employees to offer consumer reassurance while gaining deeper data to assist Bread Financial.

Investing in Education & Engagement

4.18M Online Directory Impressions

2.2M

Business Profile Inquiries

Each year, hundreds of millions of consumers across North America turn to BBB to search for businesses in their community and gather information about their reputation. In 2023, BBB.org had 1,359,908 users on our site.

These visitors had the opportunity to explore 46,352 individual business profiles this past year.

BBB consistently strives to ensure that consumers can quickly and easily find accurate information on businesses and charities through its extensive database of profiles that provides insights into a business’s letter rating, star rating, services offered, geographic areas of service, customer reviews, complaint resolution, and more.

And our dedicated Customer Service team stands ready to assist consumers not only in researching businesses, but also in navigating scams, resolving complaints, and connecting to valuable resources both within BBB as well as through our network of partners.

1.62M BBB.org Sessions

1.36M BBB.org Users

Relationships with community organizations, government agencies, and law enforcement continue to enhance our outreach in the community and our efforts to advance trust. In a reciprocal arrangement through a Memorandum of Understanding, the Attorney General’s office refers its received consumer complaints concerning Accredited Businesses back to BBB before further action. This strategic partnership ensures a comprehensive and collaborative approach to conflict resolution, fostering a system where both entities actively contribute to addressing consumer concerns and promoting a fair resolution process.

The Consumer Fraud Advisory Group consisting of various consumer protection agencies and BBB offices across the state of Ohio, met quarterly to discuss trends affecting the community. BBB leveraged the knowledge and expertise of this group into two successful “Media Mornings” in which several agencies participated in authoritative interviews regarding the unique needs of our Military and Veterans and protecting our senior citizens.

The IRS Criminal Investigation, FTC, FBI, Ohio National Guard, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, Franklin County Agency on Aging, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in D.C. participated in these interviews resulting in extensive coverage across all three major TV news stations. The stations continue to reference these interviews into 2024.

BBB’s new Scam Prevention Guide, an interactive site utilizing BBB’s extensive library of articles and research, videos, quizzes, and BBB’s unique Risk Calculator was rolled out in 2023 to help consumers and small businesses make smart buying decisions while learning to identify the warning signs of online scams and fraud. The mobile-friendly design makes it easy to access and use anywhere. The Guide links directly to the Scam Tracker to make reporting and researching easier for the user.

BBB’s local communications team actively works in concert with local and regional news media to provide valuable real-time, credible information about scams targeting our community. BBB’s Scam Tracker is a reliable source of information allowing BBB to protect businesses and consumers while collaborating with news media to amplify our voice to millions of Central Ohio residents.

855 Scam Tracker Reports

18,717 Dynamic Seal Clicks

Leading Trust Conversations In 2023, more than 750 featured stories ran in Central Ohio media, representing BBB’s statewide and 21-county footprint awareness expansion efforts through coverage

by Spectrum News and through WHIZ, WKTM, WRFD, 98.9 FM The Answer, 95.9 FM The Fish, and Ohio News Connection.

754 99

Earned Media Hits

Community & Business Events

FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) certified BBB team members presented 11 times on Fighting Financial Fraud throughout Central Ohio.

BBB is available to present on topics, including: • Knowing the 5 Red Flags of Fraud • How to Spot the Con • Outsmarting Investment Fraud • Scams aimed at Students, Veterans, and Military Families • Advancing Marketplace Trust • Advantages of BBB Accreditation • Reputation Management *For speakers bureau and presentation needs, please email jhamlin@centralohio.bbb.org

10.5M

Digital Ad Brand Impressions

147

Directory Sponsored Ads

1.35M Directory Ad Impressions

32M

Estimated Billboard Impressions

700+ Co-branded TV Commercials

Sharing the BBB Seal - The Sign of a Better Business!

The Sign of a Better Business campaign increased in 2023, significantly boosting awareness among consumers to actively seek the Accredited Business Seal. The campaign included digital advertising on platforms like YouTube and Google, guiding consumers to bbb.org to discover local Accredited Businesses.

In addition, BBB continued our annual co-op television and billboard campaigns offering Accredited Businesses the opportunity to co-brand with BBB in promoting their companies. More than 700 commercials featuring 17 Accredited Businesses aired through BBB’s annual TV campaigns this year. Fifteen businesses joined BBB in the digital billboard campaign that earned an estimated 32 million impressions.

Investing in Our Community BBB’s business - and consumer - focused outreach activities gained momentum in 2023, and with each event we proudly represented our Accredited Businesses. From parades, to home shows, to women’s leadership events, and holiday open houses, BBB reached thousands of Central Ohio consumers and businesses through more than 90 community outreach initiatives.

Highlights for the year included: • 17 in-person and online events which featured business-oriented topics on cybersecurity, reputation management, employee retention, tax tips, full-funnel marketing strategies, and more • A series of state-wide webinars focused on filing unclaimed funds as a business and claiming funds as a consumer, conducted in partnership with the Ohio Dept. of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds • Free interactive consumer-centric webinars that offered best practices on topics such as how to book a successful vacation, tips for energy cost containment, and what to consider as you enter into home ownership • Participation in the Grove City Arts in the Alley parade to promote the importance of recognizing The Sign of a Better Business • Sponsorship of the Dispatch Home & Garden Show to share information with consumers on the importance of using Accredited home improvement contractors • Involvement in more than 50 Chamber of Commerce events with 12 community chamber organizations, with emphasis in reaching outlying counties of BBB’s service area • Sponsorship of the Brady Ware Women’s Leadership Conference which encourages female leaders to expand their knowledge and nurture their growth • Support of entrepreneurs and social enterprises by sponsorship of the Aspire Awards and Social Impact Alliance’s Positioned to Prosper Awards • Offering the opening remarks at the CBUS Top Picks award ceremony, emphasizing trust’s unique role in creating a community-beloved business • A holiday celebration and networking event exclusively for our Accredited Businesses!

Celebrating Toast to Trusted Leaders

The highlight of 2023 was the second annual Toast to Trusted Leaders event, a gala held in October at The Bluestone in downtown Columbus.

The event served as a platform to honor the recipients of Torch Awards and Spark Awards, along with local high school students receiving Students of Integrity scholarships.

Attended by hundreds from the community, this gala brought together winners from all of the BBB’s Center for Character Ethics awards programs for networking and fostered a genuine sense of community. This celebration highlighted the importance of trust and ethics in our leaders and laid the foundation for building trust among the next generation of leaders in Central Ohio.

BBB’s Center for Character Ethics BBB’s Center for Character Ethics, a 501(c)3 organization, was formed in 2002 to collaborate with the Central Ohio BBB to fund the creation and execution of programs supporting ethics education and recognition of ethical business practices in the community.

BBB TORCH AWARDS The BBB Torch Awards for Ethics celebrated its 29th year, recognizing organizations whose leaders exemplify a high level of personal character, ensure the culture of their organization meets the highest ethical standards, and proactively earn trust with customers and the community.

Congratulations, 2023 Torch Awards Winners!

Acloché

• Acloché • Advanced Heating and Cooling Services, Inc • Eco Plumbers, Electricians, and HVAC Technicians • Petland Inc

Local Accredited Business wins International Torch Awards for Ethics!

Advanced Heating and Cooling Services, Inc

Central Ohio based GBQ Partners, a Top 100 tax, assurance, and consulting firm, was among four businesses honored as a recipient of the 2023 International Torch Awards for Ethics by the International Association of Better Business Bureaus (IABBB). Previous year BBB’s Torch Award winners from across the US and Canada are eligible to receive the IABBB award. Congratulations, GBQ Partners!

Eco Plumbers, Electricians, and HVAC Technicians

Petland Inc

BBB SPARK AWARDS

Abundant You Chiropractic & Wellness

BBB’s Spark Award celebrates business owners aged 35 and under or businesses in operation for fewer than three years, highlighting the unique opportunity entrepreneurs have to spark and cultivate a culture of trust at the inception of their business. Selected for their high level of character, authentic culture, and commitment to community by a panel of volunteer judges, we were proud to present the Spark Award to: • Abundant You Chiropractic & Wellness • E&E Tea Co. • Third Street Digital • WayMakers Restoration

E&E Tea Co.

12

Spark Awards Applications

Third Street Digital

33

Torch Awards Applications

WayMakers Restoration

Students of Integrity Scholarship For 21 years, BBB’s Center for Character Ethics has presented the Students of Integrity Scholarship program, an essay-based competition honoring high school students who personify ethics through leadership, community service, overall personal integrity and academic accomplishments. Congratulations to our 2023 future leaders!

2023 Students of Integrity Scholarship Sponsored By:

42

Students of Integrity Essays

Thank You Toast to Trusted Leaders Sponsors BBB’s recognition programs wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors, whose commitment ensures the success and impact of these initiatives, reinforcing our dedication to ethical leadership and the cultivation of trust within our community.

CPMedia & Marketing | E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. | KEMBA Financial Credit Union Plunkett’s Pest Control | Outreach Promos | Lady Vwb Nature

Laws of Life Essay Contest In the Spring of 2023, BBB honored 19 Central Ohio students during the 24th annual in-person Laws of Life celebration. This contest challenges 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to explore, through reflection and writing, what matters most to them in their lives and the principles guiding their behaviors and choices. From more than 2,000 essays submitted, 19 winners were selected and presented with more than $2,000 in prizes at the awards banquet attended by family, friends, and academic mentors.

2025 Laws of Life Essays Submitted

Celebrating BBB’s Laws of Life Sponsors Thank you to the businesses that supported our Laws of Life Student Essay Contest this year!

Fostering Community Connections to Grow Trust At BBB, we don’t just advocate for trust; we actively live it. “Enthusiastically Reinvest!” is a key Principle of Trust that guides our Torch and Spark Awards criteria and it is also a commitment we practice. In 2023, BBB actively supported our community through the following service projects: • BBB staff and Board Members united at Mid-Ohio Food Collective, a BBB Accredited Charity, to fill the pantries of more than 700 families across 20 counties. From sorting, to bagging, to in-car delivery, the BBB team turned out to make a real community difference.

Additionally, the team internally participated in a food drive, contributing nearly 200 non-perishable food and hygiene items to the Accredited Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center.

• Through collaboration with My Very Own Blanket, another BBB Accredited Charity, the BBB team and Board made 15 blankets for children in child care transition. These handcrafted blankets made their way to partners in State Child Protective Services and private agencies, providing comfort to children in foster care. Social workers distribute blankets to children facing the challenging transition from their homes, offering them a cover of warmth and care.

• BBB participated in the Salvation Army Christmas Cheer Toy & Food Program, joining the Small Biz Cares team during the annual toy giveaway at the Ohio Fairgrounds. Volunteers from the BBB team worked to prepare toys for distribution and assist families in transporting and loading gifts in their cars.

Heritage AB Member Celebrations BBB has a longstanding history of partnerships with trusted businesses in our community.

We are proud to celebrate our Heritage Accredited Businesses committed to fostering trust for 50 or more years.

AAMCO Transmissions Acloché LLC Aire-Flo Heating, Cooling & Generators APCO Argo & Lehne Atlas Butler Heating And Cooling Bob Caldwell Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Bob-Boyd Lincoln Mercury, Inc. Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Buckeye Shapeform Cabinetworks Kitchens Capital City Awning Company Capital City Exterminating Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce Clark Grave Vault Company Columbus Association of Realtors Columbus Door Sales Columbus Pest Control, Inc. Columbus Sign Company Columbus Worthington Air Converse Electric, Inc. DeSantis Florist Dick Masheter Ford, Inc. EC Babbert, Inc. Encova Insurance Ethan Allen Design Center Franklin Art Glass Studios, Inc. Franklin International, Inc. General Maintenance & Engineering Co. Geo Byers Sons Holding, Inc. Glen Rest Memorial Estate Grange Enterprise Companies • Including Grange and Integrity Insurance

Hague Water Conditioning, Inc. Hamilton Parker Company Highlights for Children, Inc. Jae Company Jerry Spears Company Kohr Royer Griffith, Inc.

Krieger Ford, Inc. Lannis Fence Systems Licking County Chamber of Commerce Luebbe Hearing Services Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Worthington Mid Ohio Electric Co. Midas Auto Service Experts • Franchise Locations Owned by Ian Katz

Modlich Monument Co., Inc. Myers Surveying Co., Inc. Nationwide NBC4 Perma-Flex Mold Company, Inc. Pickaway County Chamber of Commerce Plaza Properties, Inc. Quality Swimming Pools, Inc. R. L. Bando, Inc. Ricart RiteRug Flooring S.G. Loewendick & Sons, Inc. Schoedinger & Co. Sears Heating & Cooling Company Southard Supply, Inc. State Auto Insurance Companies Superior Home Maintenance Co. The Favret Company The Fritsche Corporation The Hadler Companies The Huntington National Bank The Ohio Exterminating Co., Inc. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company The Wasserstrom Company United Refrigeration Service, Inc. Varo Engineers A Salas O’Brien Company Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce Westwater Supply Corp.

White Castle Yutzy Brothers, Inc.

The Power of Trust: BBB’s Belief Statement At BBB, we believe in the power of trust. We believe in its power to grow people, businesses, and communities. It is why we were founded in 1921 and it is what motivates us today. To us, trust is the glue that holds communities together. It is business owners, consumers, and community partners relying on each other to survive, grow, and succeed.

It is at the heart of our most precious personal relationships and we believe it should be central to every transaction, purchase, and investment we make. At BBB we advance business trust so that people, businesses, and communities thrive. It is why we exist.

We look forward to serving you in 2024!

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BBB of Central Ohio 1169 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 BBB.org