Better Business Bureau
of Upstate New York
2020 Annual Report Our Businesses, Our Communities, Our Mission
President’s Report This annual report reviews Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Upstate New York’s programs and services for the year ending Dec. 31, 2020. Our BBB services 48 counties of Upstate New York from our headquarters in Amherst, NY. This report outlines the hard work to bring trust to the marketplace of 35 dedicated team members. We serve over six million people and over 135 thousand businesses and charities in 750 cities, towns and villages across the region.
Warren E. Clark President & CEO
2020 was a year none of us will ever forget. After a “normal” start, the COVID-19 Pandemic had us all scrambling to figure out not only what we could do but HOW we could do it. Our management team sprang into action, and within days, we were all working from home. We constantly monitored the region, preparing to stay remote or have some return to the office. As I write this report, we have a few people in the office every day, but most continue to work remotely. That said, our services have been in great demand, and we haven’t missed a beat delivering them. We played a substantial role in educating our business communities with information on opening, closing, safety, and access to government assistance and programs throughout the year. I am incredibly proud of how we have weathered the pandemic, serving our region and supporting our co-workers. We’ve all been touched by this disease in one way or another. This report shows much of what we accomplished despite all the chaos and challenges. We are here to serve the businesses, charities, consumers and donors in Upstate New York. We look forward to better days and are prepared to continue working through whatever we have to face. Thanks for your support as we move forward together.
Board of Directors Steven Abramson Gary Bennett Phil Arno
Jill Johnson Michelle Light-Canarelli
Christie Berardi David Carr Warren Clark Cindy Algase Gradl William J. Hochul Jr.
Chair— Lynn Oswald Vice Chair— Brian Peek Secretary— Thomas Schratz Treasurer— Jill Johnson
Patricia McGrath
James Morrissey Tom Nolte Kevin O’Connell Lynn Oswald
Jennifer Page Ron Papa Brian Peek Joseph Pinkans Craig Rogers Thomas Schratz Richard Shaner Jr. Eugene Welch
The grey area is serviced by the Metro New York BBB
Operations Total Complaints Opened: 14,894
Total Complaints Closed:
Top 10 Complaints Industry
Closed Complaints
Internet Service
2,128
Collections Agency
1,203
Furniture Store
729
Online Retailer
703
Auto Repair
384
New Car Dealer
382
Bank
236
Pool Supplies
219
Used Car Dealer
175
Fitness Center
124
17,344 Top 10 Inquiries
Total Inquiries: 2,723,870
Industry
Number Reported
Collections Agency
264,028
General Contractor
194,341
Online Retailer
121,403
Roofing Contractor
77,497
Used Car Dealer
46,072
Paving Contractor
45,609
Plumber
41,377
Landscape Contractor
40,971
Auto Repair
34,879
Heating Contractor
32,218
Top 10 Reported Scams
Scam
Number Reported
Online Purchase
471
Phishing
113
Employment
47
COVID-19
30
Tech Support
29
Government Grant
27
Sweepstakes/Lottery/Prizes
23
Counterfeit Product
17
Debt Collections
13
Healthcare/Medicare/Medicaid
11
Total scams reported: 750
Business Relations Accredited Businesses: 6,635 New Accredited Businesses: 1,291 Revenue: $637,509 Retention Overall: 83%
Top Performers
Debbie Bender 355 Newly Accredited Businesses
Mary Griffin 259 Newly Accredited Businesses
Jeff Criden 203 Newly Accredited Businesses
Marketing & Communications Highlights
Partnered with U.S. Small Business Administration to provide Accredited Businesses with live webinars outlining government loan/grant programs
Introduced more video content on social media, increasing engagement numbers
Expanded media outreach through targeted pitching and leveraging relationships to get the word out on pandemic-related scams
Added new Community Partners, including the Business Council of New York State
Took the Senior Scams Program and High School programming online to continue to educate these groups during the pandemic
Began partnerships with Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Buffalo and Rochester to co-host presentations, and with BOCES to provide ethics training to students
Continued to be “present” with our Community Partners by attending virtual events and hosting partner webinars, reaching thousands of people
Launched our Student Video Contest, allowing high school students to learn about BBB while enhancing their production and marketing skills
Media Mentions 2,037
Lauren Kirchmyer and Melanie McGovern tabling at Brides World in Buffalo
Melanie McGovern with CNY Central Anchor Farah Jadran
President/CEO Warren Clark recording a video for a website
President/CEO Warren Clark with the first place Student Video Contest winner
Impressions 47,920
Impressions 235,399
Impressions 186,831
Impressions 27,669
Engagements 3,508
Engagements 13,036
Engagements 2,316
Engagements 2,385
Followers 579
Fans 3,012
Followers 913
Followers 351
Community Partners We nurtured, engaged and added 6 organizations to our Community Partner program throughout 2020. Our partners now include: Amherst Chamber of Commerce Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce Business Council of NYS* Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce Capital Region Chamber of Commerce
Center for Economic Growth CenterState CEO Chamber Alliance of NYS Chamber of the Tonawandas Cheektowaga Chamber of Commerce Chemung County Chamber of Commerce Clarence Chamber of Commerce Clinton Chamber of Commerce Colonie Chamber of Commerce Commerce Chenango* Construction Exchange WNY
Discover Albany Gates-Chili Chamber of Commerce Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce Greater Olean Chamber of Commerce Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Greater Sullivan Chamber of Commerce
Greater Watertown and North Country Chamber of Commerce Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce Guilderland Chamber of Commerce Hornell Chamber of Commerce Home Builders & Remodelers Association of the Mohawk Valley* Ken-Ton Chamber of Commerce Lewis County Chamber of Commerce Livingston County Chamber of Commerce New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce Northern New York Builders Exchange Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce* Orleans County Chamber of Commerce Otsego County Chamber of Commerce* Potsdam Chamber of Commerce Rome Area Chamber of Commerce Seneca County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Development Centers Southtowns Builders Association St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce West Seneca Chamber of Commerce WISE Women’s Business Center—Syracuse* * denotes a new community partner
Community Partner Highlights
Attended and presented at the Chamber Alliance of New York State’s annual conference in Albany
Reached out to our partners during the pandemic to provide assistance and resources for them and their members
Collaborated with partners to plan webinars for a statewide audience
Continued outreach and recruitment of new partners
Worked with Discover Albany to host an all-day workshop on social media and online reputation management
Participated in all kinds of partner events, including speed networking, webinars, virtual walks and more!
Melanie McGovern presenting about the program in Albany
Melanie McGovern presenting to Discover Albany
Lauren Kirchmyer presenting to Discover Albany
Dinner with partners after CANYS in Albany
Lauren Kirchmyer at a bridal expo in Livingston
Zoom networking with chamber members
Upstate New York Trade Shows BBB sponsored shows across Upstate New York and visited with hundred of Accredited Businesses, delivering plaques and confirmation on BBB benefits.
Brides World Buffalo Auto Show Buffalo Home Show Livingston County Dream Wedding Expo Times Union Home Show
Charity Review The following charities have met the 20 standards for Charity Accountability as of December 2020 Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired – Goodwill of the Finger Lakes Catholic Charities of Buffalo* Crisis Services* CURE Childhood Cancer Association (Rochester, NY) Educate the Children Inc. Food Bank of Central New York Friends of Night People* Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America Jewish Family Service of Buffalo and Erie County Joyful Rescues Inc.* Junior Achievement of Western New York Lollypop Farm, Humane Society of Rochester and Monroe County Mohawk Hudson Humane Society Roswell Park Alliance Foundation United Way of the Adirondack Region United Way of Greater Rochester* United Way of Northern New York* Vascular Birthmarks Foundation* Water For South Sudan* *Denotes Accredited Charity Seal Holders
Visit Give.org to find a list of Accredited Charites and Seal Holders you can trust with your donation.
Torch Award for Ethics
Pioneer Credit Recovery Inc. Corporate Business
Comfort Window Co. Inc. Large Business
Dundon Construction Small Business
New York Sash Mid-Size Business
Refractron Technologies Corp. Medium Business
BBB and the Pandemic
During the pandemic, Better Business Bureau utilized more digital methods to share information. We revamped our monthly webinar series to allow for more outside presenters, including Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Small Business Administration Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Steve Bulger, to share timely updates on programs. We also took advantage of Zoom’s live stream feature to share our webinars live on Facebook and began weekly live chats on Instagram. More news interviews became virtual or followed CDC social distancing guidelines. 2020 was a year of change that tested our creativity and allowed us to learn!
Financial Report
Financial Report