BBB Announces 2013 Torch Award Winners
Better Business Bureau serving Upstate New York is proud to announce Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence winners. Honored for a commitment to business ethics and consumer excellence, BBB distinguishes four companies whose hard work in management practices, community relations and goodwill earned the highest recognition given to area businesses by the organization. BBBs Torch Award is achieved after completing an arduous application, followed by an independent judging process that identify businesses that best demonstrate marketplace excellence.
The following businesses, all currently rated A+, have earned BBBs Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence:
PrePlan of Albany, NY – Small business category
Adirondack Basement Systems, Inc. of Halfmoon, NY – Medium business category
Comfort Windows of Syracuse, NY – Large business category
West Herr Automotive Group of Buffalo, NY – Corporate business category
"Successful businesses make a commitment to honest business practices and earn trust from the consumers they serve," said Warren Clark, President of Better Business Bureau serving Upstate New York. "Offering our Torch Award to acknowledge their efforts is one of the proudest moments throughout our year. These awardees make important decisions every day to best serve their customers and the communities they call home and we’re pleased to offer them this well-deserved recognition."
An independent judging committee reviewed each application received by BBB and scores each business, grouped by size, to identify winners with each category. Businesses throughout Upstate New York have an opportunity to apply for the annual BBB Torch Award program whether they are BBB accredited or not. The businesses that apply must be in good standing with the Better Business Bureau.
"To win the Better Business Bureau Torch Award and be recognized by BBB as a "business of integrity" is truly an honor," said Colleen Connelly, Director of PreNeed Trust Services of PrePlan. "PrePlan’s goal each and every day is to earn and keep the trust of our members and the consumers they serve. We’re dedicated to helping families with end-of-life matters through quiet professionalism and attention to detail, delivering them both security and peace-of-mind. Thank you for this prestigious award."
After Adirondack Basement Systems, Inc. president, Kevin Koval learned of their win he said, "Winning the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence is truly an honor. It shows we have succeeded in providing the highest level of service to our customers and we will continue to operate with honesty and integrity at the heart of everything we do." Koval added "I personally want to thank each one of my employees for their hard work and dedication to our company and customers. Without all of us working together as a cohesive unit, none of this would be possible."
"Comfort winning the BBB Torch Award for the 4th time is a great achievement and an affirmation of all the hard work that that every single employee puts in. Given the difficulty of success within our industry it’s a testament to our team oriented approach that we have been able to win again and I couldn’t be prouder," said Fritz Gentile, General Manager of Comfort Windows.
"We are committed to developing and maintaining the highest ethical standards. Receiving this award has not only confirmed our code of ethics and the manner in which we operate our business, it also validates the importance of every employee’s personal level of integrity, and the value and strength that integrity brings to West Herr," said Scott Bieler, President of West Herr.
BBB will hold individual celebrations for each Torch Award winner. Companies recognized in Upstate New York join hundreds of BBB Torch Award winners selected around the country for marketplace best practices and excelling in ethical business practices. Applications for BBBs 2014 Torch Award program will be announced later this year.
About BBB Torch Award Winners:
PrePlan – PrePlan, established in 1988, is a funeral trust pre-funding program, backed by the New York State Funeral Directors Association, Inc. PrePlan currently administers over 89,000 consumer trust accounts for more than 630 funeral homes across New York State. This trust is professionally managed by a first-rate team of funeral directors and knowledgeable staff, with the advice and counsel of some of the best investment advisors in the country. In addition, each account is fully insured up to $250,000. More information can be found online at www.preplan.org.
Adirondack Basement Systems, Inc. - Since 1997, Kevin Koval’s Adirondack Basement Systems has provided solutions to over 6,000 problems for residential and commercial properties. They are upstanding members of the Better Business Bureau, Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern New York, Southern Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, and Basement Systems International Waterproofing Contractors. Adirondack Basement Systems, Inc. is the region's largest waterproofing, foundation repair, crawl space repair, and basement finishing contractor. For more information about Adirondack Basement Systems check out www.AdirondackBasement.com.
Comfort Windows - In business for over three decades, Comfort Windows is a family owned business and is the largest home improvement company in upstate NY. Ranked as the 30thHome improvement company in the country by Qualified Remodeler magazine, Comfort prides itself as an award winning window manufacturer that installs own product with its own employees, not subcontractors. Comfort Windows has proven that offering an excellent product, a professional installation and superior customer service will gain customer trust. Comfort currently offers windows, doors, siding, sunrooms, insulation, basement & bathroom remodeling as its services and has product showrooms in Syracuse, Rochester, Albany & Buffalo. Find more at www.comfortwindows.com.
West Herr Automotive Group - The West Herr Automotive Group, established in 1950, is the largest auto group in New York State and the 24th largest automotive group in the nation. With 18 locations in Erie, Niagara and Monroe Counties representing 21 franchises
and over 1,500 employees, West Herr sold 37,726 new and used vehicles combined in 2013. West Herr has received Business First of Buffalo’s "Best Places to Work in WNY" Award for ten consecutive years and the Better Business Bureau "Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics" six times. The West Herr Automotive Group is dedicated to absolute excellence in customer service provided by honest, responsible and respectful people. West Herr supports individual pride, company spirit and community involvement. For more information, visit www.westherr.com.
For more BBB information you can trust, visit bbb.org and "Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BetterBusinessBureauofUpstateNY.
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Reporters: For more information or to schedule an interview with a BBB spokesperson, contact Peggy Penders at 1-518-371-9621.
About BBB
For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2012, consumers turned to BBB 124 million times for Business Reviews on more than 4.5 million companies and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 113 local, independent BBBs across the United States and Canada, as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation. Visit bbb.org for more information.