BBB Unveils New Offices, Marketing Campaign
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The Better Business Bureau of the Mahoning Valley welcomed the public Thursday to its new offices in the Commerce Building downtown during an open house attended by business and community leaders from the three-county region the chapter serves.
The BBB’s lease at its former office -- a few blocks away on the first floor of the International Towers building at 25 Market St. –expired a few months ago. Moving to the first floor of the “landmark” Commerce Building, 201 E. Commerce St., raises the nonprofit organization’s profile, says its president and CEO, Carol Potter.
The new space, leased by the Ohio One Corporation, actually represents a cost savings, provides greater public access to the BBB’s work, and offers free parking for consumers and the 2,000-plus BBB members who “provide trust in our marketplace,” Potter says.
In 2012 the BBB chapter provided nearly 185,000 business reviews to consumers, according to its community impact statement. In addition, local staff handled 1,364 complaints and conducted 78 BBB advertising reviews.
Local consumers call most frequently about companies that specialize in home remodeling – roofing, construction, windows and siding contractors. Windows installation and roofing contractors also rank among the top 5 "most complained about industries." Topping that list is door-to-door magazine sales followed by new and used car dealers.
“We’re trying to promote usage of the BBB in our community,” Potter says. “We want people to go to our website, learn about the frauds and scams, learn about the bad players, and learn about the 4.5 million business reviews we have in the BBB system.”
As the BBB settles into its new offices, it also has begun a marketing campaign that features billboards and television spots -- opportune timing to emphasize its mission with the shutdown of the Federal Trade Commission, a casualty of the budget stalemate.
“Since the federal government has gone down, all sorts of [scams] have come up,” Potter says. “Right now you can’t go to the FTC, but you can still find information at our website, you can still lodge a complaint with us. We are a private nonprofit, and we don’t receive any government funding.”
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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