Jamie Killin | Web Editor THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU Building trust in the marketplace THE STORY The Better Business Bureau has been serving its communities for more than 100 years, helping to set the standard for ethical business behavior through its accreditation services and other programs. The Better Business Bureau in Phoenix has a long history itself, beginning as the Better Business Bureau of Maricopa 80 years ago after the then Merchants and Manufacturers Association learned of the concept in a nearby city. “They wanted to copy it but decided to create a Better Business Bureau versus doing it insid e the Merchants and Manufacturers Association, which was an association for businesses and business services,” said Matthew Fehling, the president and CEO of BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest. “So, in 1938 they set up a Better Business Bureau of Maricopa.” Since then, the Better Business Bureau and its associated foundation have helped to alert consumers of scams, provide important insights into businesses, help resolve disputes, educate the community on business best practices, provide scholarships and more. THE CAUSE Many don’t realize that the Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit and that the organization doesn’t receive funding from the government or community members. Instead, it is CHARITY SPOTLIGHT {giving back} 40 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | NOVEMBER 2018

Matthew Fehling, the president and CEO of BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest, says that the Better Business Bureau works to create an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other. primarily funded by its business members. “The earnings that we make and the income over expense don’t go to the benefit of any kind of shareholders or anything like that. It goes back out into the community that we serve,” said Fehling. “Our mission is broad enough to encompass a lot of different activities that we believe advance it.” That mission centers around protecting consumers and businesses alike through both Better Business Bureau services as well as the foundation, which focuses heavily on education. “We go out to educate consumers or businesses or vulnerable populations on wise investing and how not to get scammed,” said Fehling of the foundation. “We honor students who are doing the right thing in athletics. We have a partnership with the Arizona Interscholastic Association where we honor ethical athletes. We have a new program honoring cadets that are in ROTC programs at their high schools. So we do a fair amount of work to educate the youth.” At its core, the Better Business Bureau aims to help businesses regulate themselves, making them less susceptible to government regulation and less likely to engage in unethical and harmful business practices. “The Better Business Bureau’s goal is really to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. So by that, we want buyers and sellers to trust each other,” said Fehling. “Trust is kind of the bedrock of the free market enterprise. When you take out NOVEMBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 41