Waylon Cunningham

BBB Central East Texas recently announced a call for nominations for the 2023 BBB Awards for Excellence, which honor businesses and charities that demonstrate superior integrity, reliability, and trustworthiness.

All BBB accredited businesses and accredited charities that have a physical location within the 19 counties served by BBB Central East Texas are eligible to be nominated and to receive a prestigious BBB Award, according to the organization.

These awards are presented to BBB accredited businesses and charities in recognition of “their outstanding commitment to exceptional standards in relationships to their consumers, employees, suppliers, competitors, shareholders, and surrounding communities,” according to BBB.

Seven awards are presented to East Texas businesses and nonprofits, including one minority-owned business, one business startup and one business which is owned by a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

“The BBB Award for Excellence is designed to not only promote the importance of building trust, but also the willingness and efforts made by outstanding businesses and charities to help contribute to an honorable marketplace.” said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Central East Texas. “BBB Awards are watched by an average of 70,000 viewers, and we are so grateful that we have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on and tell the stories of local businesses and non-profits who are role models in our community.”

Nominations for businesses are due Nov. 13. Any accredited business or accredited charity operating in BBB’s service area is eligible to be nominated.

The East Texas community will select this year’s recipients via online vote. The 2024 BBB Awards will be announced on KLTV in February 2024.

Thirty-one organizations were nominated for the 2023 BBB Award for Excellence. The 2023 BBB Awards for Excellence winners were:

• Nonprofit Category: East Texas Food Bank
• Large Business Category: East Texas Refrigeration Company
• Mid-size Business Category: Cut Up Debt, LLC
• Small Business Category: Sidnetworks
• Minority-Owned Business Category: BobaLoompia
• Spark Award Winner: Mosquito Hunters
• Veteran-Owned Business: Kelly’s Tattoos

Individuals and business owners can nominate businesses by completing the nomination form found on bbb.org. For sponsorship information, contact Rachelle Ewart, at 903-508-6146.