BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF EASTERN CAROLINAS INC

BBB WORKS TO PROMOTE AND FOSTER THE HIGHEST ETHICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC THROUGH VOLUNTARY SELF-REGULATION RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE. WE DO SO THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:1. DISPUTE RESOLUTION: 12,187 COMPLAINTS HANDLED AND CLOSED AGAINST ACCREDITED AND NON-ACCREDITED BUSINESSES IN OUR SERVICE AREA IN 20242. BUSINESS/CHARITY REVIEWS AND CONSUMER HOTLINE: CONSUMERS CAN FIND INFORMATION ON BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES FROM OUR COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE. CONSUMERS ALSO SEEK INFORMATION ON SCAMS. INQUIRIES CAN BE MADE VIA WEBSITE AND PHONE. 2,966,485 INQUIRIES IN 2024.3. AD REVIEWS AND INVESTIGATIONS: 12 ADVERTISING REVIEWS AND INVESTIGATIONS CASE HANDLED.4. CUSTOMER REVIEWS APPROVED: CONSUMERS CAN LEAVE BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REVIEWS ON BUSINESSES IN OUR SERVICE AREA. REVIEWS ARE VERIFIED BY BBB PRIOR TO BEING PUBLISHED. 8,631 CUSTOMER REVIEWS WERE APPROVED BY BBB.5. ARBITRATIONS: OFFERED TO BOTH ACCREDITED BUSINESSES, AS WELL AS CONSUMERS LOOKING TO RESOLVE LEMON LAW COMPLAINTS. 17 ARBITRATIONS HELD IN 20246. OUTREACH EVENTS, SPEECHES, PRESENTATION, EVENTS REACHED 3,899 IN 2024 7. ACCREDITED BUSINESS NEWSLETTER: 49,5528. PROGRAMS GEARED TOWARD ACCREDITED BUSINESSES:BIG BLUE BASH - IN EARLY NOVEMBER, 2024, BBB HOSTED THE BIG BLUE BASH IN MYRTLE BEACH, SC, FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO NETWORK AND LEARN MORE ABOUT BBB. THE EVENT WAS HOSTED OUTSIDE OF BBB'S MYRTLE BEACH OFFICE AND WAS A HUGE SUCCESS WITH GREAT INTERACTIONS AND SOCIALIZATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE NETWORKING, BBB OFFERED FREE PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS, INCREDIBLE GIVEAWAYS FROM LOCAL ACCREDITED BUSINESSES, AND MORE. SPONSORSHIP WAS KEY IN MAKING THIS A GREAT EVENT WITH BARTERS IN PLACE TO HELP COVER FOOD, DESSERT, AND BARTENDING SERVICES.BBB COMMUNITY SHRED EVENTS - BBB PARTNERED WITH SHRED360 TO HOST NINE COMMUNITY SHRED EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ACROSS ITS SERVICE AREA. COMMUNITIES SERVED INCLUDED: MYRTLE BEACH (3), GEORGETOWN, FLORENCE, WILMINGTON (2), RALEIGH (2).BBB PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOT EVENTS - IN 2024, BBB HELD FIVE HEADSHOT POPUP EVENTS AND MONTHLY HEADSHOT APPOINTMENTS FOR ACCREDITED BUSINESSES. OVERALL, WE TOOK AND EDITED PHOTOS FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 INDIVIDUALS. EVENTS TOOK PLACE IN RALEIGH, GREENVILLE, MYRTLE BEACH (2), FAYETTEVILLE, AND FLORENCE. THESE EVENTS ALSO DOUBLED AS NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AND PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL TOUCHPOINT FOR BBB STAFF TO CONNECT WITH ABS OR NON-ABS LEARNING MORE ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION.BBB GOOD GUIDE TO BUSINESS PODCAST - THE GOOD GUIDE TO BUSINESS PODCAST IS FOCUSED ON BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND LOCAL LEADERS WHO ARE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE AVERAGE. THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING EXTRA FOR THEIR COMMUNITY, THE ENVIRONMENT, THEIR EMPLOYEES, OR SOME OTHER FACET OF THEIR WORK. HOSTS MEREDITH RADFORD, BBB'S SR. COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, AND NICK HILL, BBB'S SR. DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST, RELEASED 14 EPISODES IN 2024. THEY ALSO DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED A NEW PODCAST STUDIO SPACE WITH UPDATED EQUIPMENT AND SOUNDPROOFING, ALONG WITH FUN AND VIBRANT DECOR TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT'S INVITING FOR PODCAST GUESTS, VIEWERS, AND FOR ACCREDITED BUSINESSES TO USE IN THE FUTURE FOR THEIR OWN PROJECTS.BBB NEW BUSINESS ROADMAP - IN SPRING 2024, BBB LAUNCHED THE NEW BUSINESS ROADMAP, AN ONLINE PROGRAM THAT HELPS GUIDE NEW ENTREPRENEURS OR NEW BUSINESS OWNERS AS THEY GET THEIR COMPANY STARTED. MODULES INCLUDE INFORMATION ON CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN, THE BASICS ON MARKETING, AND MORE. BBB WAS ABLE TO SELL SPONSORSHIPS THAT WOULD ALLOW BUSINESSES TO HELP THE ENROLLEES WITH ANY QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC THAT WAS COVERED IN THE PROGRAM.MEDIA - THROUGHOUT 2024, WE WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL OF THE MEDIA CONTACTS ACROSS OUR 48-COUNTY SERVICE AREA. THIS HAS LED TO REGULAR TELEVISION COVERAGE WITH WTVD, WNCN, AND SPECTRUM NEWS (WHICH REACHES ACROSS NC) IN THE RALEIGH-DURHAM DMA AS WELL AS WITN AND WNCT IN THE GREENVILLE-NEW BERN-WASHINGTON DMA. BBB HAS WORKED HARD TO CULTIVATE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH STATIONS IN MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW, WPDE, WMBF) AND IN WILMINGTON, NC (WECT, WWAY, WILM). OUR EFFORTS RESULTED IN A TOTAL OF 2,340 MEDIA HITS AND TOOK PART IN APPROXIMATELY 130 INTERVIEWS IN 2024.TORCH PROGRAMS - IN MARCH, BBB AND THE BBB EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION HOSTED THE BBB TORCH AWARDS CEREMONY TO RECOGNIZE THE WINNERS OF THE BBB TORCH AWARDS, BBB TORCH SCHOLARSHIPS, BBB SPARK AWARDS, AND BBB SPARK JR AWARDS AT THE PRESTONWOOD COUNTRY CLUB IN CARY, NC. BBB AND THE EF WERE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE NINE TORCH AWARDS WINNERS AND FINALISTS, AWARD $25,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, $500 TO THE SPARK JR AWARDS WINNER AND $2,000 TO THE BBB SPARK AWARDS WINNER.BBB ADVERTISING - BBB OFFERS SEVERAL ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCREDITED BUSINESSES, INCLUDING GOOGLE DISPLAY ADS AND ENHANCED LISTING ADS ON BBB.ORG. THE PROGRAMS HAVE A COMBINED 149 PARTICIPANTS.