The winners in each of three size categories were announced Thursday, March 29 at the Mississippi Telecommunications Center in Jackson. An estimated 170 people were on hand to witness the presentation of the 5th Annual Mississippi Business Integrity awards. Winners were chosen from among 13 finalists. They included:
- Category 1 (1-10 Employees): Central Appliance, Pascagoula
- Category 2 (11-99 Employees): Quality Manufacturing Group, Columbia
- Category 3 (100 or more Employees): CenterPoint Energy, Ridgeland
Two individual awards were presented – the Torchbearer Award and the CEO of Integrity Award. The Torchbearer Award, recognizing a business leader who has demonstrated integrity and ethics over a career, was presented to Hartley Peavey of Peavey Electronics in Meridian.
The CEO of Integrity Award, which goes to a CEO chosen from among the finalist companies in current or past competitions, was awarded to Anthony Topazi of Mississippi Power in Gulfport.
This year’s finalists and winners become part of the “Circle of Honor”. Other 2007 Circle of Honor inductees include: The Citizens Bank of Philadelphia, DNA Services of Jackson; Estabrook Toyota Lincoln Mercury of Pascagoula, Health Management Associates (MS Division) of Flowood, Lamia’s Boutique of Madison, Shoppingbargains.com of Starkville, Specialty Windows of Hattiesburg, Tempstaff of Jackson, Westgate Cleaners of Hattiesburg and WJTV Television of Jackson. New this year was the Integrity First Award, recognizing an especially outstanding entry response packet. That honor went to Quality Manufacturing Group of Columbia.
“We had a wonderful response to the Integrity Awards this year,” said Bill Moak, President of the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi. “The judges had many great entries. “They prove that success in business does not mean that you must make ethical compromises, and that a company’s ability to survive challenges is directly related to its commitment to a strong commitment to being a good corporate citizen.”
The winners will go on to compete in the International Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics. Winners will be announced in early 2008 by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
The BBB Mississippi serves consumers and businesses in 76 Mississippi counties with a variety of services including issuance of business reliability reports; dispute resolution, including handling of complaints, arbitration and mediation; advertising review; and consumer education. The organization is supported by its nearly 2,700 member businesses. The BBB’s services are available online at www.bbbms.org or by calling (800) 987-8280.
