For 50 years, one Mahoning Valley organization has been fostering trust and integrity in the marketplace.
The Better Business Bureau “has been around for over 100 years, but in the Mahoning Valley, [it] was founded in 1974,” says Melissa Ames, president and CEO of the local chapter. “We’re excited to highlight this Valley and the business community’s commitment to ethics.”
Ames started with the nonprofit organization 21 years ago, working in advertising and charity review. She served in several positions before the board named her president/CEO in 2021 when Carol Potter retired.
“At this point in my life and in my career, it’s very interesting to see an organization – and a nonprofit organization at that – look to see what we can do to give the best experience to our end user, be a trusted resource for people in the community, and again, represent something that is very intangible,” Ames says. “We want to talk about trust and integrity in the marketplace.”
Accreditation
The organization lists about 1,000 accredited businesses.
“I am just so proud of our accredited businesses within the community that have been with us from the very beginning,” Ames offers. “We have organizations like Masonry Materials, plus WKBN and YSU, who have been with us from the very beginning because they believe in the importance of trust in the marketplace.”
Accreditation means a business adheres to the BBB Standards for Trust.
“It’s the basic good business practices: advertising honesty, telling the truth, being transparent, and when there’s an issue, being responsive,” Ames explains.
“Safeguarding privacy is also a big issue now with many users. So again, it’s just taking these practices and implementing them into your business,” she says.
Earning accreditation begins with an application process.
“It’s based on several different factors,” Ames says. “We want to make sure that the company has a good marketplace history.”
The organization has seen businesses apply but because of their complaint history, they’re not eligible. Part of the review process also involves ensuring that businesses within industries that require licensure, have it.
“It is a vetting process and we use our board of directors as part of that filtering process. We take it very personally that when we tell you that you can trust this business, we want to mean it,” the CEO says.
A 27-member board of directors oversees the local BBB, which covers Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Jeffrey Ryznar, CEO of 898 Marketing in Canfield, is BBB board chairman.
Ryznar notes in an email that 898 Marketing has been a BBB A+ rated company since 2016. It abides by a mantra to always do the right thing for every client, every time.
“There is no better organization that promotes trust, transparency and integrity for consumers and businesses alike than the BBB,” Ryznar says. “The torch is more than a logo. It is a symbol of confidence knowing that the organization who proudly displays this affiliation operates with the same morals and standards, protecting the best interests of its customers, community and employees.”
Changes Over Time
When Ames started at the BBB, employees only were allowed to tell members of the public who called the office if a company was satisfactory, unsatisfactory or neutral based on its complaint history.
“And it got to the point in the mid-2000s that we recognized the need for more information for consumers, for users of BBB, and really oftentimes, we think of homeowners as users to BBB, but anyone is a user to BBB,” she says.
That includes anyone who wants to learn more about a business, whether it’s home improvement, an accountant or a manufacturer. People want to know that they’re dealing with a trustworthy company, Ames says.
BBB provides information to end users while remaining a neutral third party, she adds.
The BBB, headquartered in Arlington, Va., was founded in 1912. It’s a private, nonprofit organization. There are more than 100 BBB organizations in the United States and Canada, according to its website. BBB started as a way to combat dishonest advertising.
BBB of the Mahoning Valley has seen a lot of changes too. Ames has been reviewing organization archives over the past 18 months and learned how some of the businesses that were prominent when it was founded aren’t anymore.
“We had a lot of appliance repair back in the mid-’70s, when we were founded,” she says. “Today, we have a lot of companies like digital marketing.”
When Ames started at BBB, employees spent most of the workday on the telephone, helping businesses and consumers. It’s since shifted to mostly online.
“People are looking at businesses – they are looking for that list of businesses they need to start their project,” she adds. “They are using BBB.org and then they’re calling us for questions afterwards.”
Ryznar, the board chairman, says in his email that changes implemented at BBB since he’s been on the board have brought greater opportunity to Valley businesses and consumers.
The biggest change he’s seen is in organization leadership, he says pointing to Ames who was molded and groomed to take on the CEO/president role when Potter retired after 10 years of leadership, establishing BBB as a brand and a presence.
“Melissa has enhanced it with ways to engage consumers and companies,” Ryznar says. “Her leadership has focused more heavily on expanding the awareness of the BBB in Youngstown and services provided, while also growing the number of BBB-accredited businesses, bolstering some of the highest renewal rates and total percentage of registered businesses in the entire country.”
Ames says many people associate BBB with filing a complaint or its dispute resolution program. But it also offers a customer review program where people leave positive reviews for businesses.
Recommendations
She recommends people check out businesses through the BBB before hiring.
BBB also warns consumers about scams. Ames says the scams haven’t changed but their method of delivery has, from fax machines to texts and emails, for example.
Moving forward, Ryznar anticipates changes with a greater focus on digital channels. That’s in terms of both consumers being able to engage with BBB and its approved companies and the ways BBB protects consumers.
“Especially with the upcoming holiday season, cybercriminal activity and ways to protect and prevent nefarious activity is only going to require more education and understanding of who to trust and how to operate in a digital marketplace,” Ryznar says.
Another change, he notes, is a growing overall need for the BBB.
“With so many opinions shared in social media and online with reviews, it is becoming more challenging to truly believe what you read,” the board chairman explains.
“It is also difficult for companies to get a fair assessment of [their] abilities. However, the BBB has and always will be a sign of a better business and option for consumers. This education and awareness will continue and become an even more vital role in how consumers evaluate and, ultimately, choose the companies they trust.”
More History
While BBB of the Mahoning Valley started in 1974, the idea began long before.
“In going back in my history of BBB, there are several different iterations leading up to our current form,” Ames says. “The most recent one was called the Bureau of Good Business Practices, which was actually part of the Youngstown chamber.”
Then, 50 years ago, a group of business leaders petitioned to have a BBB in the Valley, applying through the parent organization, the Council of Better Business Bureaus, she says. Once the application was approved, a board was formed, and the organization began.
The board chairman says the organization is important to the Valley because it helps consumers find companies they can trust.
“With an unbiased, consumer-centric approach, the BBB is the defender of all customers,” Ryznar says. “They are looking out for the best interest of consumers as well as ensuring that businesses are operating with integrity and transparency.”
Pictured at top: Melissa Ames, president and CEO of BBB of Mahoning Valley, stands in the agency’s office in downtown Youngstown. The local chapter marked its 50th anniversary in 2024.