Our Businesses, Our Community, Our Mission Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York
President s Report This annual report is a review of Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Upstate New York programs and services for the year ending December 31, 2016. BBB serves 48 counties of Upstate New York from our headquarters at 100 Bryant Woods South, Amherst, NY 14228. 2016 highlights: I am incredibly proud of our entire team which now numbers over 30 dedicated employees. Our services throughout the region continue to improve as we reach more and more businesses, charities, and consumers with our mission of making the marketplace a place where buyers and sellers trust one another. Started offering businesses a 12-month payment plan option to new Accredited Businesses Grew by almost 200 net Accredited Businesses Through a new program, improved the open rate of emails Engaged other organizations through a new Community Partner program Dramatically increased our engagement in the Capital District by partnering with Chambers of Commerce Sponsored Home Shows in Buffalo and Rochester, visited Accredited Businesses and consumers at both Continued to improve social media outreach by posting from home shows and our community events Held a successful and outstanding Secure Your ID day in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.
Board of Directors Richard Wall, Ph.D., Chair Sharon Prise Azurin, Counsel Steven Abramson Phil Arno Jason Botticelli David Carr Joe Carubba Warren Clark (BBB President and CEO) James Dunn Marilynn Fleckenstein Cindy Algase Gradl Carol Horton Richard Kaplan Patricia McGrath Lynn Oswald Brian Peek Joseph Petrozzi Joseph Pinkans David Polino Norbert Rappl Paul Stasiak Thomas Schratz Eugene Welch John Wynne Robert Zabel
Board of Directors Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York dedicated its conference room to Philip S. Toohey in 2016. Phil was a dedicated board member for over 40 years.
Service Area
Operations 2016 TOP 10 INQUIRIES MADE 2016 Industry 2016 2015 Change Collection Agencies 251,751 233,452 7.8% Contractors 118,987 109,953 8.2% Roofing Contractors 66,814 75,372-11.3% Auto Dealers-Used Cars 48,855 45,304 7.8% TOP 10 COMPLAINTS FILED 2016 Industry 2016 2015 Change Collection Agencies 2,073 2,374-12.6% Auto Dealers-New Cars 573 672-14.7% Auto Repair/Service 491 552-11% Furniture-Retail 374 336 11.3% Construction and Remodeling Services 42,940 38,889 10.4% Auto Dealers-Used Cars 335 411-18.5% Auto Repair/Service 42,647 46,074-6.8% Telephone Communications 41,142 31,804 29.3% Plumbing Contractors 37,291 33,491 11.3% Paving Contractors 37,145 38,323-3% Home Improvements 36,837 34,694 6.1% Banks 244 261-6.5% Contractor-General 199 263-24.3% Online Shopping 193 261-26% Dentists 172 188-8.5% Roofing Contractors 138 177-22%
Operations 2016 In late 2015, Better Business Bureau launched Scam Tracker, an online tool for consumers to report scams in real time. Scam Tracker uses crowd-sourced information to let people know about scam activity in their area. 2016 was the first full year for Scam Tracker. In Upstate New York, we received 760 reportable scams. TOP 10 REPORTED SCAMS 2016 Tax Collection 29% Online Purchase 14% Debt Collections 7% Tech Support 6% Employment 5% Fake Invoice 4% Credit Cards 4% Phishing 4% Sweepstakes/Lottery/Prizes 3% Other 3%
Business Relations Accredited Businesses: 6,116 New Accredited Businesses: 1,496 Revenue: $772,807 Retention Overall: 79% 2016 Top Performers Debbie Bender 316 newly accredited businesses Mary Griffin 241 newly accredited businesses Sandra Montgomery 205 newly accredited businesses
Marketing & Communications Implemented aggressive social media content campaign with blog postings and shared content to drive impressions Positioned BBB staff as subject matter experts for more quality earned media and coverage Developed stronger relationships with Rochester and Syracuse media outlets Put a more human face on BBB by using staff in videos and photos for social media Enhanced communications with Accredited Businesses Hosted events and seminars, including events for seniors (through a partnership with AT&T), cybersecurity events, and an opiates in the workplace event Added AB communications to monthly invoice mailing Redesigned AB Welcome Kit Media Mentions 1,687 Twitter Impressions: 224,851 Followers: 627 Facebook Impressions: 363,555 Fans: 1,914 Users reached: 139,501
BBB at the Home Shows BBB sponsored the Buffalo and Rochester Home Shows in 2016. We got the chance to visit with our Accredited businesses and give them BBB plaques to display at their booths.
Secure Your ID Day
Year in Photos
Financial Report
Financial Report