Inside Tucson Business: 5 firms win Business Ethics Awards

5 firms win Business Ethics Awards

Published on Sunday, April 24, 2005

Five Southern Arizona businesses were honored at ceremonies April 19 at the Westward Look with this year's Business Ethics Awards from the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona.

KB Home was singled out for the President's Award, which BBB President Tom Collier said he gave using "no criteria other than they did something amazing to impress me."

Two years ago, the Hilton El Conquistador won the Presidents' Award for opening its doors to evacuaees from the Mount Lemmon wildfire. This year, Collier was impressed by KB Home's decision refusing to sell homes to out-of-state investors and speculators.

John Bremond, KB Home's Tucson division president, accepted the award saying he believed in the company's decision because "It's the right thing for the community, it's the right thing for our customers and ultimately, it's the right thing for our business."

The five Business Ethics award winners this year were two construction companies, Chestnut Construction and McCaleb Construction Inc., Perry Heating and Cooling, and Stanley Steemer in Tucson and Sierra Toyota in Sierra Vista.

To win the award, Collier said the companies undergo a rigorous review requiring them to thoroughly examine the commitment to ethics and ethical business practices in all areas of operation both internal and external.