BBB Southeast Texas Spark Award Eligibility & Criteria

Judges review applications covering three key trust indicators:

Character - demonstrated ethical decision-maker

Culture - team active participants in the mission

Community - giving back 

A company is not eligible if any of the following conditions apply:

• They have earned less than a “B” rating from BBB
• There are indications they have not met their financial obligations
• They are a government agency- Government contractors can confirm their eligibility by contacting their local BBB

Entries are evaluated by an independent, voluntary panel of judges comprised of business and community leaders. Remember, since the judges do not know your organization, your videos and/or written submission (including examples, stories and documents) should provide a robust and accurate description of the organization’s culture.

Entry Submission

Bring your entrepreneurial organization to life and tell the story of how your business lives out character, culture and community through online written entries.  There is also a required video testimonial component, 3-minute (max.) This video should come from your team - rally them to take up the cause of how their organization's leader embodies Character, Culture and Community.  Video submission can be completed via DropBox | YouTube | Vimeo. 

Deadline for 2024 Consideration: April 1, 2024

Winner  will be announced at the annual Torch Awards celebration where the top finalists are recognized.  

If selected as a Spark Award recipient, we will need full-access and rights to your video- to be used at any Spark Awards event as well as future BBB events; etc. By submitting this entry, you agree to these terms.

We fully understand that no leader, nor their company is perfect; each company is unique and has different experiences and policies. We encourage you to be creative and find examples of your leaders’/organization’s practices that best exemplify how character, community and/or culture is a part of the DNA of your organization.

The following procedures are compatible to an online submission process.

• Upload any supporting documents (description of practices, example stories of practices, policies, leader communications, employee testimonials, etc.) in the “supporting" document sections
• Include evidence of financial integrity such as a current credit report, bank reference, vendor reference, or a Dunn & Bradstreet report

Character

A leader of exemplary character stands strong when tempted to make decisions that are unethical and opts for the honorable choice, and is a role model.

Character traits include integrity, fairness, transparency, honesty, self-sacrifice, self-control, servant leaders, are teachable and have maturity.

Culture

A business or social enterprise with a positive culture celebrates each member of its team as being an important contributor to the mission. Both the leader and the team co-create the culture.

Culture should demonstrate collaboration with team, a reflection of character, compassion, transparency, respect, values, passion and celebrate each other.

Community

For businesses, balancing the profit goals of the business with the needs of the community give back more than they take. While social impact is the hallmark of most non-profit organizations, there may be other ways to be community-minded. Both offer treasure, time and/or talent to helping their community get ahead.

Community-minded traits include social impact, collaborative, inclusive, invested and giving back