Bulletin for the Board
July 27, 2009 From: Kathleen Calligan, CEO
® BBB Middle Tennessee / Southern Kentucky
Good old summertime. While BBB Corporate Directors take a break from board meetings during the summer months, BBB staff and Advisory
Boards are busy with Member projects. Here’s what’s happening at BBB Nashville/ Middle Tennessee.
Summer Luncheons Committee: Added Value to Accredited Businesses
BBB Chairman Jim Cameron & Phil Cavender,The Cavender Financial May 8th, BBB increased its
Group, welcome guests to the Summer Luncheon held July 23 at the BBB online presence. Making it
headquarters office in Nashville. easier for consumers to find ACCREDITED
Guests included: accredited businesses on the BUSINESS
Randy Brothers, web. Not only can the BBB ®
Volunteers of America; be found at popular social
Mike Dinwittie, Mayor, networking sites, we’ve also launched a new search engine optimization
Spring Hill, TN;
(SEO) plan that makes it easier for consumers to find BBB reports, media
David Butler,
releases and rosters on the web without first going to our website. Our
VitalChek;
SEO goal is to increase our presence in the top 10 listings on search
Jennifer Davie -
Asurion Insurance engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. The BBB believes that if consumers
Services, Inc.; can more easily find trustworthy businesses though our reports and
Kristi Van DeWalker rosters, the more likely they are to deal with BBB accredited businesses
– Bailey’s; and become repeat customers.
Sandy Boonstra – News Channel 5; It is working! In 2008 BBB service requests topped 4.2 million. The first 6
Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III – months of 2009 BBB has handled over 2.2 million service requests. With
Mt. Zion Church. consumer confidence and discretionary spending at its lowest levels in
There is still time for 20 years, BBB’s focus is to increase the number of BBB pages indexed by
your guest to be invited search engines followed by increasing the number of reports and rosters
to the August 13 that show up in the top 10 listings for all types of business categories.
luncheon.
Google Analytice Dashboard graphic below illustraits average
Contact Kim Rinehart @ visits per week to www.goBBB.org From January 1st through
615-250.4230 krinehart@gobbb.org with July 18th, 2009.
your guest contact information. Invitations will go out July 31.
Jul 18th, 15,090 Average Visits/wk
an INCREASE of 344.6%
May 8th, Launched SEO
Jan 1st, 3,394 Average Visits/wk
Page Two
BBB Growth Explodes THE YEAR OF JERRY
Congratulations to Jim Furbush and his team for unprecedented sales Jerry Hodges, Sliding Rock
that has added 800 new Accredited Businesses to our Member roster Management, is having a spectacular
during the first six months of 2009. BBB Nashville/ Middle Tennessee year of service. Jerry is serving his
leads the BBB system in new growth for BBBs in Mid-Size Markets. BBBs second year as Chair of the Board, BBB
included in the Mid Size Market category are San Diego, Indianapolis, Tennessee Valley/Columbia, received
Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, San Jose and Charlotte to name a few. the honor of Rotarian of the Year from
the Columbia Breakfast Rotary Club
and just announced his candidacy for
Growth Returns To BBB Branch Offices In 2009 Mayor of Columbia. Congratulations
and our best to Jerry and his wife C.J.
BBB’s Accredited Business growth has been significant throughout all
5 branch locations. YTD 06/30/09 457 new Accredited Businesses have
been added to the rosters of our Branch Offices.
BBB Events & Calendar:
Total Accredited Businesses Total Dues % Retention
BBB Tenn-Tucky/Clarksville 447 $149,786 91.3% SUMMER LUNCHEONS 2009 August 13, 2009
BBB Tennessee Valley/Columbia 302 $107,449 94.3% BBB Executive Committee Meeting August 26, 2009,
BBB Central Tennessee/Murfreesboro 687 $238,879 88.9% BBB Headquarters
BBB Upper Cumberland/Cookeville 262 $104,746 89.9%
BBB Williamson County/Franklin 508 $177,547 86.7% BBB Corporate Board Meeting September 23, 2009,
Sommet Center
BBB Williamson County Mixer October 1, 2009
Boxwood Bistro, Franklin
Recognition Honoring
BBB Neighborhood Assistance Office BBB Executive Committee Meeting October 28, 2009,
BBB Headquarters
Jim & Beth Furbush are honored
for BBB’s assistance to the BBB Upper Cumberland/Cookeville Mixer October 29, 2009
residents and businesses of Holiday Inn Express
Murfreesboro after the April 10,
2009 EF-4 Category Tornado. BBB Corporate Board Meeting November 18, 2009,
Bart Walker, Owner/GM, WGNS Sommet Center
Radio & the Noon Exchange Club
BBB Executive Committee Meeting December 16, 2009,
presents the flag dedicated to
BBB Headquarters
their service and flew in the “Flags of Remembrance Healing Field.”