The nation's oldest Better Business Bureau is celebrating its centennial year and new offices in Burnsville this month.
BBB of Minnesota moves to Burnsville
The Minnesota's chapter, touted as the world's first, outgrew its offices in St. Paul and bought a much larger building near I-35W.
By JIM ADAMS, Star Tribune
May 13, 2012 at 2:59AM
The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, which moved from St. Paul in March, will hold an open house May 22 at its remodeled building at 220 S. River Ridge Circle. The chapter, with 6,400 business members, started a century ago to fight false advertising, said Lisa Hiebert, the chapter's director of strategic marketing.
"We are proud to be known as the first BBB in the world," Hiebert said. She said the agency started in Minneapolis in 1912 as a "Vigilance Committee" of the Minneapolis Advertising Federation. The federation responded to a call by Printer's Ink magazine for an advertising "police force."
"For a century we have been championing an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other," she said. "As a nonprofit, the support of civic-minded businesses has allowed us to provide dozens of free programs and resources for both businesses and consumers to make wise purchasing decisions."
She said the Minnesota Legislature was the first to adopt the Printer's Ink model false advertising statute in 1913. But word has it that Gov. Adolph Eberhart's signature was delayed because he was out of town. During his absence, Ohio edged out Minnesota as the first state to enact the law.
Hiebert said the bureau had outgrown its home of 65 years on W. 7th Street in St. Paul and needed more space for its seminars, training and other events. Many of its members are in the southwest metro area and the agency liked the handy freeway access to its new building, near Hwy. 13 and Interstate 35W.
The bureau bought a vacant, 19,850-square-foot building in Burnsville for $1.17 million from Farmers Insurance.
Burnsville has 164 BBB-accredited businesses, the bureau's third-highest city total after Minneapolis (794) and St. Paul (494), and ahead of Bloomington and Eden Prairie, tied at 137.
The organization fields and resolves consumer complaints against companies. It also monitors media for false or misleading advertising, sometimes referring cases to authorities if the business won't cooperate.
"We still read newspapers twice a week and look for misleading or confusing advertisements both in print and online. Then we contact the businesses and talk about our concerns," Hiebert said.
She said the bureau had the most ad reviews among the 116 BBBs in the US and Canada in the past two years.
The bureau has been treated well by its new city and neighbors.
The Burnsville Chamber of Commerce sent over a welcome basket of information and promotional items of local businesses. Neighbor Charthouse Learning Corp. delivered a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies, and Valley Pools and Spas gave a basket of fruit.
"They've rolled out the welcome mat for us," Hiebert said.
Jim Adams 952-746-3283
