Chicago, IL March 9, 2009 – The Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois (BBB) will hold its 82nd Annual Dinner Meeting on Thursday, March 12 at the Hilton Chicago Hotel. Headlining the program this year will be Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as featured speaker for the evening.
Lisa Madigan will speak on the BBB’s vision to enhance and support an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other. In addition, she will discuss the BBB mission and the fact that ethical business is good business and its importance in the current economic climate. Under Madigan's stewardship, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's office has aggressively safeguarded consumers from fraud and unsafe products.
“It’s really an honor for the BBB to have Attorney General Lisa Madigan as the featured speaker to discuss ethics in today’s society at the Annual Dinner Meeting,” said Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. “Madigan has made a priority of protecting consumers, especially seniors, from scams and deceptive practices. Her efforts to look after consumers include filing lawsuits to stop fraud and recover losses on behalf of harmed consumers, mediating consumer complaints, and creating a statewide Identity Theft Hotline to help victims repair their credit and protect themselves.”
The 82nd Annual Meeting will be emceed by Allison Rosati, NBC 5 Chicago News Anchor & Reporter with the dinner followed by the awarding of the coveted Torchbearer of the Year Award to A.F. (Duffy) Gaynor, vice-president-IBM Global Services & Senior Location Executive. He is also a valued member of the BBB Board of Directors and will accept this award which is presented annually by the BBB to recognize the efforts of an individual business leader in our community.
“The BBB Torchbearer Award honors an individual that makes a demonstrable effort to promote ethical business practices while assisting the BBB in its self-regulating work.” commented Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the BBB.
Several other award presentations will be made on March 12th, including the Diogenes Award for Excellence in Media to Darlene Hill to honor her exceptional work on Fox News Chicago which helps to educate consumers in our community.
“We have worked together for several years on many consumer issues and I have found Darlene Hill to be especially effective in educating the public on current issues and scams,” commented Bernas.
Also recognized at the meeting will be Jeff Whitehead as Arbitrator of the Year for the BBB. Whitehead’s efforts are being recognized for his volunteering to do over 90 arbitrations and his ability to author thoughtful decisions in very difficult cases.
The American School will be recognized for 75 years of supporting the BBB’s efforts in helping to maintain ethical business practices in the marketplace.
The 82nd annual BBB Dinner Meeting is made possible through the generous support of presenting sponsor Charter One Bank.