Better Business Bureau forms partnership with Fresno State

Fresno State’s partnership with Better Business Bureau focuses on ethical leadership and integrity in the community. (Daniel Leon/Clovis Roundup)

Better Business Bureau announced a new ethical partnership today with Fresno State’s Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and The Ethics Center, which will celebrate ethical leadership and highlight the good work done in the community.

The “Celebration of Ethical Leadership” event is a combined effort that stems from BBB’s annual “Excellence in Ethics” and Fresno State’s “Ethical Leadership.”

BBB believes in its vision and mission of creating an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other, and for years has been promoting ethics in the marketplace by awarding businesses that demonstrate an outstanding level of ethics and integrity with the “Excellence in Ethics” award.

“Better Business Bureau is proud to join forces with an organization that shares the same vision,” the organization announced in a news release.

For the past two years, the Ethics Center and the Lyles Center have been working together to support reflection on ethics, and to encourage ethical behavior in their students while hoping to have a positive impact on the larger community.

“Last year, we created the ‘Ethical Leadership’ award as part of this effort,” said Dr. Andrew Fiala, Director of The Ethics Center at Fresno State. “This year, we are connecting the Ethical Leadership award with the BBB business ethics awards as part of our effort to inspire students and the community about the importance of ethical leadership and ethical business practices.

The alliance between the Ethics Center, the Lyles Center, and the BBB is an opportunity to get the word out that there are good people and businesses doing good work in our community.”

BBB president and CEO Blair Looney also expressed the importance of the partnership.

“This partnership is a great opportunity to highlight those who are ethical and do the right thing, but it’s also a way to remind the students at Fresno State and in the community that ethics matter and we all succeed when we are committed to doing the right thing.”

The goal of the alliance is to continue to inspire students and the community, and to bring public attention to the importance of ethics, according to BBB.

“The event is a catalyst for further conversations and an occasion to reflect on the importance of ethics for good business, for a thriving community, and for a good life,” added Fiala. “We are calling a ‘Celebration of Ethics’ as a way of reminding people that it is good to be good.”

The “Celebration of Ethical Leadership” event on May 9 at Fresno State will feature keynote speaker Michael Clayton, along with host Jenny Toste.