Zara’s Collision Center was the winner in the category of 1-25 employees for the Torch Award for Business Integrity presented by the Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois. Winners of the Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics were named at a dinner May 26 at the Gateway Building in Peoria attended by 200 business leaders.
“Zara’s Collision Center competed against other like-sized businesses,” said Jessica Tharp, vice president of the Central Illinois Better Business Bureau, which serves 36 counties in central Illinois. “They were deemed to exercise integrity and consistently meet very high standards with customers, employees, vendors and the community.”
“We were nominated for the Torch Award by Bill McGee, a State Farm agent,” said Julie Zara, co-owner of Zara’s Collision Center. “We were very honored by that alone, and obviously are elated to have won.”
The BBB Torch Award for Business Integrity attracts entries from businesses of all sizes. The awards are presented to companies in recognition of outstanding commitment to high ethical standards, for promoting the importance of ethical business practices, and the willingness and efforts made by exceptional businesses to ensure that the state’s marketplace remains fair and honorable for all residents.
Each year, one winner is selected from three size categories by an independent panel of judges:
Category 1 1-25 employees
Category 2 26-150 employees
Category 3 150+employees
The award is open to Central Illinois for-profit businesses that provide goods or services to retail and wholesale markets.
Zara’s, now in its 25th year of business, says it’s recognized for the long-term service of its staff and I-CAR and ASE certified technicians. So far in 2011, Zara’s customer satisfaction rating is 99.3 percent as reported by the CSI Complete survey firm.
