Applications Open for 2022 BBB Spark Awards for Entrepreneurship

The Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming is now accepting applications for the 2022 BBB Spark Awards for Entrepreneurship. The Spark Awards honor businesses that start their journey on a solid foundation of trust and ethics.

To be eligible for the BBB Spark Awards, a business must be:

• Headquartered in BBB’s Northern Colorado and Wyoming service territory.
• Be in operation at least 6 months but not longer than 4 years as of January 2022; and
• Be in good standing with BBB.

Eligibility has been extended to include businesses in operation up to 4 years for the 2022 BBB Spark Awards due to the awards not being presented in 2021. In 2023, eligibility will revert to businesses in operation between 6 months and 3 years as in past Spark Awards. Businesses do not need to be BBB Accredited, but must be in good standing with BBB (good standing includes a minimum B rating, no unanswered or unresolved complaints, and a business is free of government actions, advertising issues, and other BBB investigations).

Eligible businesses can apply by submitting short, written answers to nine questions and uploading a short video testimonial about why the business embodies the Spark Award criteria. Those criteria are:

• Character – Leaders must be teachable and open to growing with ideas. Leaders habitually seek the truth, are open to criticism, and know that their own personal development is never complete.
• Culture – Purposeful entrepreneurs start businesses for more than just the opportunity to be their own boss or fill a gap in the market. Instead, they create organizations committed to serving the needs of all their stakeholders and make intentional decisions about who they align with to bring their mission to fruition.
• Community – The most successful entrepreneurs understand they are part of a community and commit to supporting those that supported them. They give back to worthy causes and treat other entrepreneurs and competitors as peers rather than opponents.

Applications for the 2022 BBB Spark Awards are due January 31, 2022. All completed applications will be reviewed by an independent judging panel of local business leaders who will select the Spark Award winners. The Spark Awards will be awarded at the 2022 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at the Embassy Hotel and Suites in Loveland, CO.

To apply for the 2022 Spark Awards or to learn more about the program, visit the Spark Awards website at bbb.org. For additional questions, contact Jennifer Hahnke at [email protected] or (970) 488-2033.