CHICAGO, IL- January 29, 2013 – Steve J.
Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and
Northern Illinois (BBB) will be awarded the FBI’s Director’s Community
Leadership Award for 2012.
Mr. Bernas will receive the award at a luncheon honoring him on Wednesday,
January 30 at Harry Caray’s Restaurant in Chicago.
The award given annually recognizes individuals who have shown willingness to
lead and a commitment to improve the lives of others in their community. Cory
B. Nelson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago
office of the FBI says, “Mr. Bernas was selected for his enduring dedication to
combating consumer fraud. He has spent
his entire professional career with the Better Business Bureau, the
100-year-old consumer protection agency whose mission is advancing consumer
trust.”
As the
president & CEO of the Chicago BBB, Mr. Bernas oversees the operations of
one of the largest BBB offices in the country which reported in 2011 a record
breaking 20 million instances of service. In addition to providing thousands of
business reviews on companies throughout northern Illinois, the office serves consumers and
businesses through its dispute resolution services, Charitable Solicitation
Evaluation, and Advertising Review programs.
Along
with his work with the Better Business Bureau, Mr. Bernas continues to be
actively involved with a multitude of trade associations in developing and
executing programs that encourages and enables best practices in the
marketplace. And to further the Bureau’s work he has also aligned the BBB with
the FBI, the Illinois Attorney General’s office, the Federal Trade Commission,
the City of Chicago,
and the Chicago Police Department to combat consumer fraud.
Other
distinguished individuals who have been recipients of the FBI Director’s
Community Leadership Award include veteran newsman Bill Kurtis, Chicago talk show host
Roe Conn, and Larry Wert, President and General Manager NBC5 Chicago.
In April,
Mr. Bernas will travel to Washington
D.C. where he, along with other
2012 award recipients from across the country, will be honored by FBI Director
Robert S. Mueller, III, at FBI Headquarters.
Mr.
Bernas lives in Naperville,
IL with his wife and two
children.
Editors Note: a photograph of Mr. Bernas is available at www.chicago.bbb.org/bernas
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As a private, non-profit organization, the purpose
of the Better Business Bureau is to promote an ethical marketplace. BBBs help
resolve buyer/seller complaints by means of conciliation, mediation and
arbitration. BBBs also review advertising claims, online business practices and
charitable organizations. BBBs develop and issue reviews on businesses and
nonprofit organizations and encourage people to check out a company or charity
before making a purchase or donation.
