BBB, University of St. Thomas to Convene Business Ethics Summit

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota will host the first-ever Business Ethics Summit, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business, where business leaders, ethics officers, academics and members of the future workforce will take part in a day-long summit about business ethics.

Participants will experience an ethics panel discussion, moderated by KSTP’s Tom Hauser, featuring business leaders from various industries and business size. After lunch, which offers an opportunity to meet face-to-face with area ethics leaders, two mini-seminars – Building a Culture of Ethics in Business and Ethics of Social Media – will be held, covering just two of the many hot topics in business ethics today.

Advocating ethical business practices is the backbone of the Better Business Bureau’s mission. “Here in our Centennial year, we are very excited to start this dialogue along with our partner, the University of St. Thomas, and the distinguished panel of professionals we’ve assembled,” said Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the BBB. “By fostering this discussion, we hope to return the focus to the very roots of our organization, which was founded in Minneapolis 100 years ago, and underscore once again the importance of a marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other.”

Panelists and presenters include: Paul Blom, Right At Home; Tim Brunelle, Hello Viking; Chris Collin, General Mills; Gina Debogovich, Best Buy; Bryan Del Monte, Del Monte Agency; Kathleen Edmond, Best Buy; Dr. Ron James, Center for Ethical Business Cultures; Amy Lilly, CenterPoint Energy; Dr. Christopher Michaelson, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business; Dr. Michael Porter, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business; Jeff Taxdahl, ThreadLogic; and Kathy Tunheim, Tunheim.

To start the conversation about ethics today and encourage participation during the event, the BBB has launched a Twitter hashtag, #BBBSummit. The Business Ethics Summit will also host a “Tweet Wall” during the event, providing updates on the event and subsequent discussions.

“It is an honor and a great opportunity to collaborate with the BBB on this event," said Dean Maines, president of the Veritas Institute, an Opus College of Business center that promotes the integration of ethical values within organization's operating policies and processes. "Through the years, the BBB and the college have both promoted ethical business conduct. The Summit allows us to join together on this shared concern, offering leaders insights from both business practice and leading-edge management scholarship."       

Registration is required and open to the public. Register online at BBBSummit.org.

Location:

Schulze Hall, Opus College of Business

University of St. Thomas

1000 LaSalle Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55403

Date and Time:

April 17, 2012

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost:

$29 / Person

$25 / BBB Accredited Businesses

Free / College Students

About the Better Business Bureau

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222. Visit the BBB’s Centennial website at bbbis100.org.

About the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business

With a vision to educate highly principled global business leaders, the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business is the only private university in Minnesota accredited by the AACSB. It offers undergraduate concentrations in 13 fields and master’s degrees in seven programs, including day and evening MBA programs. The school enrolls another 4,300 participants annually in executive-education classes.

Special thanks to BBB Centennial “Lighting the Way” sponsors: Best Buy, CenterPoint Energy, Think Mutual Bank, Del Monte Agency, K102, KOOL 108, KFAN, NewsTalk Radio, Business Journal, Pioneer Press, and Prairie Business