ORANGE COUNTY — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is looking to bolster its OC operations, following the merger of two large regional chapters covering major parts of California and Arizona.
The BBB for Central California & Inland Empire Counties and the BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest, which includes Orange County, said last month they have joined forces.
The local OC outpost is at 120 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach, with two employees now.
“We are currently in the market for a larger space,” regional chief Matthew Fehling told the Business Journal on July 16. “Our plan for 2024 had been to purchase space in Orange County. That’s still the plan right now, though it’s slower going than we’d like.”
Fehling has been the president and CEO of BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest. He is serving in the same roles with the same titles in the newly merged entity, which is named BBB Pacific Southwest, Central & Inland California.
The Better Business Bureau’s mission is to “be the leader in advancing marketplace trust.”
That includes engaging with and educating consumers and businesses as well as calling out and addressing substandard marketplace behavior.
Possible Venues
Fehling said the cities under consideration for a new OC site include Irvine, Santa Ana, Tustin and Costa Mesa, as well as Newport Beach.
“We don’t want to be on the edge of Orange County. We want to try to be as central as one can be given our demographics and where our businesses reside.”
He said Newport Beach now is “somewhat of a co-working space” and that the organization is looking for office space “anywhere from 3,500 to 7,000 square feet.”
The two full-time employees in Newport Beach are Rhonda Miller, director of business engagement and Lindsay Nagel, director of business enhancement. The office is putting extra emphasis on community engagement.
“We want to get more boots on the ground,” he says.
The plan is to build up to five people immediately and to expand from there, according to Fehling.
2,700 in OC
The Better Business Bureau says it has about 2,700 members in OC.
“After the merger, we’ll have around 200 employees,” Fehling said of the total in the various locations.
The newly formed entity says it operates on a campus model and has no designated headquarters.
The California campuses at present are in Bakersfield, Fresno and San Diego in addition to Newport Beach. The Arizona campuses are Lake Havasu, Phoenix, Prescott and Yuma, covering the majority of the state.
“With the merger, we’re going to have expanded resources and be able to capitalize on some shared programming for businesses,” according to the CEO, whose home is in Phoenix.
The newly merged entity will serve nearly 20 million residents and be supported by more than 23,700 BBB-accredited businesses committed to operating with integrity.
“It brings in neighboring counties, like Riverside,” Fehling added.
Critical Tools
“BBB Pacific Southwest, Central & Inland California serves Greater Arizona and Central and Southern California, providing critical tools to ignite success including mentorship, online products, coworking and access to capital,” the merged organization said in a news release on July 11.
It added: “Our objective expertise educates the community on ethical behavior in the marketplace and how businesses can build trust.”
CEO Fehling said the BBB stands “between businesses and over-regulation. We believe businesses, given the forum to self-regulate can and do so successfully.”
The vast majority of Better Business Bureau funds come from its members.
