ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 1 The Council of Better Business Bureaus today announced the winners of the 2001 Better Business Bureaus' National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The five honorees are: United Supermarkets, headquartered in Lubbock, TX; Cook's Pest Control, Decatur, AL; Walker Information, Inc., Indianapolis, IN; Packer Thomas, Youngstown, OH; and, International Minute Press, Boise, ID. In addition, three companies -- Callaway Golf Company, Carlsbad, CA; DeSantis Landscapes, Inc., Salem, OR; and Viplex Industries, Inc., Bend, OR -- were recognized with Honorable Mention distinction. "The Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics honors businesses - no matter how big or small -- that make a demonstrable effort to promote ethical business practices,'' said Ken Hunter, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), the umbrella organization for the nation's 129 Better Business Bureaus (BBBs). "This year's national winners have reaped many rewards as a result of their commitment to high ethical standards, including greater employee commitment, stronger customer loyalty, enhanced reputation and sustained long-term performance.'' According to the independent panel of judges, the 2001 competition was noteworthy for three reasons. It is the largest competition in the six years of the national award program, with entries from 72 local Torch Award competitions conducted by Better Business Bureaus across the country. Second, the competition now spans North America, with entries from businesses based in Mexico and Canada, as well as the United States. Third, the judges are awarding five Torch Awards this year, as opposed to the four awards given in prior years, to recognize a tie in one of the categories. The special awards ceremony was held in Nashville in conjunction with the International Assembly of Better Business Bureaus. Accepting the BBB National Torch Award on behalf of the winning companies were: Gantt Bumstead, president, United Supermarket, Inc.; John Cook, chairman, Cook's Pest Control, Inc.; Steven F. Walker, president, Walker Information; Phillip B. Dennison, president, Packer Thomas; and Alan Sturtevant, president, International Minute Press. Category IV, 1 - 10 employees: International Minute Press, Boise, ID. This small printing service considers strong employee, customer and vendor relationships as critical components to the success of its company. Established almost a decade ago, its focus is two-fold: "to strive to operate at the highest ethical level offering a superior product and unsurpassed service at a fair price'' and "to treat all employees, clients and vendors as we would like to be treated.'' Its policy of offering a quality product at a fair price not only endears existing clients, it also helps to attract new ones that have discovered the downside of always hiring the cheapest printer. Employee turnover is virtually non-existent. When employees are sick or experiencing family problems, the company doesn't abandon its philosophy of offering a comfortable workplace with job security. Staff actively team with a number of non-profit groups, printing at a reduced rate or gratis on most projects, and accommodating the organization's budget and time constraints. International Minute Press was awarded the Integrity Counts Award by the BBB of Southwest Idaho in 2000.