About

BBB of Southern Arizona is celebrating over 65 years of service as a non-profit to our Southern Arizona community. We originally opened our doors on May 22, 1952 on the mezzanine floor of the old Santa Rita Hotel in downtown Tucson. By the end of that first year, membership in the BBB had grown from the original 39 charter members to 276 businesses. It was clear that there was a need for an organization dedicated to building a marketplace of trust.

Early in its history, the BBB focused its attention on the ''sharpsters'' preying on young families started by G.I.s who were, at that time, only seven years out of World War II. In 1953, one of the monthly BBB newsletter articles began: ''Well, it looks as though television will finally come to Tucson….'' Young families went into debt to acquire this new marvel and television receivers were sold under all kinds of misleading and unscrupulous payment plans.

Late in 1953, business at BBB grew to the point where the board of directors spent a whole afternoon discussing whether to add a second telephone line to handle the load. It looked as though the workload might reach 2,000 calls over the course of the year!

Today, employees at BBB of Southern Arizona handle more than just phone calls which range about 2000 a week. We are relevant and accessible through our website, social media platforms, email and frequently on the airwaves of television and radio.

Today, more than 3,200 Southern Arizona businesses have achieved the coveted status of Accredited Business. We serve consumers and businesses in the Arizona counties of Pima, Coch