1965 – BBB office opened Dec. 16 at 1609 Delaware Ave., Wilmington.
1965 – Number of inquiries in first two months of operating was 1,711.
1967 – BBB goes statewide with new “800” phone number.
1968 – John Babiarz becomes BBB Delaware president.
1971 – Delaware Attorney General W. Laird Stabler Jr. supports legislation proposed by BBB that would license and regulate charitable solicitations.
1973 – BBB moves to 11th Street in Wilmington and begins offering arbitration services.
1974 – BBB elects first women to Board of Directors: Eleanor Doban and Sally V. Hawkins.
1975 – BBB Delaware launches Advertising Review Council and Automotive Service Council. Also opens an office in Milford.
1976 – Jim Stalls becomes BBB Delaware president.
1978 – BBB launches DART bus advertising campaign: “Before you do something Dumb, do something Smart. Call the BBB.”
1978 – BBB establishes Auto Line program to help consumers with Lemon Law issues.
1980 – BBB Delaware reaches the 830 member mark.
1982 – Gov. Pete du Pont takes first TeleTips phone call on April 29. BBB gives tips to consumers on topics when they call in.
1983 – BBB receives proclamation declaring March 21 as Quality Week by state of Delaware.
1985 – Gov. Mike Castle recognizes BBB week (April 28) and legislature recognizes BBB for 20 years of service.
1990 – BBB celebrates 25th anniversary and Gov. Castle and Lt. Gov. Wolf recognize April 30 as BBB Week.
1990 – BBB partners with McGruff the Crime Dog to “Take a Bite out of Crime.”
1993 – Edward M. Rush Memorial Award Established. First winner: Miller’s Furniture & Carpet One (Andy Miller).
1994 – Frances M. West becomes first female president of BBB Delaware.
1994 – BBB launches a website: www.bbb.org.
1995 – BBB launches first interactive voice response (IVR) system that reads BBB business reports over phone to consumers.
1995 – BBB week (April 24) recognized by Gov. Carper and Lt. Gov. Minner.
1996 – BBB publishes first annual membership directory.
1997 – BBB launches Online Program, its first Internet-based membership website.
1999 – BBB awards first Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics. Winners are InfoSystems and Fischer Automotive Repair.
1999 – BBB launches Education Foundation to educate underserved consumers, seniors, Spanish-speaking populations on scams, ID theft, etc.
2000 – BBB hosts first golf tournament.
2000 – BBB Delaware week recognized by Gov. Carper and Lt. Gov. Minner and Delaware House of Representatives.
2002 – NCC Council (Council President Chris Coons) thanks BBB via a resolution for its services to county residents.
2002 – Christine R. Sauers becomes BBB Delaware president.
2004 – Partnership with New Castle County Board of Realtors launched.
2005 – BBB celebrates 40th anniversary. County Executive Chris Coons offers keynote address.
2006 – Dick Vermeil gives Annual Dinner keynote address.
2006 – BBB launches Equotes. Consumers can get quotes and estimates from BBB Accredited Businesses from website.
2007 – BBB moves office to 60 Reads Way in New Castle (its current location).
2007 – BBB gets a national re-branding. New logo released. New tagline, Start with Trust, launched.
2008 – May 3, BBB hosts first Shred Day: National “Secure Your ID Day.” 500,000 pounds of paper shredded nationally.
2010 – BBB Education Foundation awards first Student Ethics Scholarship to Marcy McKee of Milford High School.
2011 – Phone app released for consumers to access BBB data.
2012 – National BBB organization celebrates its 100th anniversary.
2013 – BBB launches Complaint Detail. Consumers can now read the full text of a complaint and the business’s response.
2014 – Consumer Reviews are launched. Consumers can post positive, neutral and negative reviews on businesses.
2015 – BBB Delaware celebrates 50th anniversary.
