2021 BBB Torch Award Winner: New Honor, Old Values
By: Kate Huffman
The ROP Shop would like to thank the Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana for honoring us with a Torch Award for 2021. We’re humbled not only to receive this award but also to be part of this wonderful community.
As stated on the BBB’s website, “The Torch Awards is the most prestigious honor the BBB can present to a business or individual. Recipients not only believe in the high standards promoted by the BBB but live it out. The awarded company encourages and supports ethical business practices and leadership while acting on them and continuously integrating them into daily practices.”
Our goal here at The ROP (Rugged Outdoor Products) Shop has always been to create the best experience possible. Our fast shipping, excellent customer service, expansive variety of products, and affordable prices are our company cornerstones. We want to build trust with our customers.
But it isn't only about our customers. Without an incredible team, we can't provide the best service. Our associates are our company. Without them, we couldn't ship orders as accurately or as quickly. We wouldn't be able to provide such affordable prices or the best customer service in the business. And we certainly wouldn't have been nominated for such a prestigious award.
The nomination, submitted by one of our own associates, stated,
The owners of The ROP Shop) have gone to extra lengths to stand by their employees during the COVID pandemic. They modified working hours and made working from home possible. They reached out to their community and bought lunch for the entire staff every Monday for weeks, buying from local businesses to help keep others afloat.
The Better Business Bureau of Northern Indiana CEO, Marjorie Stephens, and incoming CEO, Rick Walz, presented the award in person on Wednesday, December 16th. Other members of our community are similarly being honored. The recipients for the Torch Awards for 2021 are as follows:
- Small Business of Integrity (under 50 employees): M&M Home Remodeling (Crown Point)
- Medium Business of Integrity (50-100 employees): The ROP Shop (Bluffton)
- Large Business of Integrity (101+ employees): Vera Bradley, Inc. (Roanoke)
- Charity of Integrity: Kate’s Kart (Fort Wayne)
- Pillar of Integrity: St. Joseph Funeral Home and Cemetery (South Bend)
We'd like to acknowledge our fellow businesses for their significant contributions to our community. Thank you for your commitment to ethical business practices and for creating marketplace trust. Together, we can continue to make Northern Indiana a better place.
As stated by owner Landon Gerber,
Our business and mission is keeping faith, family, and our customers the focus.
We've come a long way since selling lawn mower manuals online in 2009. And we couldn't have done it without our customers, our associates, and our community. It truly is an honor and a privilege to be on this journey. We can't wait to see where the next few years take us.
There’s no denying that the past two years have been agonizing. The COVID pandemic has adversely affected many people in many places, but it has impacted impoverished countries even harder than most. Without access to medical care or the resources to stay safe, the poverty level in these countries has risen even further, causing issues like child labor, human trafficking, and lack of access to education to skyrocket. That’s why organizations such as Forgotten Children Worldwide are working even harder than ever to meet needs in India and Malawi. See how The ROP Shop is doing its part.
If you aren’t familiar with Samaritan’s Purse, it’s an organization based on a similar principle: to provide spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. One of their most widely known ministries, Operation Christmas Child, distributes shoeboxes packed with gifts and toys to children in need across the globe. According to Samaritan Purse’s website, “Since 1993, more than 188 million children in more than 170 countries and territories have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love.”
The ROP Shop and Outdoor Concepts got together for our annual clean-up day at Gateway Woods. With the challenge of keeping things safely socially distanced due to COVID, fewer associates were able to attend. Even so, we were able to provide some fall maintenance for the main campus of Gateway Woods ...
There’s no denying that this year has been a difficult one for many, and the world desperately needs the love of Christ. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, charity organizations across the world are ramping up for what promises to be one of the most challenging Christmases ever. One such organization that The ROP Shop is seeking to help is Operation Christmas Child...