Better Business Bureau Midwest Plains (bbb.org) will host its 2026 Torch Awards for Ethics Luncheon on Tuesday, September 22, at A View West Shores, bringing together honorees, community leaders and scholarship recipients from across its five-state service area of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. Doors open at 10:30am and the event will be held from 11:30am to 1pm.
The Torch Awards for Ethics is BBB’s most prestigious recognition program, honoring businesses, nonprofits and leaders that have built their operations around the Four C’s: Character, Culture, Customers and Community. Recipients are selected through a competitive application and review process evaluating how ethical principles are embedded at every level of an organization.
This year’s luncheon features several notable milestones. For the first time, BBB will present a Torch Award dedicated to woman-owned businesses, recognizing the growing role of women entrepreneurs in building ethical marketplaces. Keynote speaker Maggi Thorne — eight-time American Ninja Warrior competitor, international beauty pageant winner and business owner — will address attendees.
Additionally, BBB awarded 20 scholarships to first-generation, low-income students pursuing higher education within the service area. These scholarship recipients have been invited to attend the luncheon as honored guests.
The event celebrates the businesses, organizations and individuals who demonstrate that integrity and success are not mutually exclusive — and serves as a rallying point for the region’s ethical business community.
Tickets are available at bbb.org/omahatorch.