Meet Jim Hegarty, President & CEO at Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Midwest Plains (bbbinc.org).

Tell us a little about your business. – At the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Midwest Plains, we’re proud to serve over 300 counties across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. As a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, our mission is simple: to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust between businesses and consumers. We are dedicated to celebrating marketplace role models, advancing marketplace trust, denouncing sub-standard business practices, and to creating a community of trustworthy businesses that have made a commitment to uphold BBB’s standards of trust.

With a comprehensive directory of over 5.3 million companies and 11,000 charity reviews, we offer objective advice and consumer services—all at no cost. We’re here to help the consuming public make informed decisions when selecting companies to do business with.

How did you get started in the business? – I was attracted to BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust and its dedication to supporting free enterprise.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Managing the impact that the COVID pandemic had on our employees when we had to send all of them home to work remotely. Thankfully, our leadership team was able to pivot and manage that transition without any disruption of services to our accredited businesses, as well as the consuming public.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Expanding our Bureau from a local BBB that served only the Omaha Metro into a regional BBB that now serves a five-state territory and is among the largest BBBs in North America.

Tell us a little about your family. – I am blessed beyond measure to be married to my extraordinary wife, Sam, and we are thrilled to have our three children and all of our grandchildren living in Omaha. Sam and I love animals and enjoy the company of our two dogs and four cats.

What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – From a professional perspective, being selected as BBB CEO in 2006. On a personal level, meeting and eventually marrying my wife, Sam.

What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I used to be a train conductor!

What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt” – Abraham Lincoln.

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Kind.

What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life? – Disco dancing.

What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – BBB is a founding partner of the Business Ethics Alliance and I serve on the Board of Directors. I enjoy being involved with and organization whose core values so closely align with ours.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – bbbinc.org.