Every year the Better Business Bureau's Business of the Year Torch Awards are presented to companies that honor ethical business practices and demonstrate excellence in our local marketplace. Awards are presented in the following categories: Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Community Involvement, Customer Service, and Innovative Business Practices.

Your Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington announces its 2008-2009 Business of the Year Torch Award winners for Western Washington:

• Large Business of the Year: Gene Juarez (Headquarters: Bellevue)
  
  
• Small Business of the Year: The Howard Group (Lynnwood)
  
  
• Community Involvement Award: Black Diamond Bike and Backcountry (Black Diamond)
  
  
• Customer Service Award: Helping Hands Veterinary Clinic (Lynnwood)
  
  
• Innovative Business Practices Award: Sound Family Medicine (Puyallup)

Sound Family Medicine was recognized with the Innovative Business Practice Torch Award for 2008-2009. Sound Family Medicine has made it their goal to constantly strive to improve services and care provided to their patients through staff training, continued education, and innovative technological tools and equipment. SFM utilizes technology in such a way that makes the medical experience more personal and accessible.

One of the ways SFM does this is by offering patient comment e-mail, which gives patients another method of providing feedback. This allows patients to communicate their opinions and concerns so that SFM can make necessary adjustments; it is also a tool for providing positive feedback for a job well done. There is also a secure link for patients known as "mySFM”, where patients create their own login and are able to access personal medical and financial account information. Through this link they can make or change appointments, receive test results, view their bills and/ or make payments, send and receive secure messages to/from their SFM clinical staff.

Another innovative technology that SFM has been using since 1997 is their electronic health record system. This innovative technology has been a valuable resource which allows their clinic to expand from one location with eight providers to four locations with 27 providers. The electronic health record makes it possible for SFM providers to have access to patient charts/data from a range of places, such as home or the hospital, outside normal business hours. By using the electronic health records, physicians are more easily able to search the database for patients who will benefit from additional or follow-up care. These are just some of the innovative ways SFM is continually trying to improve their patients' experiences and provide quality care.

Awards for Business of the Year go to businesses with the highest total score; winners are also awarded for highest score by category. These businesses were nominated by the public and were evaluated by non-biased, third-party judges from various organizations.

"Your Better Business Bureau proudly recognizes the winners of the Business of the Year Torch Awards as companies of high integrity,” said Robert Andrew, President and CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. "We are grateful for their positive contribution to the local business community."