Celebrating Business Integrity: San Diego’s 2025 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics Winners
From sustainable innovation to compassionate caregiving, these six San Diego companies prove that doing the right thing isn’t just ethical. It’s a business advantage.
Every year, Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest, Central & Inland California honors companies that don’t just say they stand for ethics, but show it through action. The 2025 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics recognized six San Diego County businesses whose stories embody what it means to lead with integrity.
Your 2025 Winners
Category 1: Solo Entrepreneurs – House Collective Marketing Solutions
At House Collective Marketing Solutions, founder Sarah Yasukochi has built a Carlsbad-based digital agency focused on “amplifying good.” Her team goes beyond flashy ad campaigns, often pausing client initiatives when foundational systems aren’t yet strong. That commitment to truth over transaction has earned them long-term partnerships and now, a Torch Award winner nod. “We believe in doing what’s right, even when no one’s watching,” Yasukochi says.
Category 2: 2-5 Employees – Young Black & N ‘ Business
Young Black & N’ Business, led by Roosevelt Williams III, equips young entrepreneurs with mentorship, education, and real-world exposure. When a local school lost its art funding, Williams and his team didn’t just donate supplies. They showed up in person, ran workshops, and restored a thriving arts culture. “Character, culture, and community come before everything,” he says. “We believe integrity is the highest currency.”
Category 3: 6-10 Employees – Lotus Sustainables
Over in Vista, Lotus Sustainables has diverted more than 6.5 billion plastic bags from landfills and isn’t stopping there. CEO Jesse Langley recalls a pivotal moment early on. After discovering product defects in a shipment, the company issued full refunds and redesigned everything at a loss. “That decision shaped who we are,” Langley says. “Ethics isn’t a section in the handbook. It’s our entire operating system.”
For Greenway Landscape Design & Build, ethics shows up in everyday service calls. When a client’s glass was damaged, likely by another contractor, owner Scott Lawn paid for the repairs anyway. No finger-pointing. No excuses. “Doing the right thing is our north star,” he says. “We tell our team if it feels right, you don’t need permission. Just do it.”
Category 5: 51-100 Employees – At Your Home Familycare
At Your Home Familycare, founded by Laurie Edwards-Tate, has served seniors and vulnerable populations in San Diego for over 40 years. When offered a state contract during the COVID-19 crisis, Tate turned it down to protect her clients and staff. “It could’ve kept us afloat financially,” she recalls. “But if it risked even one life, it wasn’t worth it.” Her choice preserved lives and her business.
Category 6: 100+ Employees – Bill Howe Family of Companies
Rounding out this year’s honorees is the Bill Howe Family of Companies, a beloved name in local plumbing, heating, air, and flood services. Hiring practices are rooted in shared values, and ethics are built into daily operations. “If we mess up, we make it right. Every time,” says Jessica Groat. “That’s not just good service. It’s who we are.”
These companies prove that integrity isn’t just a feel-good buzzword. It’s a blueprint for success, sustainability, and community trust. As BBB Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Michael Sedio, shared during the awards ceremony, “Each of you gives real meaning to the word ethics by making it central to your business and your daily work. This day is a celebration of the incredible impact you have on our community. Your dedication to excellence and integrity inspires us all.”
For more information on the BBB Torch Awards and how to nominate a future honoree, visit torchawards.bbbcommunity.org.
Most homeowners want two things before they commit to a remodel: a realistic sense of cost and a clear picture of what the finished space will look like. Milan Design + Build helps deliver both through its online remodeling estimator and personalized design consultations, supported by a showroom experience and 3D renderings.
“The online estimate gives homeowners a starting number in about a minute, and the showroom and 3D renderings let them see materials and layouts before anything is built,” says David Noriani, CEO of Milan Design + Build. “Keeping design, permits, and construction with one team helps us manage expectations and keep everyone working toward the same vision.”
Courtesy of Milan Design
Modern design is a particular focus for Milan, with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, functional layouts, and carefully selected materials. The team adapts each design to the homeowner’s lifestyle and the character of the property. Milan Design + Build combines thoughtful design with construction expertise, creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.
The online estimator covers kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, full-home remodels, and ADU construction. At Milan’s showroom on Carroll Road, visitors can review real materials, finishes, and design options, meet the design-build team, and discuss project scope, budget, and timing. Consultations can also be held virtually for homeowners who prefer to start remotely.
At Milan Design + Build, one integrated team works on the entire project. Design and construction aren’t divided between separate firms. The process begins with a consultation and feasibility review, followed by design, space planning, and 3D renderings developed from detailed measurements and digital scans. The team also coordinates architectural plans, structural engineering, city approvals, and material selection, with construction overseen by a dedicated project manager.
Homeowners can explore their remodeling options, get an initial estimate, or request a design consultation at MilanBuild.com.
At any given time, there are roughly 200 research investigations and clinical trials being conducted at Scripps Health in as many as 25 medical specialties. Research and patient care go hand-in-hand at Scripps. Those studies can be categorized as clinical trials of a medication or device that are conducted by Scripps physicians and studies designed by Scripps’ physicians and clinicians. Click here to learn about three exciting studies underway at Scripps and the benefits to patients.
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Scripps has recently unveiled new features in the MyScripps patient portal and mobile app to help patients connect with their primary care team and simplify the payment process. Among the recent updates is the addition of primary care E-visits for minor conditions. Patients who have an established primary care physician can schedule an E-visit, complete an online questionnaire and, if needed, send a photo. Their doctor can then advise and prescribe medication, when appropriate. Autopay is also now available through MyScripps. Patients can enable or disable autopay, allowing them to more easily manage payments. Learn more about MyScripps and how it helps patients stay connected here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Farrah Adams had a persistent dull ache in her lower back that her massage therapist suggested might be caused by the way she sat or drove. That explanation seemed reasonable, but when coupled with heavy, painful periods led the then 46-year-old to seek answers. When she looks back on it now, she’s beyond grateful she trusted her gut. She made an appointment with a Scripps OB-GYN, who determined she had Stage 3 cervical cancer that had spread to several lymph nodes. Farrah was overwhelmed, but immediately found a “champion” in Scripps Clinic gynecologic oncologist Jo Marie Tran Janco, MD. After undergoing successful treatment at Scripps Cancer Center, Farrah is now using her story to inspire other women to make time for care. Read more of her story here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
In the last several years, there’s been a surge in FDA approvals for what’s known as oral oncolytics. Oral oncolytics are targeted cancer therapies that come in tablet, capsule or liquid form that patients can take at home, rather than in an infusion clinic. Scripps physicians have seen exponential growth using this approach, with patients citing convenience as a major quality-of-life enhancement in their cancer treatment. This approach also allows treatments to be customized based on specific genetic mutations and a patient’s unique disease biology. Find out more about oral oncolytics here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Meet San Diego’s leading healthcare professionals, delivering exceptional medical and dental care through innovation, expertise, and dedication to patients.
Unio Specialty Care is a multi-specialty practice specializing in urology, gastroenterology, and radiation oncology.
Unio’s Radiation Oncology team—Dr. Donald B. Fuller, Dr. Tahir Ijaz, Dr. Reza Shirazi, and Dr. Siavosh Vakilian—combines extensive clinical experience with a commitment to personalized cancer care. The RO team treats cancerous and non-cancerous conditions using precision therapies including SBRT, IGRT, and the CyberKnife® S7 System, the only system of its kind in Southern California. Their expertise spans prostate, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and central nervous system cancers, as well as low-dose radiotherapy for osteoarthritis.
In 2026, Dr. Shirazi and Dr. Vakilian were recognized as San Diego Top Doctors, joining Dr. Fuller and Dr. Ijaz, who have previously received this distinction.
