Raila & Associates Wins BBB 2013 Torch Award For Marketplace Ethics

Dec. 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Contact: Kitty Kurth Phone: 312-617-7288

Andrea A. Raila and Associates, Inc. property tax consultants is one of only eight Chicago-area businesses to be honored™ with the 2013 Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics by the Better Business Bureau. The Torch Award spotlights companies that exemplify ethical business practices.

According to Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. “Companies receiving the Torch Award do business the right way. They know the importance of their customers, employees and other stakeholders to business success. And when this type of business succeeds, the communities it operates in succeed. This is a the heart of why the BBB conducts the Torch Award program. We want to encourage businesses to do their best because it benefits everyone involved.”

Companies are judged on ethical performance in seven general categories, and compared against similarly sized businesses based on number of employees. Raila & Associates was a winner in Category IV for small businesses with 10-99 employees.

Andrea Raila said, “I am proud for our company to receive this award. The ethical guidelines used for the 2013Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics reflect the principles that I have used to run my business. These rigorous ethical principles and best business practices have been engrained in me as an economics graduate from Mundelein College at Loyola University. We are thankful for the wide range of support we received for this award from industry professionals, chambers, ownership groups and organizations of all kinds.”

For 23 years, Andrea A. Raila & Associates has assisted residential and commercial property owners to successfully appeal their property taxes, obtaining actual cash refunds, reductions in assessed values or savings on current and future tax bills.

The firm has an experienced staff to assist owners, managers and tenants in achieving tax relief. Raila’s tax firm provides support services and is an expert resource for legal counsel, appraisers and other professionals in the appeal process.

In addition to helping clients with their property taxes, the company has also trained thousands to appeal on their own. Raila & Associates have successfully advocated for property tax policies, reforms and legislation to make the assessment and appeals system in Illinois more fair, accurate and understandable. Most recently, Raila & Associates initiated new special service area (SSA) reforms that help businesses understand the SSA notification process.

Raila & Associates’ have called on legislators and the governor to institute regulation of the burgeoning tax appeal industry. This could provide guidance to tax service providers, while preserving and enhancing choice and protections for consumers.