Torch Technologies (Torch), a 100% employee-owned technology services and solutions company, has been awarded the coveted North Alabama Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics in the Government Contractor category for 2020.

With this year’s recognition, Torch is now the only four-time recipient of the North Alabama Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award, having also won this award in the Mid-size Company category in 2005, the Large-size Company category in 2009, and the Government Contractor category in 2015.

Presented annually, the BBB Torch Award honors businesses that demonstrate exceedingly high standards of behavior toward customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and communities; adherence to truthful and honorable advertising and sales practices; and an earned reputation for noteworthy contributions to their industries and the communities in which they do business. In lieu of the traditional annual awards luncheon, this year, due to COVID-19, winners were presented their awards at their place of business.

The Torch Award is designed to promote not only the importance of ethical business practices, but the willingness and efforts made by outstanding businesses to ensure that our country’s marketplace remains fair and honorable for all Americans. Candidates for the Torch Award were nominated and given the opportunity to submit information regarding their ethical relationships with customers, employees, and vendors. A prestigious panel comprised of representatives of the academic and business community judged the 26 entries from businesses and organizations that accepted their nomination and provided an entry for the Torch Award.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition from the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama,” said Torch President and CEO John Watson. “The BBB upholds a national standard for enterprise and ethics, and we feel that receiving the Torch Award is one of the highest compliments that could be paid to us.”

The BBB awarded the 2020 Torch Award for Ethics to: Jackson Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in the Small Business Category (1-25 employees); Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne P.C. in the Mid-Size Company Category (26-99 employees); Farmers Telecommunication Cooperative in the Large Business Category (100+ employees), Torch Technologies in the Government Contractor Category; and Ethic Tech in the Veteran-Owned Category.

Torch Technologies (Torch) planned to host its 10^th annual golf tournament in Huntsville this year, but in consideration of the current COVID-19 pandemic and safety concerns, instead hosted a virtual fundraiser for Village of Promise. Torch and previous golf tournament sponsors are collectively making a big difference, helping ease the funding shortfall at Village of Promise due to COVID-19. Through the combined generosity of previous golf tournament sponsors (listed below), Torch’s employee-owners, retirees, and Board of Directors, as well as employee-owners of our sister and parent companies Freedom Real Estate & Capital and Starfish Holdings, Torch was able to raise $100,000 for Village of Promise.

“We believe in giving back to the communities our employee-owners call home. By investing in the education and support of the children in our community, we aim to provide a better future for all our community’s residents,” said Torch President and CEO John Watson.  “We are so grateful to our sponsors and employee-owners for sharing that vision with us and joining us in support of Village of Promise. With the uncertainty surrounding this virus, it is so important for our community to come together in support of our local nonprofit organizations to help ease any funding concerns they may be experiencing.”

Torch and representatives from the many sponsoring companies presented the $100,000 check to Village of Promise at the Freedom Center on the Torch Technologies campus on September 1, 2020. All proceeds from the fundraiser benefited the Village of Promise and its mission to eradicate generational poverty one neighborhood at a time. The Village of Promise helps children of all ages receive support to help them achieve educational success from early childhood in their Infant University program to college and beyond.

“The community that was hardest hit by the COVID shutdown is the community that we directly serve at Village of Promise,” explained Village of Promise Executive Director Dr. Libby Parker. She continued, “We serve families and scholars from the most impoverished community in Huntsville, so it has been essential to help them get back on their feet and sustain their families during this unprecedented time. The funding provided by Torch and their partners is going directly to the hardest hit areas to combat poverty, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Thank you to our Village of Promise Fundraiser Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors: Torch Technologies (Torch), Torch Employee-Owners, Retirees, and Board of Directors, Freedom Real Estate & Capital Employee-Owners and Board of Directors, Starfish Holdings Employee-Owners and Board of Directors

Diamond Sponsors: Applied Analytical Solutions, Crossflow Technologies

Platinum Sponsors: Bradley, Essential Ingredients

Gold Sponsors: Avion Solutions, CFD Research, Cintel, Inc., ERC, Gayle T. Milton, CLU ChFC, , Hill Technical Solutions Inc, Integration Innovation Inc. (i3), IBERIABANK, Invariant Corporation, IronMountain Solutions, Inc., ISSAC Corp., Maynard Cooper & Gale, NTA, Inc., Parsons, Progress Bank, Progress Financial Services, Synovus Bank, Wavelink, Inc., Willbrook Solutions, Inc.

Silver Sponsors: Aegis Technologies, BRPH, J. Smith Lanier and Company, KODA Technologies, Millennium Engineering and Integration, SimTech, Turner Construction

Refreshment Sponsors: ArcSpace Studio, Connor Group LLC, Reliant Technologies, Inc.

Hole Sponsors: BB&T, Chris Patty, Christopherson Travel, Campus No. 805, Conditioned Air Solutions, DESE Research, Inc., DW Design LLC, Indoff Inc., Monte Sano Research Corporation (MSRC), nLogic Inc., PeopleTec, Inc., Principal, Redstone Federal Credit Union, The Lioce Group

About Village of Promise – Village of Promise serves the needs of children and families from cradle to college to career in distressed neighborhoods. Education, health, enrichment programs and family support services are simply what they do to help each child succeed in school. Their initial efforts are focused in the neighborhood surrounding University Place Elementary School, Montview Elementary School, Westlawn Middle School and Butler High School. To learn more about the Village of Promise go to www.villagepromise.com

“At Torch, more than a third of our employee-owners are millennials who will help carry the torch for our company’s future endeavors,” says Torch President and CEO John Watson. “It is an honor to work alongside bright employee-owners from every generation as we work together for the benefit of our customers and our company.”

The Best Workplaces for Millennials stand out for their unique, innovative cultures, which helps them attract and retain Millennial employees. Great Place to Work evaluated team members’ experience on the job, including employee pride in the organization’s community impact, belief that their work makes a difference, and feeling their work has special meaning. Torch has achieved this culture through programs including the Society of Torch Emerging Professionals (STEPs), a voluntary internal group that currently has more than 100 members and focuses on professional development, networking, and community outreach opportunities for early career professionals. Torch has also implemented mentorship programs, a Leadership Book Club, training opportunities, and more.

“For many years, organizations have put forth considerable effort towards attracting and retaining millennial talent” said Michael Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “The Best Workplaces on this list have created cultures where its youngest employees experience not only an environment where they can grow professionally and personally, but also find a deeper sense of purpose in their work. As we prepare for a large influx of young professionals from Generation Z to enter the work force for the first time, these organizations have distinguished themselves as the leaders in attracting and developing the leaders of tomorrow.”

The Best Workplaces for Millennials is one of a series of rankings by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE based on employee feedback from Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. Torch was also ranked a Best Workplace for Millennials in 2018 by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE, as well as a Best Workplace in Consulting & Professionals Services in 2016-2020, in addition to a Best Small and Medium Workplace by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE in 2016-2018.

Torch employee-owners have a heart for giving back to their communities, and although this year’s Huntsville Heart Walk was a virtual event due to COVID-19, they still showed their heart for this cause by raising $46,265 for the American Heart Association. Torch employee-owners’ participation in the American Heart Association (AHA) Huntsville Heart and Stroke Walk continued this year with 138 members on the virtual Torch Team.

The Torch Team was the largest team, the top fundraising team, and the top fundraising company, raising $46,265 and contributing to the more than $411,781 that was raised by AHA. This year, a Torch employee-owner, Debbie Overcash, was the Top Individual Fundraiser, and Torch’s Co-Founder Bill Roark was the second Individual Fundraiser. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, this event was a success and we were proud to be a part of it!  

Torch Technologies is proud to announce that it has been selected for a “Best in Business” award in Colorado Springs. Torch was selected as the third place “Best in Business” award recipient in the Cybersecurity & Homeland Security category.

The awards program, held at Almagre and virtually for those who wanted to watch from the comfort of their own home, was hosted by the Colorado Springs Business Journal, on June 24, 2020. Selections for the Best in Business awards were based on Colorado Springs Business Journal reader votes for businesses in each category, and the top three companies from each category were awarded.

Torch President and CEO John Watson said, “We are honored to be recognized as a Best in Business in Colorado Springs recipient, especially during this unprecedented time. Great people make up the core of every good company and great people shine during a time of crisis. We are very fortunate to have great people who care about our mission, our community and our company; and who have shone brightly over the past few months as we have all navigated this COVID-19 pandemic.”

Torch Technologies is proud to announce it has been chosen by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), North Alabama Section (NAS), as the Outstanding Engineering Organization for 2020. In selecting the engineering organization of the year, the NAS considers engineering accomplishment, contributions to the community, milestones, research, and contracts that impact the Huntsville/Tennessee Valley area. The award was presented at the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Engineers Week banquet on February 20^th at the Jackson Center in Huntsville.  

Torch President and CEO John Watson stated, “We are honored to receive this recognition during Engineers Week, and we have our employee-owners to thank for our continued success. Our engineers continue to strive to deliver outstanding solutions and technologies to our customer, and we take great pride in the work that we do supporting the Warfighter.”  

Torch employee-owners and their families laced up their running shoes on Saturday, October 19th, to support the 2019 Liz Hurley Ribbon Run. Torch participants included Torch employee-owners, family, and friends who raised a total of $6,750 for the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund at the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. The Torch team was happy to be a part of this event and support these fundraising efforts to help provide lifesaving diagnostic equipment for the Madison Hospital Breast Center.

Entrepreneur360 List

“We are proud to have again been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine for our distinctive approach to innovation, growth, leadership, and culture,” says Torch President and CEO John Watson. “Our continued success as a 100% employee-owned company is thanks to our invaluable employee-owners. We are privileged to be part of a growing group of extraordinary people who are innovative and bright, and who make Torch a great place to work.”

“Every entrepreneur knows that a healthy business isn’t just about growth. It’s about being well-rounded—growing your culture and your systems as strongly as you grow your revenue,” says Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “That’s why we’re excited to celebrate these companies with our fifth annual Entrepreneur360 ranking. The companies that make the list have pushed boundaries with their innovative ideas, fostered strong company cultures, impacted their communities for the better, strengthened their brand, and grown impressively as a result.”

Honorees were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently- owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure five metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurship—innovation, growth, leadership, impact, and business valuation.

For additional details on the E360 List and the companies recognized, visit: entrepreneur.com/360

“We are proud of our culture that benefits not only our customers and our employee-owners, but also our communities,” says Torch President and CEO John Watson. “It is an honor that our employees continue to rate our workplace highly, and that Great Place to Work® and Fortune are recognizing our positive culture for the fourth consecutive year.”

The Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services stand out for exceling in a competitive industry.

“Consulting and Professional Services companies operate in some of the most competitive spaces and endure the challenges of unpredictable and rapidly changing markets,” said Michael Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “The Best Workplaces on this list have invested in the professional development and personal care of their employees; which have become crucial parts of their value proposition that separate them from the competition in recruiting and retaining talent.”

The Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services is one of a series of rankings by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE based on employee feedback from Great Place to Work-Certified organizations. Torch Technologies also was ranked as a Best Workplace in Consulting & Professionals Services in 2016, 2017, and 2018, as well as a Small and Medium Workplace by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE in 2016, 2017, and 2018, in addition to a Best Workplace for Millennials in 2018 by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE.

Torch employee-owners have a heart for giving back to their communities, and this year’s Huntsville Heart Walk was an example of their heart for helping others. Through Torch Helps, Torch in Action, and Torch corporate charitable giving and company-sponsored events, Torch employee-owners and families have set a high standard for involvement and community outreach. Torch employee-owners’ participation in the American Heart Association (AHA) Huntsville Heart and Stroke Walk continued this year, with Torch’s co-founder, Bill Roark, co-chairing the 2019 Huntsville Heart Walk. The Torch Team had 150 members and Torch employee-owners, family, and friends joined the Torch Team on Saturday, April 13^th in downtown Huntsville for the annual event. The Torch Team was the largest team, and the top fundraising company, raising $63,000 through 196 donations and contributing to the more than $510,000 that was raised by AHA during the walk. This year, Torch’s CEO and Co-Founder Bill Roark was the Heart Walk’s Top Executive Fundraiser, and a Torch employee-owner, Debbie Overcash, was the Top Individual Fundraiser. Like Torch, this event continues to grow each year, and we are proud to be a part of it!