By Zaid Hussain
HOUSTON: It was a cool and cloudy morning, but there was the buzz of electricity in the air at the large hall filled to capacity. Contenders and their supporters were gathered once again on Wednesday , May 10 for the highly anticipated Better Business Bureau’s annual Awards for Excellence luncheon, an event to showcase some of the best companies in the Houston area. The event honors the companies which have displayed great service and business within their fields, but it is also a chance for professionals to network.
The first hour of the program was dedicated solely to that aim, with booths lined around the Bayou City Event Center, a large event hall located just south of downtown Houston, near NRG Park and the Houston Medical Center. With over a thousand such professionals in attendance at the event held at the Center for the third year in a row, the excitement was truly palpable.
After a break for a sit-down lunch, the main focus of the event began: the distribution of awards. There are two types of awards that the BBB hands out at this event: the Distinction Award, given to those who have displayed a level of outstanding customer service in their field, and the much more coveted Pinnacle Award, given to those who stand even higher, at the peak of their industries. This year, the BBB signed Landry’s, a well-known Houston-based restaurant chain, as an event sponsor. The chief guest of the event was the host of KHOU 11’s “Great Day Houston”, Deborah Duncan who lauded the audience with her customary zeal and pep.
Once again this year, Harjit Singh Galhotra, founder of Galson Auto & Body Repair, a 23-year old Cypress-based company, waited anxiously for the results along with his wife Seema, sons Ravi and Balraj and others from his firm. Galson’s first won the Pinnacle in 2005, and then picked up two others in 2007 and 2014, and has won the Distinction all the other years since 2005, or 12 awards in total. The company’s tagline “Excellent service at reasonable rates” underscores the reason for their nomination to the annual event, a clear and demonstrable level of care towards his consumers who write glowing reviews of the service they get.
This year, Galson’s walked away from this luncheon with another Distinction Award under their belt, though Galhotra did have their eyes on the Pinnacle. “We strive to be the best and give the best customer care to our customers, Galhotra said, “in both body and mechanical work.” For someone who just won an award for being outstanding, it was interesting to note why he has been such. Galhotra doesn’t rest on his laurels, and constantly strives to be a better company for not only his employees, but for the people who truly matter – his customers. There is no doubt that Galson’s will be nominated next year again for this event … and it’s fingers crossed that it will walk away with Pinnacle Award number four!
