David Hayes, owner of Longview's Hayes RV Center, and his staff were honored last week for being leaders in practicing ethical business practices, according to Kay Robinson.

Robinson, executive director of the Central East Texas Better Business Bureau, said Hayes received the organization's Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics for a business with between 10 and 20 employees.

"He is very deserving and beat out several other nominees," Robinson said. "His is a business we never get any complaints out of."

The awards ceremony was held in Tyler Tuesday night at Villi Di Felicita. Another Longview-area resident, Mike Northcutt, presided at the meeting as past president of the regional Better Business Bureau.

"We're very honored and were very surprised," Hayes said after the event. "There are a lot of good businesses out there."

Hayes said a focus on treating customers the way they should be treated is something the business has emphasized for a long time.

"It's all about doing the right thing," Hayes said. "Sometimes it may cost you in the short term. But it pays off over time."

Hayes, a member of the Greggton Rotary Club, said he has passed out cards or tokens with the Rotary International Four Way Test to all staff members.

"That's become one of the centerpieces of how we do business," he said of the test. The Rotary Four Way Test asks, "Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

Robinson said Torch Award recipients were nominated by other businesses or people in the community. The organization received 64 nominations for four employer-size categories.

T.B. Butler Publishing Co., publishers of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, won the award for the large-business category. Stepping Stone School of Tyler won the Torch award for firms with 21 to 55 employees while ProForma Total Source in Whitehouse won for firms with nine or fewer employees.

Judging for the honors was done by Tom Mullins, Tyler Economic Development Council president; Doris Sharp, director of technical preparation at the University of Texas at Tyler; Mark McDaniel, Tyler deputy city manager; and Dawn Franks, program officer with Fourth Partner Foundation.

Robinson said the Torch Award program was developed in 1996 to help increase public awareness of firms using ethical practices in their operation and to promote ethics. The Central East Texas BBB began having award ceremonies for the honor in 2005, Robinson said.