GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Phil Catlett, the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan, is officially retiring from his position at the end of the year.
He’s served as president and CEO for 10 years after previously working for multiple radio communications companies in the area as an account manager to eventually holding national sales manager and vice president titles, according to a news release Monday.
Over the years, Catlett has pushed the growth of the BBB Serving Western Michigan through education programs and by providing a database with trusted information on companies and charities.
Catlett managed the local BBB through two office moves, changes in the national structure of the BBB, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, the pandemic and the changing landscape of the employee workplace, the news release said.
“Phil’s steady and consistent leadership, particularly in the last 18 months, has been critical to the BBB’s success,” said Mark Tomasik, vice president and deputy general counsel at DP Fox Ventures and the current BBB board chairman. “His charismatic presence and ability to command an audience has resulted in the BBB raising its profile throughout West Michigan and particularly in the Grand Rapids business community. I particularly recall Phil standing up onstage at the Econ Club in a room with close to 1,000 people and presenting awards to our local businesses here in West Michigan. Phil is always smiling and positive. I can’t recall a single instance over the past five years where he wasn’t upbeat and excited about the possibilities that lay ahead.”
The Board of Directors is working on its search for Catlett’s replacement.
