Look for the Better Business Bureau logo in our community and you'll see the phrase, "Start With Trust." In these days of financial uncertainty, trust is a big deal. An Internet search turned up nearly 45,000 cases of the word trust being used in news articles in the past week. Most cases highlighted the lack of trust people have in business, government and Wall Street.

Trust in many institutions is at historic lows. Follow the numbers and we find mistrust starting early. One study shows 70 percent of university students admit to cheating in one form or another. The same study shows the highest rates of cheating take place among business students. Business students score lower on ethics tests than students in law, medicine, education and liberal arts.

Then, the trust issue carries over into the workplace. A Watson-Wyatt survey shows only 43 percent of employees say their bosses give straight answers to questions.

The numbers are a concern, considering the lack of trust we keep reading about in headlines.

When shopping and buying products and services, whom do you trust? Why do you trust them? We see significant declines in the level of trust we all have in business. A recent BBB/Gallup study shows Americans' level of trust in business has dropped nearly 15 percent in the past seven months.

Despite the alarming declines in trust in so many areas, there are bright spots. In the midst of the economic turmoil and trust issues, now is the time to look to those businesses doing the right thing - and building trust.

October is a big month for the Better Business Bureau as we celebrate great companies in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon. We're honoring 38 businesses through the Integrity Counts! awards. I'll share more on the awards later in the month.

However, our celebration starts Thursday as the BBB, Northwest Nazarene University Students in Free Enterprise and Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce assemble a group of leaders for a panel discussion on building trust through integrity. You'll recognize the panelists' names: Gene Bleymaier, BSU athletic director; Nora Carpenter, Council of Better Business Bureaus; Steve Hanks, former CEO of Washington Group; and George Harad, former CEO of Boise Cascade. The event is titled Integrity in Tough in Times: Doing the Right Thing All the Time. We'll be asking the panelists tough questions about the importance of integrity and ethics - especially in these trying times.

Each has unique experience in incorporating ethics into their respective organizations. Each has a story to tell. Our purpose is to glean from those experiences the keys to building integrity. The free event offers attendees an interactive opportunity to share and learn from others.

You are welcome to join us from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday at the URS Building auditorium. We ask you to let us know you'll be attending by sending us an e-mail (swarner@boise.bbb.org) or calling us at (208) 947-2108.

The public conversation is a proactive way we can turn the trends of mistrust and focus on integrity and ethics by doing the right thing, all the time.

Dale Dixon is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau, a not-for-profit organization serving Southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon. Reach him at 342-4649 or ddixon@boise.bbb.org.