Five Richmond-area companies have received the Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia's Torch Award.

The annual award recognizes businesses for marketplace integrity and high standards in dealing with customers and vendors.

For companies with more than 500 employees, the award went to SunTrust Bank and SunTrust Mortgage Inc., which submitted a joint entry. The winners among smaller companies were Rainbow Station, Holiday Barn Pet Resorts, and Adolf Jewelers.

Rainbow Station, a child care provider, was founded by pediatric nurse Gail Johnson in 1989. Holiday Barn Pet Resorts, founded in 1972 by Emerson Hughes, is a pet-boarding service with two locations in the Richmond area. Adolf Jewelers, a family-owned jewelry store, has operated in the Richmond area for 45 years.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges based on criteria that included ethics in buying and selling, honesty in advertising, and communications, and employee training programs.

"All of these companies demonstrated clear attention to detail in dealing with their associates and customers and competitors, and they really focus on doing what they say they are going to do," said Tom Gallagher, president and chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia.

-- John Reid Blackwell