CEO Lisa Frohnapfel Leads the New BBB of Michigan
Lisa Frohnapfel leads the Better Business Bureau of Michigan, and her path has been steady. In 2021, she became president and CEO of BBB Serving Western Michigan after a long career in financial services. Interviews at the time focused on practical habits for safer transactions and transparent policies that help both sides. That message has remained consistent as her role expanded.
In 2025, the Eastern Michigan bureau in Detroit merged with the Western Michigan bureau. The new single organization operates as BBB of Michigan, with offices in Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids. Frohnapfel was named president and CEO of the unified bureau. The goal is straightforward: deliver the same core services with a broader reach and a single statewide standard.
The merger matters because so many daily choices cross county lines. Consumers in one area may hire a contractor from another. A small firm in the Upper Peninsula may sell to a buyer near Grand Rapids. A statewide bureau gives people one place to look up a business profile and one process to follow when a deal falls short. It also makes scam trend reporting easier to compare across regions.
Frohnapfel’s earlier interviews help explain her approach. She talks about avoiding fraud with steps that are easy to repeat. Type in web addresses you already trust, do not click links from unexpected messages, and be careful with any request for payment by gift card or wire. Those reminders work for fake retail sites, missed package texts, and social media storefronts. They are simple, and they work across platforms.
Inside the bureau, the focus remains on clear information. Business Profiles show complaint patterns and company responses in context. A single incident does not define a firm, and a strong pattern does not get buried by anecdotes. People can see how a company handled a hard moment, which is often the best test of service. Businesses can point to the record when they improve a policy or resolve a complicated case.
The dispute process sets expectations for both sides. A complaint that meets acceptance rules is sent to the business with a timeline for a response. The bureau encourages specific, dated replies and attachments that support the facts. Some matters close with a documented plan, and the result appears on the profile. The goal is not to assign blame; it is to make the record clear so future buyers can choose with confidence.
Education programs build on that record. Staff translate seasonal risks into quick guides that fit a busy day. Before holidays, messages focus on online shopping habits and charity research. During storm repair seasons, the guidance turns to written estimates, staged payments, and change orders. Over time, these reminders become habits. When the habits are shared by consumers and businesses, disputes tend to get smaller.
The statewide structure also supports consistency. Training for business responses, acceptance policies, and timelines can be aligned across both offices. A consumer in Detroit sees the same process as a consumer in Grand Rapids. A small company in Traverse City learns the same steps for posting clear refund terms as a larger firm near Kalamazoo. Consistency in information and process is what turns a large service area into a single marketplace.
Frohnapfel’s background in finance informs the tone. Conversations center on operations rather than slogans. A faster response to a complaint lowers frustration for everyone involved. These are simple adjustments that fit tight schedules and thin margins. They are also the moves that, over time, build stronger reputations.
Media appearances out of West Michigan show how this lands with the public. Viewers hear concrete examples of impersonation scams and fake storefronts, then learn how to verify a site or a seller in minutes. That is the same approach the bureau uses in newsrooms across the state today. The advice is local, but the steps are universal: slow down, confirm, and keep a record.
The merger did not change core services. People can still look up a business, file a complaint, and report a scam using the same web address they know. What did change is the scale. The bureau can compare patterns across a larger data set and share alerts that reach more people at once. It can also coordinate outreach with statewide partners and keep standards aligned in regions that used to operate separately.
Day to day, the purpose has not moved. The BBB helps people see facts in public and follow a fair process when something goes wrong. Under Frohnapfel’s leadership, that promise is designed to feel the same in every part of Michigan. A profile reads the same way in Detroit as it does in Grand Rapids. A response expectation is the same in Marquette as it is in Holland. For most families and small firms, that consistency is the real value.
The work continues as the market shifts. New payment tools and online platforms will change the look of scams and the speed of complaints. The response stays familiar. Keep the information public, keep the process clear, and repeat the habits that help people make better choices. With a single bureau serving the entire state, those habits can spread faster and help more people.