®

20

13Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland Presents

Annual Meeting and Students of Integrity

Award Program

Today’s Events

7:30

8:20

8:35

8:55

Eat & Greet

Presentation of BBB’s 2013Students of Integrity Awards

Keynote Speaker & AddressRuss MitchellLead Anchor, WKYC-TV 3

PresentersKaren Schuele, Dean, Boler School of Business,John Carroll University

Scott Miller, Vice-President & General Manager,Dominion East Ohio

BBB Annual Meeting

Election of Directors & Officers

Vote on Proposed Amendmentsto BBB By-Laws

Presiding: Ingrid Halpert, ChairmanWeiss Movers, President

David Weiss, PresidentBBB & BBB Educational Foundation

Election of BBB Educational Foundation Directors

“Not Your Father’s BBB”

Board Recognition

Hal Becker The Becker Group

Terry BishopDominion East Ohio

Marc Blumenthal B & B Appliance

James DrozdowskiNorth Coast Container Corp

Greg FaustinaThe Plumbing Source

Andy FiffickRad Air Service Centers, Inc

Dan GellerFish Furniture

Bob Gillingham Bob Gillingham Ford, Inc.

Tom Holland Holland Paving & Sealcoating

Chairman: Ingrid Halpert, Weiss MoversVice Chairmen: Ella Fong, WVIZ/WCPN Ideastream

and Moreen Bailey Frater, WEWS NewsChannel 5Secretary: Jim Lineweaver, Lineweaver Financial Group, Inc.

Treasurer: Bill Mann, Joseph, Mann & CreedImmediate Past Chairman: Marlene Herman, Aamco Transmissions

President: David Weiss

BBB StaffDavid Weiss, President

Sue McConnell, Senior Vice PresidentBrigid Woodland, Program Director

Ericka Dilworth, Director of Trade ServicesChristine Roberts, Business Development Director

Trade Practices Barbara Andersen Peter Brodnik Betty Creter Nichole MeansSirita Queen Lauren Roth Ed StreichLou TekavcicMelissa TrahanRhonda Whitelock

Customer ServiceCheryl HortonLinda Jaquays

Accredited Business ServicesLaura FitzgeraldJanice Lightner

Project DirectorBrigid Woodland

Social Media &CommunicationsSara Jennings

Business RelationsCindy DavidRosemary FarnsworthMichael Seale

Data Quality Coordinator Mary Hanes

Patrick HurstHurst Design-Build-Remodeling

Chris Kamis Absolute Exteriors,

Linda KaneForest City Enterprises, Inc.

Donna MintzComfort Seal Windows & Doors

Ed Montgomery North Coast Seal, Inc.

Sherrill Paul-Witt Trolley Tours of Cleveland

Alex PetrusGuidestone

Elena Ray PNC Bank

Cary Root Root-InfoTech

Jay Seaton Apprisen Inc.

Paul WadsworthP.K. Wadsworth Htg

Charles WienMarshall Carpet One

Bill WoodburnChoice Relocation Mgmt

Mitchell ZlotnickOne Wish, LLC

Legal CounselJeremy Gilman

Benesch, Attorneys at Law

BBB Board of Directors

Daniel BaranEmily Beck

Nichelle BlakeJanessa Brickman

Sarah BrookBenjamin Bunnell

Cassandra CameronNicole ChesnokovElizabeth DeMarco

Matthew DoberMark Friedel

Brianna HawkinsJulia HerendeenDeisjia Hocker

Emily HutchisonBryan Jackisch

John KelleyChristopher Kenzig

Doo Hee KimJuliana KosikRichard KraayKevin Kuang

Susan LefelhoczLeah LindakKaylee Losch

Joshua LovelandAlexandra Marincic

Allison MartonZachary MillerAgnes MirandoAnfernee Myers

Austin OverbergerJennifer PolitoAmy RitchieEmma Ross

Julianne RossmanSarell Shaw

Abigail SkolnikAlexander SpanosElizabeth Stanitz

Shardá SymonetteJami TatulinskiEmma Taylor

Shanice Winston

Independence High SchoolElyria Catholic High School

Richmond Heights High SchoolHoly Name High School

Jefferson Area High SchoolLakeside High School

Berkshire Jr/Sr High SchoolHathaway Brown School

Midview High SchoolBenedictine High School

West Geauga High SchoolSolon High School

Thomas W. Harvey High SchoolEuclid High School

Open Door Christian SchoolsPerry High School

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin SchoolCuyahoga Hts High School

Orange High SchoolEdgewood High School

St. Ignatius High SchoolMaple Hts High School

Andrews Osborne AcademyNorth Ridgeville High School

Rocky River High SchoolLedgemont High SchoolGarfield Hts High School

Parma Community High SchoolBrecksville Broadview Hts High School

Gilmour AcademyBerea-Midpark High SchoolGrand Valley High School

St Joseph AcademyMadison High SchoolCardinal High SchoolRiverside High School

Whitney M. Young High SchoolFirelands High SchoolBrookside High School

Beaumont SchoolJane Addams Business Career Center

Mentor High SchoolPymatuning Valley High SchoolWarrensville Hts High School

Congratulations to these outstanding high school seniors who were chosen to represent their schools in the Students of Integrity Competition!

Nicole Chesnokov Hathaway Brown School

Integrity: a word our teachers, coaches, and parents repeat time and time again, but that we seem to forget and put aside as we get older. The need to succeed, to be the best, and to get there, no matter what it takes, becomes a controlling force that can lead each one of us down the wrong path. Although sometimes difficult, I chose to walk down the right path knowing that it may be more difficult. This year, I was part of the cross-country team for the second year in a row, but I wasn’t able to make it to practice every day because I started a tutoring agency that began to take time away from practice, meaning I would be missing one, or some weeks, even two, practices. I was never a cross-country start and this circumstance would have been the perfect opportunity to throw in the towel and not do any training that day. Instead I chose to adapt the practice to fit into my schedule and planned a workout that would still provide me with the training necessary to stay fit for the season. At times, I was tired and did not want to do the twenty minutes of interval running I had planned nor did I want to do the core workout that followed, but I always looked inside and questioned myself: would I be okay with cutting corners? And the answer to that question propelled me into a workout that thirty minutes later reminded me of why I always answer no to that question. I look at who I am, the people in my life, the decisions I made in the past week, or even day. I find myself looking for traces of integrity, moments where I chose to do the right thing even when no one was there to congratulate me for it. I hope to find traces of this characteristic follow my journey to success and I try to intertwine the two paths and not separate them. If success was measured merely by the amount of money in our bank or the seat we held in the Forbes Richest People rankings than we would live in a world of lying, cheating people. True success is measured by the way your reach you goal, whether you stuck with the morals that have intrinsically run your life, and the values you know to be correct. We can all reach the same goal; some of us will choose to take the easy path with no resistance, but we will end up living a falsified life of solitude. Or, we can take the harder road, tell the truth and pay for the consequences, knowing that looking at the mirror will not make us cringe. Alexander Hamilton once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” I stand for integrity and I urge every person I encounter, befriend, or collaborate with, to stand beside me.

Jennifer Polito Saint Joseph Academy

I am a person of character and integrity, but I did not get to this place on my own. My brother has been an invisible presence that allowed me to develop this integrity. He was not a person of integrity himself. He was quite opposite. A drug addict that jumped from rehab to homelessness was my role model in life. Jared is my big brother. When he was there, fully there and without drugs, he was absolutely wonderful. The kind of wonderful that leaves despair when it’s gone. That loss of my brother broke me and my family. I devoted my life to never becoming anything like my big brother, who should have been my role model and then I realized that in some ways he is. Jared has taught me courage. He left. Jared chose drugs over us a long time ago and choosing a substance over your own family is not courageous. He didn’t have the strength to fight the drugs. He still doesn’t have the strength to fight the drugs. He lies and steals from his own family, while I fight the repercussions of his actions daily. Jared has taught me that all we have in this short life is our integrity. So I get up every day and make certain that the world knows I am a force to be reckoned with. I held my mom when she fell apart. I picked my brothers up and carried them through the ruins Jared left in his wake. I am resilient and I will fight until my dying day for the things that I love and believe in. I pray that one day Jared may receive even a fraction of the courage he has instilled in me. Jared has been a positive influence on me, but that does not mean a person needs a drug addict for a brother to develop integrity and good character. I choose to show those around me how to become a person of integrity by leading by example. I choose to do what Jared never did, but what my parents and my other brother have done for me, which is being an

upstanding person. Every person has the choice to do good. We must look at our mistakes, and others’ mistakes, in the face, and learn from them. I motivate others by doing what is right and just, but mostly by standing up for the things I believe in. When we see others that we look up to, standing up for what is right, we follow. The most important part about being an advocate of good character is having good character yourself. My morals, and those of my other brothers, came to us the hard way, by watching the repercussions of not having any. I don’t want that to happen to the other adolescents of the world. Whether I affect many or few, I will instill morality the right way.

Doo Hee Kim Orange High School

Education and access to knowledge are the foundations of all societies. For example, the regional differences that impact global society might come to unity if the educational systems are similar from one part of the world to the next. Therefore, education around the world needs to be reformed in order to provide a more sound community based on character and integrity. Throughout my high school years, I’ve noticed students suddenly having short attention spans and falling asleep in classes but having the highest level of focus and forgoing sleep playing videogames. The reason for this phenomenon is simple: video games are muchmore entertaining than listening to lectures in classes; however, it is detrimental to students because education is what enables us to make sound judgments; it creates depth in our consciousness and helps us be at a higher level of society. Nonetheless, we can’t alter the entertainment and addiction that is intrinsic to games. Therefore, I question why can’t we incorporate the function of gaming into the world’s education system? Instead of having classes be painfully didactic, why not gamify learning? It would keep students alert in class while raising the competitiveness of learning. Students would be compelled to learn more to win the game. Currently, there isn’t a country that incorporates gaming into their educational system because of the world mentality that learning has to be traditional, but I believe that students can still learn through more entertaining ways. Therefore, taking the initiative to implement my thoughts and motivate others to join me, I sought to change the classroom setting of learning when I had the privilege to volunteer to teach English in a church in South Korea. I know that the classroom atmosphere in that country was more didactic than what I was used to in the United States, but I didn’t think that kids in Korea were better off than kids in America. Thus, since it was my classroom and I was in charge of the lesson plans for the day, I was steadfast in loosening up the tension kids have in classrooms and have it be entertaining for them. I designed various educational games, and the point of all of them was to get kids more involved and focused on learning, and they did. Whenever I had these games set up, kids would be out of their seats being excited and competitive. The aspects of my personality that allowed me to spread the idea of gamifying education to another country were my integrity and character. Seeking to know the truth behind the difference between traditional learning and gamified learning, I strove to initiate my thoughts into actions. After witnessing the effects of bridging gaming and learning, I was compelled to think that the efficacy of education lies in the alertness and willingness of the students. By influencing the young of the integrated education method across the globe, the world can experience a change from generation to generation to eventually shifting the international paradigm on education.

Alexandra Marincic Garfield Heights High School

It was 2004. Like most other days, I found myself playing out in the backyard. I did not have close siblings or friends nearby to join me, but I did have two best friends nevertheless: my dogs. Soon enough, my parents called me in for dinner. A generous helping of pork awaited me. As I took a bite, a thought occurred to me. I realized that this pork was the body of another creature who, as far as I knew, was no different than my own dogs. I couldn’t help but imagine the body of my precious dog sprawled across the plate. Subsequently, at age nine, I made my first major ethical decision: I became a vegetarian. These beliefs quickly blossomed into the moral structure by which I now model my life. Mainly, I strive to live by compassion and justice, and I aim to inspire others to do the same. Since then, I’ve acquired many additional human friends, and developed a commitment to serving others. Upon being elected as president of our National Honor Society, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to utilize our group’s seventy talented members. However, I soon learned that most people were in the group for the recognition only, and that participation would be incredibly scarce. At first, I was frustrated, and I responded by criticizing the “slackers,” but that, of course, was more destructive than anything. After a while, I learned how to understand each person’s situation individually. I replaced my frustration with empathy, and my criticism with positive recognition. Things improved tremendously. Our NHS is very active, and our first activity (creating the Homecoming dance) starts during the summer. At these summer “workshops,” I strived to value people’s distinct skills more and ensure that there were ways for everyone to help. Rather than drill people on the importance of the boring, tedious tasks, I encouraged people to start their own projects. From there, people began to find passion in their own work, and participation, as well as the quality of our work, skyrocketed. Each contribution was like a sunflower flaunting its color, and soon we had a dazzling field of them.

Because people began to take pride in the group, our mission has become widely recognized, and members all-around feel a common desire to spread our aid to people in need. This year’s group was the first to donate some of Homecoming’s proceeds to charity. When it came time to vote on an organization, we were flooded with passionate suggestions of special charities. Our group ultimately elected the Sudan Relief Fund as this year’s worthy recipient of thousands of dollars. Counting those ballots was one of the most gratifying moments of my life. For me to have good character alone is not enough. I’ve found that one must demonstrate integrity in order for others to discover such character. Hopefully, they will then seek good character themselves, and find a sense of pride in the acquired moral truths.

Alexander Spanos Brookside High School

Throughout my years as a high school student, I have had the privilege of observing and studying those who have had leadership positions. I have viewed teachers, both good and bad, and upperclassmen, who wanted nothing more than to feel power from mindlessly ordering their subjects around, and many adults who genuinely wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of those who had been entrusted to them. The place that has helped test and grow my character the most has been in my high school marching band. Our marching band consists of the band director leading seventy to one hundred students. It is not possible for one person to keep track of a hundred people, so he is accompanied by an assistant band director and also enlists the aid of the seniors. Mr. Lawson, the assistant band director during my first three years was also the percussion advisor. He directed the section of the band most known for being crazy and rambunctious. No matter how the section might have acted towards others, we always gave our utmost respect to him, just as he did for us. He showed that he genuinely cared for us and wanted us to grow as percussionists and young adults. He never raised his voice at us and always kept his character of integrity while instructing us, even when problems in his own life made it nearly impossible. During my sophomore year, he was diagnosed with cancer, and all throughout band, I watched it getting worse and worse. In my junior year, he was only able to attend approximately one in every four practices, but when he was able to make it, he brought his caring smile that shined brightly despite his weakened condition. Even when he lost his hearing, he helped us the best that he could. With Mr. Lawson slowly becoming unable to function as leader, I realized that he had transitioned me into a leader.Mr. Lawson passed away, leaving the band in tears. There was grieving and there were changes that we all had to endure. Although this made me quite sad, I chose to be a leader and help those who were grieving in order to progress through this difficult stage. I began encouraging people who were down to do their best. I devoted time to building relationships with many of the band members. As one of the most experienced drummers, I worked during the summer with the other percussionist, sharing the techniques that Mr. Lawson had taught me. A new band assistant was hired and he had a different leadership approach and teaching technique than Mr. Lawson. He was not well received by the students at first. Many began to complain, become bitter and disrespectful. Whenever I saw this occur, I stepped in and explained to my peers that no matter what we thought of his techniques, he deserved our respect. I reminded the students to follow the assistant director’s instructions without negative comments. There were times that I too, didn’t understand the methodology of the assistant director, but I knew that following his leadership would lead to positive development of the drum section. I found myself being a mediator between students and a mediator between students and band directors. As a result, the tension decreased and we became a unified group. We found that his approach may have been different, but had positive outcomes. I continued trying to be not just a good leader, but a good person. I followed Mr. Lawson’s example and showed people that I cared for them, and in return, they respected me as a leader. At the beginning of my senior year, I was honored to be voted the president of our marching band. At the start of the year, everyone was excited for marching band so it was not hard keeping everyone united. As the year continued, the excitement wore off, and we ran into some other issues. One of these was a conflict between a senior and freshman. I took the senior off to the side and reminded him that, yes he was allowed to be demanding, but he also needed to treat the student with patience, kindness and encouragement. The senior adjusted his approach, and the student reacted in a positive manner. There was another situation where many of the seniors became discouraged and began verbally criticizing the underclassmen and each other. Many members started causing havoc and making it more difficult for everyone. This started a large disagreement between the seniors. Tension grew and some threatened to quit. A senior meeting was called. I tried to keep everyone positive and shared with them what I had learned from observing Mr. Lawson and other past leaders. I stressed that screaming and yelling at people does not lead them to do what needs to be done. Instead, I reminded them that the best leaders lead by example. The seniors chose to approach the situation with a positive attitude and tensions decreased. We are having a productive and fun band season, growing in unity and relationships. As I continue to grow as a leader, I reflect back on Mr. Lawson and how he treated others with respect and a loving and caring attitude. I hope that I am able to pass on my leadership and character of integrity to underclassmen as Mr. Lawson had shared with me. Due to the character that I have shown in positions such a marching band, it would be an honor to be considered for the Better Business Bureau scholarship.

[After ex

periencin

g a childhood filled

with

hardship...]

Today

I am so

meone I neve

r

thought I would ev

er be...

I always

hold to my

word, dreams, a

nd goals. I w

ill be w

ho I want to

be, be th

at someone to

help others

, and I w

ill neve

r

give up on what I

believe!

I will t

ell others

my story t

o

give them

some h

ope. I want m

y life t

o impact

others in

a way

that help

s them

build their chara

cter in

a bette

r way

and I hope to

show them

that, alth

ough life may

not be all

that it’s

cracke

d up to be, that y

ou can find str

ength in

every s

ituation.

Popularity is not always the best option, as being in a collective group, an individual can become passive to the majority rule. I striveto stay neutral and possibly against the collective group, to allow others a second choice in mindset... I may often be in the wrong in many situations, but my efforts help strengthen the resolve of others who may be hesitant to think for themselves and stand up for the truth.

Since some people are only concerned with themselves, motivating others to join me as a person of character is no easy task. There are a number of ways to do this each which offer a wide variety of benefits such as leading by example, recognizing, and praising the good actions of others and sharing what benefits and opportunities I enjoy as a person of character. It is crucial however that I truly care about others and be willing to help, encourage, and mentor them. Hopefully they will realize what the compassion means to them and share it with others.

[After turning in $90 in cash found on the street, thus moving a friend to do the same...] I think the world has seen enough of telling other people how to live their lives. Instead, I want to lead by example. That, above anything else, will motivate people to follow a life of character and integrity. Put simply, by planting one good action, I hope more will follow, both from me and from others.

To me, being a man of character involves acts of service. Every day I give whatever help I can to anyone in need. This can include volunteer-

ing at the hunger center to working with the Key Club, but it can also be a simple word or favor for a friend or stranger. To me, to

truly be a man of character is to always act for the benefit of others. To help when others

are in need is essential to create a morally good habit. To be a person of character is to establish virtues that are constantly active.

~ Matthew Dober, Benedictine High School

Living as a person of integrity...(is) all about continual growth. Tomorrow, I intend to be a better person than I am today and I intend to spread it onto new people. I will let my obstacles transform me rather than hold me back. My journey is not yet finished. ~ Agnes Mirando, Gilmour Academy

When I was about ten years old, I was bullied frequently...because I did not like to break the rules. I would get teased every day because I was the teacher’s pet or because I would not talk about other girls behind their backs...However, I knew that others’ words could never hurt me as much as I could by going against my morals. Thus, for three years I was able to overcome people’s taunts until I found friends that accepted me and provided an environment for my character to flourish.

~ Cassandra Cameron Berkshire Jr./Sr. High School

The seed of integrity was planted in me long before I knew what it meant or or how it would change my life and the life of others. Lying and injustice seemed to disturb me even as a small child. I could never lie to my parents for the fear of losing their trust and respect. Seeing someone be made fun of hit me so hard I could almost feel his or her pain in the aching of my heart.

~ Richard Kraay, Saint Ignatius High School

~ Bryan Jackisch, Perry High School

Young adults find themselves at the bad end of two very different worlds, the responsibility of an adult, but with the freedom of a child, struggling to keep their character. It is like the transition between seasons. Infants are like the spring; new, blooming life that brings joy. Children embody the carefree summer soul. Early autumn

is when life changes start to occur. Young adults are like the transition from autumn to winter, too

confused to nurture plant life, too cold for an afternoon swim, too little time in the day to accomplish all tasks. However, impressions can still be made, and by holding to moral standards, what seems like the worst part of the year, can become an elegant transition from the colorful autumn leaves to elegant snowy, winter trees.

~ Mark Friedel, West Geauga High School

~ Leah Lindak, North Ridgeville High School

Honorable Mentions

~ Kevin Kuang

Maple Heights High School

Russ Mitchell will be the keynote speaker for this year’s event. Mitchell was born in St. Louis and accepted his first television job at age 17 as a nighttime switchboard operator at KTVI-TV. He graduated from the University of Missouri, and began his professional career

at KMBC in Kansas City. In 1993 he was named a correspondent for Eye-to-Eye with Connie Chung and in July of 1997, Mitchell was named co-anchor of CBS News Saturday Morning and traveled extensively as a reporter for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and 48 Hours.

Mr. Mitchell was on the anchor desk with Dan Rather on September 11, 2001 and reported from Ground Zero and other parts of Manhattan on the days and weeks that followed.

Most recently, he anchored the live CBS Special Report coverage of the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden on May 1, 2011.

Russ MitchellLead Anchor at WKYC-TV 3

There have been many times when I have considered taking the easy road

and thought to myself; “Just be a band mem-

ber, not a band leader, forget about helping at

the food bank, just go home after classes,

skip all the science meetings, and go

to the mall.” It has not been easy,

but being a person of character and

integrity has allowed me to achieve

great things. I believe in leading by

example and I use my story to motivate

others to join me. ~ Jami Tatulinski, Mentor High School

[After ex

periencin

g a childhood filled

with

hardship...]

Today

I am so

meone I neve

r

thought I would ev

er be...

I always

hold to my

word, dreams, a

nd goals. I w

ill be w

ho I want to

be, be th

at someone to

help others

, and I w

ill neve

r

give up on what I

believe!

I will t

ell others

my story t

o

give them

some h

ope. I want m

y life t

o impact

others in

a way

that help

s them

build their chara

cter in

a bette

r way

and I hope to

show them

that, alth

ough life may

not be all

that it’s

cracke

d up to be, that y

ou can find str

ength in

every s

ituation.

~ Kaylee

Losch

Rocky Rive

r High School

~ Bryan Jackisch, Perry High School

Better Business Bureau2800 Euclid Ave 4th FlCleveland, OH 44115

Phone (216) 241-4476Fax (216) 861-6365

mybbb@cleveland.bbb.orgcleveland.bbb.org

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