WittCAM reveals 2010 Entrepreneurial Business Award Winner

May 5, 2010

Springfield, OH- Senior WittConsultants Andrea Berry, Melissa Cederqvist, and Katherine Yuskewich have spent this semester facilitating the selection and the promotion of the winner of 2010 Entrepreneurial Business Award, The Champion Company. Champion is a full serve innovative creator and supplier to the embalming and funeral service industry. The judges, a panel of local business people and past winners, choose The Champion Company for its ability to remain an industry leader through innovation over the past 131 years. Enigma, the fourth generation innovation and completely green and toxic free embalming fluid is the most recent innovation, and is the highlight of promotional video produced by the EBA team.

 Working with professional videographer, Jim Kragel of Cedartree Productions, the team was involved in the scripting, filming, and production process of the video that will be shown at the 2010 Junior Achievement Hall of Fame in May, where the award is presented.

 In addition, the team worked with Junior Achievement president Louise Lambert to write scripts and guide the filming process for the Junior Achievement Living Laureate and Posthumous Laureate award videos. This year’s Living Laureate, Ed Leventhal, is owner of both Valco Industries and A & E Powder Coating, as well as an active member of the Springfield community. The Posthumous Laureate, Don Bishop, President and later Chairman of the Board of First National Bank, brought together his passion for fundraising and community development. The process for creating both of these videos was very different than that of the EBA video, as the team interviewed family and friends, gathered pictures and crafted scripts. All three of the team’s videos will premiere to an audience of more than 300 people at the annual Junior Achievement Hall of Fame event on May 20^th, 2010.

 The team was also responsible for developing the teaching notes for copies of the EBAward video which will be provided to area schools, and for the announcement PR campaign for this year’s winner.

 Meet the WittConsultants

Andrea Berry ’10, is a senior management major with a concentration in marketing, from East Amherst, New York.  She has interned at two different advertising agencies in Columbus; both as an account services intern as well as a media intern. She is very involved on campus and is the 2010 class treasurer, a member of the Wittenberg University honors program, captain and four-year starter on the women’s varsity lacrosse team, a representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Student Senate Finance Committee, serves as recruitment chair for Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary society, and as Vice President of Tau Pi Phi, a management honorary. As a management student, Berry has been a member of other WittCAM projects including the 2010 Entrepreneurial Business Award, Creative Advertising Partnership with the Office of Community Service and raising more than $40,000 for orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho, Africa. After graduation, Berry plans to pursue a career in the field of marketing or advertising.

 Melissa Cederqvist ’10, is a senior chemistry and management double major with double minors in Computational Science and Economics from Huskvarna, Sweden. The Student Director of the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM), International Senator on Student Senate, a member of the American International Association (AIA) and Chemistry Club, Student Representative on the Budget Compensation Advisory Committee (BCAC) and a Team Captain for Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society for the past two years, Cederqvist is also a member of Wittenberg Honors Program, Tau Pi Phi honor society in Economics and Management and Alpha Lambda Delta. This past summer she performed computational science research in Berlin, Germany on the simulation of drug resistance in treatment of HIV and AIDS. Cederqvist plans a career in the pharmaceutical or fashion industry.

Katherine Yuskewich ’10, is a senior management major with a concentration in marketing from Columbus, Ohio.  As a Sports Marketing Intern in the Athletic Department, Yuskewich plans promotional events for athletics.  As a management student, Yuskewich has also participated in the Creative Advertising Partnership and served as a Springfield High School Scholarship project consultant.  As a member of the Advancement Office at Wittenberg, Yuskewich serves as the Tiger Club Student Manager where she assist’s with athletic fundraising and marketing.  A member of the women’s varsity volleyball team, Yuskewich played in atwo consecutive Final Four appearances and two Regional Championships, as well as two North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships.  Representing the team on the University’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Yuskewich was nominated to attend the NCAA Regional Leadership Conference in January 2009.  As a member of Delta Gamma, Yuskewich has held officer positions including Director of New Member Education and Director of Scholarship.  As President of Wittenberg Human Resource Management Association (WHRMA), Yuskewich assists with organizing career workshops for students and administering the Merit Award. She also serves as a member of the Student Appellate Board and several honor societies including Alpha Lambda Delta, Tau Pi Phi, and Order of Omega.  Yuskewich is interested in pursuing a career in the field of marketing.

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 About the Entrepreneurial Business Award: The EBAward was initiated by Louise Lambert, President of Junior Achievement, Ed Levental, General Manager of Valco Industries, and Pamela Schindler, Director of the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management in 1997. Together their common interest in education and business vitality led to the idea of showcasing local business success stories. The EBA recognizes and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit and practices of area companies by recognizing businesses that have implemented innovative ideas to better serve their customers, enhance the skills of their employees, improve their competitiveness or benefit the community. The EBAward has been a student-managed project in the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM) since its inception. Past winners include: Oxiem Marketing Technologies , Comfort Keepers, Safety Through Engineering, The Happy Soul, Young’s Diary, Freedom Feeds, Kapp Construction, Ohio Feedlot Inc, Rothschild Berry Farms, Rittal Corporation and Acusource.

 About the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM): Wittenberg Center for Applied Management (WittCAM): The Wittenberg Center for Applied Management, better known as WittCAM, offers alternative coursework to upper-level students who are focused in management. As an alternative to a classroom-based course, WittCAM provides students the opportunity to serve as consultants to businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Students and organizations have a choice of opportunities, including: Small Business Institute, Project Management Assistance, Management Internship, and the Creative Advertising Partnership. Students may work in groups or as individuals on projects. Some projects require specific management course prerequisites; these vary depending on the nature of the project. Directed by Professor Pamela Schindler, more than 467 students have been involved in WittCAM projects in the last 30 years.