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: Champion Company, 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.