The document outlines the agenda for the Better Business Bureau's annual meeting, including the presentation of the 2013 Students of Integrity Awards and key addresses by various speakers. It highlights the importance of integrity, showcasing personal stories of high school students who exemplify this value through their experiences and challenges. The document concludes with a call for integrity in education and leadership, emphasizing the role of character in personal and communal success.

1. Annual Meeting and
Students of Integrity
Award Program
®
2013
Better Business Bureau
Serving Greater Cleveland Presents

2. Today’s Events
7:30
Eat & Greet
8:20
BBB Annual Meeting
Presiding: Ingrid Halpert, Chairman
Weiss Movers, President
Election of Directors & Officers
Election of BBB Educational
Foundation Directors
Vote on Proposed Amendments
to BBB By-Laws
“Not Your Father’s BBB”
David Weiss, President
BBB & BBB Educational Foundation
Board Recognition
8:35
Presentation of BBB’s 2013
Students of Integrity Awards
Presenters
Karen Schuele, Dean, Boler School of Business,
John Carroll University
Scott Miller, Vice-President & General Manager,
Dominion East Ohio
8:55
Keynote Speaker & Address
Russ Mitchell
Lead Anchor, WKYC-TV 3

3. BBB Board of Directors
Chairman: Ingrid Halpert, Weiss Movers
Vice Chairmen: Ella Fong, WVIZ/WCPN Ideastream
and Moreen Bailey Frater, WEWS NewsChannel 5
Secretary: Jim Lineweaver, Lineweaver Financial Group, Inc.
Treasurer: Bill Mann, Joseph, Mann & Creed
Immediate Past Chairman: Marlene Herman, Aamco Transmissions
President: David Weiss
Hal Becker
The Becker Group
Patrick Hurst
Hurst Design-Build-Remodeling
Jay Seaton
Apprisen Inc.
Terry Bishop
Dominion East Ohio
Chris Kamis
Absolute Exteriors,
Paul Wadsworth
P.K. Wadsworth Htg
Marc Blumenthal
B & B Appliance
Linda Kane
Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
Charles Wien
Marshall Carpet One
James Drozdowski
North Coast Container Corp
Donna Mintz
Comfort Seal Windows & Doors
Bill Woodburn
Choice Relocation Mgmt
Greg Faustina
The Plumbing Source
Ed Montgomery
North Coast Seal, Inc.
Mitchell Zlotnick
One Wish, LLC
Andy Fiffick
Rad Air Service Centers, Inc
Sherrill Paul-Witt
Trolley Tours of Cleveland
Dan Geller
Fish Furniture
Alex Petrus
Guidestone
Bob Gillingham
Bob Gillingham Ford, Inc.
Elena Ray
PNC Bank
Tom Holland
Cary Root
Holland Paving & Sealcoating Root-InfoTech
Legal Counsel
Jeremy Gilman
Benesch, Attorneys at Law
BBB Staff
David Weiss, President
Sue McConnell, Senior Vice President
Brigid Woodland, Program Director
Ericka Dilworth, Director of Trade Services
Christine Roberts, Business Development Director
Trade Practices
Barbara Andersen
Peter Brodnik
Betty Creter
Nichole Means
Sirita Queen
Lauren Roth
Ed Streich
Lou Tekavcic
Melissa Trahan
Rhonda Whitelock
Customer Service
Cheryl Horton
Linda Jaquays
Social Media &
Communications
Sara Jennings
Accredited
Business Services
Laura Fitzgerald
Janice Lightner
Business Relations
Cindy David
Rosemary Farnsworth
Michael Seale
Project Director
Brigid Woodland
Data Quality Coordinator
Mary Hanes

4. Congratulations to these outstanding high school seniors who were chosen
to represent their schools in the Students of Integrity Competition!
Daniel Baran
Emily Beck
Nichelle Blake
Janessa Brickman
Sarah Brook
Benjamin Bunnell
Cassandra Cameron
Nicole Chesnokov
Elizabeth DeMarco
Matthew Dober
Mark Friedel
Brianna Hawkins
Julia Herendeen
Deisjia Hocker
Emily Hutchison
Bryan Jackisch
John Kelley
Christopher Kenzig
Doo Hee Kim
Juliana Kosik
Richard Kraay
Kevin Kuang
Susan Lefelhocz
Leah Lindak
Kaylee Losch
Joshua Loveland
Alexandra Marincic
Allison Marton
Zachary Miller
Agnes Mirando
Anfernee Myers
Austin Overberger
Jennifer Polito
Amy Ritchie
Emma Ross
Julianne Rossman
Sarell Shaw
Abigail Skolnik
Alexander Spanos
Elizabeth Stanitz
Shardá Symonette
Jami Tatulinski
Emma Taylor
Shanice Winston
Independence High School
Elyria Catholic High School
Richmond Heights High School
Holy Name High School
Jefferson Area High School
Lakeside High School
Berkshire Jr/Sr High School
Hathaway Brown School
Midview High School
Benedictine High School
West Geauga High School
Solon High School
Thomas W. Harvey High School
Euclid High School
Open Door Christian Schools
Perry High School
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School
Cuyahoga Hts High School
Orange High School
Edgewood High School
St. Ignatius High School
Maple Hts High School
Andrews Osborne Academy
North Ridgeville High School
Rocky River High School
Ledgemont High School
Garfield Hts High School
Parma Community High School
Brecksville Broadview Hts High School
Gilmour Academy
Berea-Midpark High School
Grand Valley High School
St Joseph Academy
Madison High School
Cardinal High School
Riverside High School
Whitney M. Young High School
Firelands High School
Brookside High School
Beaumont School
Jane Addams Business Career Center
Mentor High School
Pymatuning Valley High School
Warrensville Hts High School

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 much
more 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Honorable Mentions
Popularity is not always the best option, as
being in a collective group, an individual can
become passive to the majority rule. I strive
to 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.
~ Kevin Kuang
Maple Heights
High School
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
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 volunteering 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
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.
~ Bryan Jackisch, Perry 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
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.
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
~ Leah Lindak, North Ridgeville High School
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
[After turning in $90 in cash found on the street,
afternoon swim, too little time in the day to
thus moving a friend to do the same...] I think
accomplish all tasks. However, impressions can
the world has seen enough of telling other people
still be made, and by holding to moral standards,
how to live their lives. Instead, I want to lead by
what seems like the worst part of the year, can
example. That, above anything else, will motivate
become an elegant transition from the colorful
people to follow a life of character and integrity. Put
autumn leaves to elegant snowy, winter trees.
simply, by planting one good action, I hope more
will follow, both from me and from others.
~ Mark Friedel, West Geauga High School
~ Richard Kraay, Saint Ignatius High School

11. Russ Mitchell
Lead Anchor at WKYC-TV 3
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-toEye 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.
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12. Special Thanks to
®
Mission Statement
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service organization that advocates ethical,
responsible conduct in the marketplace.
Through the support of business members
sharing its goals and standards, the BBB
offers programs which promote informed
buying and giving decisions, truthful
advertising and selling practices, and the
resolution of marketplace disputes.
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