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20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

2015 Celebrating Trust Presented by the Better Business Bureau Center for Character Ethics and the BBB serving central Ohio.

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Letter from Kip Morse President and CEO, BBB serving central Ohio

F Keynoter Paul Rand Businesses interested in stretching their marketing budgets— and who isn’t?—can learn lots from the keynote speaker for the 2015 Torch Award for Ethics presented by the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio. Paul Rand, president, CEO and chief digital officer of Zocalo Group in Chicago, is an expert in corporate and brand communications as well as digital, social and word-of-mouth marketing. He is the author of Highly Recommended, Harnessing the Power of Word of Mouth and Social Media to Build Your Brand and Your Business. Rand serves on the BBB national board and is past president of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

or more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been the vanguard of self-regulation and an ethical marketplace. In central Ohio, we have taken up that banner and expanded efforts with innovative programming to ensure businesses and nonprofits of all sizes in our 21-county region have the resources they need to demonstrate sound ethics and keep our marketplace healthy. It was 1921 when the likes of F.R. Huntington and Edgar Wolfe, along with 15 other community and business leaders, followed the national BBB movement and established a local organization with core values and a longstanding commitment to promoting the highest standards of business ethics and conduct. I have always believed my job as president and CEO is to understand the

Cover and Torch Award profile photos by Tim Johnson

“In 1994, we established the Business Integrity Awards, now known as the Torch Awards for Ethics. Our actions spawned a movement of more than 50 BBBs in North America also celebrating trust-building with Torch Awards programs in their communities.” 2

original need that the founders felt to promote good business ethics and apply it to the needs of today. We have great companies in central Ohio that we need to learn from and celebrate as we continue to share the dream of our BBB founding business leaders. In 1994, your central Ohio BBB started down a path to identify local business leaders who exemplified the BBB mission of their day. To honor them, we established the Business Integrity Awards, now known as the Torch Awards for Ethics. Our actions spawned a movement of more than 50 BBBs in North America also celebrating trust-building with Torch Awards programs in their communities. By 2002, we launched the national award-winning Students of Integrity Awards to honor high school students who personify high character as exhibited through leadership, community service, personal integrity and academic accomplishments. Soon, BBBs around the country followed suit and 45 are now providing scholarships to high school seniors through their own Students of Integrity Awards programs. The Laws of Life Essay Contest was the next offering that was added to the BBB foundation. Nearly 8,000 essays have been written by our youth in Ohio, and now five additional BBBs outside Ohio are involved in this great program. In 2008, we decided to package these offerings in the newly branded BBB Center for Character Ethics. Today, our center is leading 16 additional BBBs in North America to develop Centers for Character Ethics in their communities to help create better leaders, better businesses and a better marketplace. So this year, as we celebrate 20 years of trustbuilding with our BBB’s Torch Awards, we also focus on the future and the needs of consumers and business as we continue to develop programs to advance trust and help the marketplace flourish through the highest standards.

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The

C Bla Co Bu Ex

Six TRUST! Principles: 1. Transformation at the Top: Leaders are reflective and intentionally work to increase manifestations of their own high character in the culture. 2. Reinforce and Build: Leaders reinforce and build a culture of high character ethics. 3. Unite the Team: Leaders unify the organization around a clear purpose and compelling convictions. 4. Steer Performance: Leaders guide organizational performance by implementing high competency management practices.

Torch Awards Illuminate Best Practices in Business Ethics

or 20 years, the Better Business Bureau serving central Ohio has presented its Torch Awards for Ethics to elevate and celebrate commitment to the highest standards of leadership character ethics by for-profit and nonprofit enterprises. Established in 1994, the awards embody the BBB mission of advancing marketplace trust and have been adopted by more than 55 BBBs across the country. Beyond being accredited by the Better Business Bureau, more than 80 central Ohio businesses and nonprofits have been

recognized for demonstrating the highest enterprise ethics as recipients of Torch awards. Torch awards presented by the BBB of central Ohio are intended to encourage businesses and nonprofits in the 21-county area it serves to follow principles and practices of the BBB TRUST! Framework. In 2015, four central Ohio companies and two nonprofits are the latest organizations to be honored with Torch awards for demonstating their commitment to the highest ethical principles and serving as role models of good business.

5. Treasure People: Leaders prize the intrinsic value of people. 6. Enthusiastically Give Back: Leaders generously support the community that supports them.

The six TRUST! Principles have been identified through hundred of interviews, observations and years of consulting experiences with small, medium and large organizations. The principles are basd on the premise that an organization’s leaders are the caretakers of the culture. Culture is a constant; whether it is functional or dysfunctional is a direct result of leadership. Building a culture of TRUST! requires intentional, character-rich action on the part of leadership.

The 2015 Torch awards were judged by a selection committee composed of:

Cathy Blackford, Columbus Builders Exchange

Joe Cole (2015 Judge Chair), Sequent

Michael Dalby, Columbus Chamber of Commerce

Ron Damon, Wood Werks Supply Co., past recipient

Harvey Hook, Rela Leadership

Jerry Katz, Huntington Bank (Retired)

Bill Lhota, CampusParc

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Past ReciPients

KMa electric, Heating and cooling Medium-Size Company

Newark, Ohio 43055 Employees: 26 In business since: 1996 President and owner: Kelly Ault

“We made the ethical decision, and the only correct decision, which was to stay true to our principles. In the process, we earned another loyal customer.” Kelly Ault, owner and President

2014

2013

j Linxus Communications LLC j GBQ Partners LLC j Coughlin Automotive Group

j Buckeye Appraising Inc. j Franklin International j Switchbox Inc. j Varo Engineers Inc.

he electrical wiring job had been completed according to code and the technician had left the work site when KMA Electric, Heating and Cooling got a call from an understandably upset customer. The Columbus woman had turned on her furnace, only to have its control board burn up, rendering the new furnace inoperable. The damaged furnace was not the fault of KMA, but that’s didn’t stop the customerfocused company from making the problem right. KMA had been hired to change the home’s electrical panel. Another company had recently installed a new furnace, but wired the furnace wrong both at the electrical panel and inside the furnace control board. With incorrect wiring on both ends, the furnace had worked until KMA installed the new electrical panel and wired the furnace to it the way it should have been done originally. When the furnace company declined to take responsibility for its mistake, KMA stepped up to install a new furnace at its own cost. “We made the ethical decision, and the only correct decision, which was to stay true to our principles. In the process, we earned another loyal customer,” says KMA owner and President Kelly Ault. KMA ensures it meets its 100-percent workmanship guarantee with follow-up calls when jobs are completed and close monitoring of mail-back customer response cards and social media. Employees are also encouraged to provide feedback,

Kelly Ault, president of KMA Electric, (second from left) meets with employees.

Mitchell Miller at KMA Electric in Newark. either directly to owner Kelly Ault or through an anonymous postal drop box. Participation in the Nexstar Network, a national training and best-practices organization for home service providers, helps KMA meet its commitment to professional development for staff and compliance with high ethical and business standards. The company’s consistent A+ rating with the BBB is another point of pride.

“Instead of a hard-sell, onetime approach, we aim to build a customer for life,” Ault stresses, “and thus instruct our employees to treat their customers as they would want to be treated— honestly and ethically.” KMA promises service excellence. Its application explains, “To us, this means doing what we say we will, when we say we will, to the highest satisfaction and with the least disruption to the customer as possible.”

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2012

2011

2010

2008

j EE Ward Moving & Storage j Heartland Bank j MicroSolved Inc. j Motorists Insurance Group j Safelite AutoGlass j Westerville Area Resource

j Libertas Wealth Management

j Hetter Heating & Cooling j Lancaster Pollard j Rumpke Consolidated

j Kresge Contracting Inc. j Finish Line Building Inc. j HRH j Artina Promotions Products j Waste Management of Ohio Inc. j Jewish Family Services j Maryhaven

Ministry

Group Inc. j Haughn & Associates j America’s Floor Source j Horizon Telcom j Community Shelter Board

Companies

j Lower Lights Ministries

Kern Inc. Medium-Size Company

Grove City, Ohio 43123 Employees: 40 Operating in USA since: 1997 CEO and President: Thomas Brock

“While so many companies were slashing their workforce...(we) kept most of our benefit programs intact following the 2008 and 2009 recession.” Thomas Brock, CEO and President

Robert Green demonstrates one of the production mailing machines at Kern in Grove City.

aving its parent company abroad does not stand in the way of Switzerland-based Kern Inc. paying fastidious attention to issues important to its business interests in the United States, where it has been operating since 1997. The company provides industrial-strength document output management solutions, including high-speed mail insertion and production systems. Its US headquarters is in Grove City, where it is important to the company to participate in community organizations, stay current on industry trends and listen to customers’ and suppliers’ concerns. “The message we received from fellow citizens has been clear: job creation, protection of the environment and homeland security are the main concerns of the people living

in our communities. Kern has responded, and while so many companies were slashing their workforce or eliminating benefit programs, we have increased our workforce and kept most of our benefit programs intact following the 2008 and 2009 recession,” says CEO and President Thomas Brock. Kern is a government contractor and is audited annually to ensure compliance with US General Services Agency requirements. It also partners with Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection agencies to secure its supply chain from drugs, weapons and illegal stowaways in containers coming from vendors and partners in Europe. More than just meeting government requirements, Kern “has a zero tolerance policy towards unethical behavior,” Brock says. Processes in place

to implement that expectation include requiring staff to sign the Kern Business Ethics and Conduct Standards when they are hired and annually thereafter as well as passing an annual test regarding ethical behavior. Kern also uses a purchasing approval process to “prevent employees from intentionally or unintentionally making unethical decisions during the supplier selection process and daily business interactions with our suppliers,” says Patrick Tessier, vice president of process improvement and quality control. Noting, “leaders are not born but made,” Tessier says Kern surveys employees annually, asking them to rank leadership, safety, ethics and other aspects of the company and management. Results are used by senior management to gauge how their behavior and leadership is perceived by employees.

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2007

2006

2005

j Buckeye Basements j Columbus Business First j Expesite j J&D Basement Systems j CarMax Auto Superstore j Homes on the Hill j Children’s Hunger Alliance j Lutheran Social Services of

j Handyman Connection j CrimsonCup Coffee and Tea j R.W. Setter j Valvoline Instant Oil Change j American Red Cross of

j Peebles Creative Group j More Time For You j Roush Honda j Valvoline Instant Oil Change j American Red Cross of

Greater Columbus

Central Ohio

Yoder Concrete Construction LLC Small-Size Company

West Liberty, Ohio 43357 Employees: 10 Founded: 1991 CEO and co-owner: Roberta Yoder President and coowner: Jeff Yoder

hey don’t talk a lot about it, but Roberta and Jeff Yoder’s personal faith practice complements their commitment to high professional ethics. “So much of what we do is how we live our own lives, and we try to promote positive character traits and ideals with leading by example…. We are both committed to leading ethical lives in our personal and business dealings while retaining and seeking employees who fit this culture,” Roberta writes in the company’s Torch award application. The wife and husband jointly

own and operate a concrete construction firm serving industrial and business clients as well as individual homeowners. The Yoders are both active in church and their Champaign County community and encourage employees to volunteer as well. In 2013, the company implemented a leave policy that encourages staff to engage in community service. “Our assistant project manager, Josh, is currently on the volunteer fire department and is often seen rushing out of the office with his radio in hand to assist where needed,” according to Roberta. Yoder Concrete Construction also donates services for a community project each year, such as installing special flooring in a home for troubled children, laying the foundation for a sign and military plane mounted in

front of the Champaign Aviation Museum and building a decorative concrete walk at a 9-11 monument in Urbana’s Freedom Grove Park in conjunction with the local Rotary Club. The company’s ethical practices embrace employees as well, with professional development training offered during the slower winter season, crew leaders encouraged to commend positive behavior and Employees of the Month celebrated with an honorary parking spot and gifts from the company such as a gas card or new work boots. In addition to offering profitsharing, “At the end of each season we celebrate Christmas together with employees and spouses, exchange gifts and have fun. It is a great way to say thank you to each of them and their families,” Roberta says.

Yoder Concrete employees fix a walkway at a school in West Liberty.

“So much of what we do is how we live our own lives, and we try to promote positive character traits and ideals with leading by example.” Roberta Yoder, CEO and co-owner

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2004

2003

2002

2001

j Regency Wallcraft, Inc. j J.S. Brown & Co. j Atlas Butler

j Revealty j Rosati Windows j Progressive Medical Inc. j Park National Bank

j Wood Werks Supply Co. j ConTrak Corporation j The Durable Slate Company j Nationwide

j Owens Construction j Contracting Co. j R. Dorsey & Company j Hopkins Printing Company j Express-Med Inc.

Mid-City Electric Large-Size Company

Columbus, Ohio 43223 Employees: 200 Founded: 1960 President and Owner: Brian Dew

“Rather than worrying about our job titles or ranks, we believe in focusing on the customer. We perform as a team and care for each other like family.” Brian Dew, President and owner

he wires and heavy equipment they connect for a full range of commercial and industrial customers aren’t the only things conveying power at Mid-City Electric. President and owner Brian Dew also transmits plenty of energy as he continuously encourages employees of the electrical and technology contractor to take advantage of opportunities for professional development. The family-owned company includes continuous improvement as a core value— whether through informal leadership training programs or in assignments to serve on problem-solving internal teams and committees. Dew is known as an advocate for his industry and for learning from peers, as demonstrated by leadership positions he has held with the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio and the Central Ohio Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Dew sends employees to Builders Exchange leadership programs and also to special sessions of Vistage International, an executive coaching organization for business and leadership training, and to meetings of his Electrical Mastermind Peer Group, a national network of electrical contractor executives who share best practices in their industry. Other values outlined in the handbook new employees receive their first day on the job are customer focus, consistent ethical conduct, respect for people, job satisfaction and lasting relationships. The values build on founder Jim Dew’s

Denny, Brian and Mary Dew (from left) at the family business; Kyle Burkhart sorts a delivery in the Mid-City warehouse.

integral philosophy of always doing what is right, helping the company thrive for 55 years. A tagline adopted two years ago captures the company’s essence: “Passionately wired, customer inspired.” Brian Dew explains, “This tagline was chosen because it represents our passion for doing what is right and for creating high-quality installations. Not only that, but it translates our appreciation for customer relationships and reaffirms our belief that the cus-

tomer is why we are here.” Leadership titles are not an important part of Mid-City culture. “Rather than worrying about our job titles or ranks, we believe in focusing on the customer. We perform as a team and care for each other like family. Many of our people have chosen to spend their careers with us, and many have recommended us to sons and daughters who chose to follow in their parents’ footsteps,” Dew explains.

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2000

1999

1998

j Haslett Heating & Cooling j Schoedinger Funeral j Service & Crematory j Frank Gates Service Company

j Michael Campbell Builders j HYTEK Material Handling

j Dave Fox Contracting Inc j Excavating Unlimited Inc. j The Longaberger Company

Inc.

j Holt Companies

Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services Large Nonprofit

Columbus, Ohio 43229 Employees: 2,000 fulltime; 500 volunteers Founded: 1922 President and CEO: Laurence Gumina

“My leadership, both personally and professionally, has been and always will be founded upon a sound set of ethical values, behaviors and business practices.” Laurence Gumina, President and CEO

ission and identity are one and the same for Columbus-based Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services. “Serving and caring for older adults isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are,” explains Dana Ullom-Vucelich, OPRS chief human resources and ethics officer, in the organization’s application for the Better Business Bureau Torch Award. OPRS operates continuing care retirement communities, along with home and hospice care, for 73,000 people annually across Ohio and nationally. “As America’s population is at an all-time high for people over 60, advocacy for aging adults will be an instrumental part of how we serve our customer base and the community at large,” Ullom-Vucelich notes in the application. “Each day we hear from those we serve, either customers or employees, about why they came to live or work with us and why they choose to stay. Their individual spirit of service, care for others and honoring the dignity of all people aligns with the outcomes we deliver. In other words, staff values match organizational values, and that is the ultimate unification,” UllomVucelich says. That meshing of personal and professional standards comes from the top of the 93-year-old nonprofit. “My leadership, both personally and professionally,

A therapist works with a resident at Westminster-Thurber, an OPRS community. has been and always will be founded upon a sound set of ethical values, behaviors and business practices,” President and CEO Laurence Gumina says in his letter of support with the award entry. Gumina cites the OPRS mission: “to provide older adults with caring and quality services toward the enhancement of physical, mental and spiritual well-being consistent with the Christian Gospel,” and adds that focus “must be underpinned by steadfast ethical business practices.” OPRS encourages employees to ask themselves four questions to help identify when an ethics

issue needs to be addressed through established channels: •What would my heart say? • What would my family and friends think? • Does it break the law, policy, regulation or OPRS code of ethics? • How would it look in the newspaper or on TV? The organization prides itself on differentiators such as Life Care Commitment, which promises its residents will not have to leave or seek care elsewhere for lack of funds, and Make it Happen®, a wish-fulfillment program to give hospice patients experiences they would like to have one last time.

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1997

1996

1995

1994

j Renier Construction Inc. j Luper, Sherriff & Neidenthal j Highlights for Children

j Cottone Construction Inc. j King Thompson Realtors j Lexford Inc.

j Bell-Haun Systems Inc. j Cheryl & Company j The Kroger Company j OIH Inc.

j E.E. Transfer & Storage j Nelson Auto Group

Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center Small Nonprofit

Columbus, Ohio 43202 Employees: 15 fulltime, 27 part-time, 300+ volunteers Founded: 1971 Executive Director: Bill Owens

“CRC excels in this practice of treasuring people... (with staff that) believes that the greatest asset we have lies within each member of the community.” Bill Owens, Executive Director

he Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center may be a nonprofit, but its work often enhances the business environment of for-profit enterprises in its community. An example is the CRC’s Third Thursday summer series launched this year to entice visitors to its neighborhood and surrounding N. High Street shops. By lending its parking lot and organizational skills, the evenings with food trucks and

live music drew increased foot traffic and led to new partnerships in the community. The CRC also partners with the Clintonville Chamber of Commerce on events including its Student Citizen’s Breakfast and a new “Slice of Clintonville” event. Another approach that sets the CRC apart from other nonprofits is its encouragement of clients to give back as some of the agency’s 300+ volunteers. “This gives us a unique example of how CRC excels in this

Volunteers at the Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center.

practice of treasuring people,” according to Executive Director Bill Owens. “CRC clients appreciate walking through the Choice Food Pantry with someone who can share recipe ideas and tell them about resources for housing and utility assistant that they have tried themselves firsthand. This has built a comradery that helps our clients feel more comfortable about using our services,” Owens explains. The 45-year-old agency recalls its roots as part of the centuryold settlement house tradition with a mission statement that says, “In the best tradition of settlement houses, we respond to the needs of our diverse community to foster safer, healthier and empowered lives.” Within its neighborhood, the CRC promotes efforts to enhance quality of life for the community by serving as the fiscal agent for smaller groups who share its mission, such as Glen Echo Neighbors, and sponsoring other groups meeting a community need, such as Positively Clintonville. Beyond its neighborhood, the CRC bands together with five other neighborhoodbased organizations to form the Columbus Federation of Settlements. Collectively, the federation sponsors training sessions for social service agencies and works to create a greater sense of community well-being and justice. Rather than always looking for money to solve problems, Owens says CRC staff “believes that the greatest asset we have lies within each member of the community.”

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CirClE Of TruST! Marketplace TRUST!

Character Ethics in Business Start with BBB Serving Central Ohio

Customer/Vendor TRUST! Forgiveness for Mistakes

Satisfied Customers

“Currently 14 BBBs use the entire suite of center programs, with more than 50 BBBs using one or more components, including the BBB Torch awards.” Kip Morse, BBB President and CEO

Employee TRUST!

Productivity

Great Performance

Referrals

Creativity

Leadership Character

Positive Relationships

or more than a century, Better Business Bureau accreditation has been synonymous with services and products that consumers rely on to be of high quality. But how can a business or nonprofit— especially a small or mid-sized enterprise aspiring to attain and keep that seal of approval—ensure it demonstrates the highest business ethics? That challenge inspired the BBB of Central Ohio to create what is now the premier national BBB resource for developing leadership character and business ethics programs for local BBBs and offering nationwide research and benchmarking services. The Columbus-

Superior Reputation

Low Turnover

Supportive Venders

New Customers

headquartered BBB National Center for Character Ethics grew out of the BBB of Central Ohio’s Torch Awards for Ethics program, launched in 1994 and also now a national model. Seeds for the ethics-center were sown in 1998 as the Columbus-area BBB began a series of visioning and planning meetings to build the BBB’s capacity to perform leadership character assessment and training. There was a major gap in BBB services, especially for the smaller businesses that BBBs primarily serve, says Kip Morse, president and CEO of the BBB of Central Ohio. “While large companies administer ethics programs driven by compliance requirements, small companies have no ready source of assessment or training—let

Repeat Business

Committed Partners

Ethical Practices

Business Growth

alone recognition—in business ethics,” Morse says. At least they didn’t have those resources before creation of the Torch awards and the Center for Character Ethics. The BBB Center feels their programming can assist both large and small businesses. By 2006, the BBB of Central Ohio had recast the work of its education foundation and adopted the Center for Character Ethics name to describe the groundbreaking work it was undertaking. It soon began research to develop best practices in TRUST! building, using them to create the personal Leadership TRUST! Framework and corresponding Business TRUST! Assessment. This work won the local organization the national John Templeton Freedom Award in Ethics in 2008.

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Business

Around that time, the center also affiliated with Ohio Partners in Character Education to promote and facilitate development and implementation of character education programs in Ohio schools. Not content to keep its work on promoting business ethics assessment and leadership character training to itself, the BBB of Central Ohio appealed in 2009 to the Council of Better Business Bureaus to repurpose its national foundation into a single trust institute with multiple centers of excellence. It took three years after Morse initially presented that vision to the national council for it to formally adopt the centers of excellence strategy in 2012. In the meantime, the BBB of central Ohio entered into an agreement with the council to establish the BBB Center for Character Ethics in Columbus as the first national BBB center of excellence. With more than $250,000 in grants, the ethics center expanded the BBB Laws of Life Program nationally and began consulting with other BBBs across the country to offer Center for Character Ethics programming in their communities. “Currently 14 BBBs use the entire suite of center programs, with more than 50 BBBs using one or more components, including the BBB Torch awards,” Morse says. To help further recognize and promote demonstration of high ethics by businesses and nonprofits across the nation, the Center for Character Ethics also began work in 2012 to establish the International Torch Award for Ethics as a best-of-the-best honor from among those recognized in local Torch awards. With 20 years’ experience in creating and bestowing Torch awards as well as several years’ demonstrated capability in systematically assessing, training and recognizing businesses and their leaders’ ethical conduct, the BBB of Central Ohio and its Center for Character Ethics have become national leaders for good business conduct. Morse is understandably proud of the center’s national scope and reputation. He says the center’s user-friendly suite of services “extends the BBB’s service line into the positive space of helping companies move beyond minimizing complaints to achieving a higher level of ethical performance. In so doing, it establishes BBB as the authority on trust and business ethics.”

Nicely DONE!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TORCH AWARDS FOR ETHICS RECIPIENTS.

TheHumanResourcesPeople.com H R M A N AG E M E N T

WO R K E R S ’ CO M P

SAFETY

BENEFITS

PAY R O L L

“Your Trust Is Our Business”

That statement is how I think about my business everyday. If we don’t give you fair, honest service, we are not going to earn your trust and therefore don’t deserve to be in business.

Our business philosophy is that simple. But, as they say, ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words.’ Fire & Ice is proud to sponsor the 2015 Torch Awards and congratulate the winners. We recognize the recipients’ achievements for ethics in the marketplace.

, Owner

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Scholarships for students of integrity

ith a commitment to building character in youth, the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio and its Center for Character Ethics each spring invites the 265 high schools in its 21-county service area to nominate one junior for Students of Integrity Awards. The awards—presented in their senior year—are intended to lift up students who personify high character through leadership, community service, overall personal integrity and academic accomplishment. Nominees must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4-point scale, as verified by school guidance counselors, and a letter of recommendation on their character from a school official, church leader, employer or community leader. Nominations are then judged by business and academic leaders. Awards are based on students’ academic success, demonstrated leadership, their community service and work experience, and on their interpretation in written essays of one or two ethical principles outlined in the UncommonSense Framework adopted by the BBB Center for Character Ethics. The framework’s 20 principles are divided in four categories that encourage students to be principled and genuine, value others, seek results and display growth. Each Students of Integrity Award winner receives a $1,000 scholarship. The awards are sponsored by Columbia Gas of Ohio.

Megan Cremeans Sheridan High School Activities: Perry County Junior Fair Board, Hugh O’Brian Scholarship Recipient, Student Council Trustworthiness is a virtue that speaks to Megan Cremeans. The senior at Sheridan High School has challenged herself to become as trustworthy as possible. “The Editor in Chief of the school news magazine knows I will have my drafts completed on time, the President of the National Honor Society knows that I will have the flyers of the highest quality designed to her specifications, and the kids I babysit know that I will keep them safe and laughing all evening,” she writes in her Students of Integrity Essay. To Megan, the color blue symbolizes this virtue. “Each day the sky is illuminated a bright blue,” she writes. “Over and over, we have looked to the sky in the morning and watched as the orange faded and a pale blue started to appear. Even when clouds pool in, we know that there is blue sky behind them. In this way, blue is trustworthy.”

The student athlete says that her experiences at home, school and in the community have shaped the effort. Young is an honor student, Future Farmers of America member and a volunteer for the Pickaway County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Reading the UncommonSense principle also impacted her thinking. In her essay entitled, “Living for the Empowerment of Others to Enrich Yourself,” she discusses how the concepts of unity and maturity can impact society. “I firmly believe that to undergo true maturation, you must practice unity with those around you,” she writes. “I also believe that if people exert their energy into empowering others rather tearing them down, the world is a much better place.”

Samantha Young Amanda Clearcreek High School Activities: Track and volleyball team, Student Council, AmandaClearcreek FFF, National Honor Society From the time she was a young child, Samantha Young’s parents challenged her to develop a moral code to live by.

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Madison Weisand Newark Catholic High School Activities: Key Club, Spanish Club, Newark City Youth Council, dance instructor Madison Weisand links integrity to hard work and responsibility. “A person with integrity takes pride in what they do because they know that they have a responsibility to be continually meeting the standards that they set for themselves,” she writes. It’s a character trait that she hopes will help her accomplish her dream of becoming a professional dancer. “There is no better way to show my integrity in dance than to work hard in every dance class that I take,” writes the senior at Newark Catholic High School in her Students of Integrity essay. “Every class brings me one step closer to my dreams of dancing professionally.” She anticipates that integrity coupled with hard work will help her achieve success. “The fact that I have integrity and take pride in my dancing is the fuel that will ignite my inner flame during my dance auditions for college and professional companies.”

Richard Hwang Athens High School Activities: Tennis team, Student Council, Writing Club, Chess Club, Key Club The police-custody death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Md., prompted Richard Hwang to analyze the concepts of forgive-

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ness and justice. At first, he felt that charging the police officers for their acts would be the way for justice to be served. But, the personal stories of those involved in the stories causes him to question his initial reaction. “I came away with a new conception of justice,” he writes. “Justice wasn’t black and white, and it certainly wasn’t about the simple punishment of the bad guys. Justice rectified wrong actions, but sometimes, rectification is not relief—rectification still hurts.” His essay entitled, “To Love the Wrongdoers: Balancing Forgiveness and Justice in our Moral Code,” debates whether it is better to correct or forgive wrongs. “Forgiveness is the key to an immutable justice. When we embrace another individual instead of striking back, we end the possibility of a cycle of violence or aggression. Forgiveness is the most notable form of justice on a personal level.”

‘fit my standards,’ I wouldn’t even take a second look.” Participating in a mission trip and serving as a leader at a church retreat helped change her perspective. “It was extremely freeing to let go of my twisted (and terribly wrong) perceptions of people,” she writes. The experiences taught her to show compassion without worrying about what she receives in return. “When you have compassion for others, you love endlessly without having to be loved in return.”

Lauren Walters

Sophia Fisher is OK with her peers at Upper Arlington High School calling her a nerd or a teacher’s pet. In fact, she considers it to be a form of flattery. “When I told myself that I would never lie, I would never cheat, and I would never

Delaware Hayes High School Activities: Cheerleader, National Honor Society, church retreat leader For Lauren Walters, the adage “treat others as you wish to be treated” isn’t enough. The Delaware Hayes High School student has committed to treat others “better” than she wishes to be treated. In order to accomplish that, the cheerleader and National Honor Society member found that she had to stop judging people. “I used to base my opinion of others on what they wore to school and what grades they received,” she writes in her Students of Integrity essay. “If I thought they didn’t

Sophia Fisher Upper Arlington High School Activities: Speech and debate team, Spirit Club, Upper Arlington Public Library Teen Advisory Board, dance team

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disrespect people, I took a personal vow of integrity,” she writes in her Students of Integrity Essay. “I have kept that vow to this day, and I have yet to regret it.” Throughout her schooling—which has included honors classes, volunteering and the speech and debate team—she has taken pride in her commitment not to cheat. Her actions earned her labels that might embarrass some kids, but Sophia takes pride in the way she has carried herself. When many of her peers got punished for cheating, she could hold her head high. “I can take pride in my accomplishments because I know I can achieve great things without cheating,” she writes. “I can be proud of my grades because I know they are a direct result of hard work.”

“I helped Yu learn English; a feat my fourth-grade self never thought she would achieve.” Courage allowed her to not only stand up to a bully but seek help from adults. “Telling my story over and over again to my teacher, guidance counselor, and ultimately a vice principal took a lot of courage,” she writes. “It takes a lot of courage for me to go through my life and still talk to the boy who bullied me every day at school. I have learned how to move on and forgive him, so I can try my best to learn from the experience.”

Akeem Adesiji Whetstone High School Activities: Soccer team captain, National Honor Society, Student Ambassador

Grace Alford Dublin Coffman High School Activities: Principal’s Advisory Committee, first chair trumpet player, marching band, freshman mentor Grace Alford attributes her success as a leader to courage. “Without courage, a character cannot perform to their fullest potential,” she writes in her Students of Integrity essay, which explains how having the courage to do the right thing has made her stronger and wiser. In the essay, she recalls the courage it took for her as a fourth-grader to befriend a student from Korea. “Courage helped me be compassionate towards Yu,” the Dublin Coffman High School senior and active band member writes in her Students of Integrity essay.

Although he’s an honor student, good grades are not top of mind when Akeem Adesiji goes to school. “I go to learn, because an A on your report card doesn’t lead to change. Knowledge does.” he writes in his Students of Integrity Essay. “Learning is just the first part…, and the mentoring part is just as important, because what you do with what you know is more important than what you know.” The Whetstone High School senior is already working with young people and making a difference in their lives. He works as a hockey coach and has organized a charity basketball game. He is focused on the future and what he can do to improve the lives of others. “I am a firm believer that you are never too young to make a difference, and I know that what I do does make a difference.”

Caroline Scott Dublin Jerome High School Activities: Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, Celtic Advisory Program, Spanish Club, Junior Cabinet, church youth group Caroline Scott sees a connection between responsibility and excellence. “When one fulfills his personal responsibilities, he is striving to do his best,” the Dublin Jerome High School student writes in her Students of Integrity Essay. “When each individual takes responsibility for his or her designated job, the team benefits.” Her views have been shaped by taking challenging classes and participating in the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee, the Spanish Club and a mentoring program for younger students. The rigor of Advanced Placement American

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History “shocked” Scott and many of her classmates. Some even dropped the class. “I attacked each class with enthusiasm, never missed an assignment or project, always took notes and studied into all hours of the night.” She earned an A- in the class. “I achieved excellence in this class because each day I strived to be better than I was the day before,” she writes.

Madison Wells Pleasant Local High School Activities: Student Council, Spanish Club, National Honor Society and volleyball, soccer and track team Compassion is closely intertwined in Madison Wells’ definition of leadership. “Leaders are not just people who can give directions, but people who can communicate with those around them, they are not afraid to get dirty with the rest of the group, and they would not ask anyone to do anything they would not do themselves,” she writes in her essay. Her ideas of leadership were solidified during a volleyball tournament where she had the opportunity to allow a middle school student to play a full rotation even though she wasn’t the best player. Wells told the rest of the team that she wanted the younger student, who suffers from depression, to play and encouraged the player throughout the game. “We won that third game and ended up winning the tournament,” she writes. “The huge hug and thank you from her is what made me realize being a leader is not just ensuring that your team wins, but how you get there.”

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