C & N Contractors wins 2016 EBA Award
February 12, 2016 Springfield, Ohio - After six months of promoting the award, analyzing nominations and systematically narrowing down the finalists, Asha Toure, Emily Aurigemma, Lauren Gerhardt, and Evelyn Ritzi, Witt Consultants for the 2016 Entrepreneurial Business Award, presented their findings to the managing partners and a winner was finally chosen. The team is excited to announce the winner, C&N Contractors of Clark County.
C&N Contractors is located in Springfield and specializes in providing premier general construction, new construction, green construction, renovation, restoration, additions, industrial construction and much more. They have shown a unique sort of innovation in receiving Platinum certification on the Bushnell Building. The Platinum Certification is the highest certification that can be given. This is based off of five design categories, which include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, and indoor environmental quality. C&N contractors also holds a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification which is a part of the US Green Building Council. Founded in 1961, C&N contractors has been serving the Springfield area with premier construction concepts for decades. C&N is led by Plato Pavlatos, its president. Customer satisfaction is still the number one goal.
The award will be presented to C&N at the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Banquet on May 19, 2016. The award committee is managed by Security National Bank, Junior Achievement, and the Wittenberg Business Department.
EBA PRESS RELEASE Nov. 9, 2015
October 8, 2015 Springfield, Ohio- On October 8, the Entrepreneurial Business Award team hosted a luncheon at Wittenberg University to nominate businesses for the 2015-2016 EBA award. In attendance were representatives of EBA's sponsor organizations, Security National Bank and Junior Achievement of the Mad River Region. Also sending representatives to the luncheon were the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Clark County Commission, and Wittenberg University. The EBA award is given yearly to a business in Champaign or Clark County that has shown the spirit of innovation, community and a sense of success. From this luncheon, seventeen nominees were selected. The nominated businesses spanned several industries including food and beverage, hospitality, metal forming and finishing, injection molding, and interior design accessories. Now, the EBA team will be venturing into the researching and interviewing phase of the project in order to present finalists for the award. The EBA team this year consists of Emily Aurigemma, Evelyn Ritzi, Asha Toure and Lauren Gerhardt who are all Juniors at Wittenberg University.
EBA Firing Up For 2015 Academic Year
Wednesday September 2, 2015, Springfield, OH---WittConsultants Lauren Gerhardt, Emily Aurigemma, Asha Toure and Evelyn Ritzi will be managing and coordinating the 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award (EBAward) process for the 2015 academic year. The EBAward showcases a business from Clark or Champaign County that has shown itself to be successfully innovative in their business approach. The WittConsultants team will create an advertising campaign, plan and promote activities, as well as host events to support the award process. Creating a panel of local leaders to help in the organization and nomination of possible candidates for the award will be the team's first task.
Lauren Gerhardt ('17) is a junior marketing major and Spanish minor from Cincinnati, Ohio. At Wittenberg she is Membership Education Vice President for Alpha Delta Pi sorority, is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honorary Society, Pick N’ Pen Honorary Society, and is a tour guide in the Wittenberg Office of Admissions. Back home Lauren is very involved with her family and she worked as an intern for Phelan Insurance Agency Inc. and is currently a sales associate at the Loft during the summers. Her future aspirations include graduating from Wittenberg University and furthering her education in the hopes of becoming a corporate attorney.
Emily Aurigemma ('17) is a junior Communications major and Sociology minor from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority where she holds the position of Formal Recruitment Chair. She is also a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, a Provost Scholar, and a member of Union Board. In the future, she hopes to work in Public Relations.
Asha Toure, ('17) is a junior from Pickerington, Ohio double majoring in Vocal Music Performance and Communication. She is a student worker at the Wittenberg Health and Counseling Center and serves on the Executive board for both Concerned Black Students and Secretary of Shades of Pearls. In the future, she hopes to find work at a Public Relations firm as a social media and music manager.
Evelyn Ritzi ('17) is a junior from Troy, Ohio majoring in Communication. She participates in Wittenberg Student Dance Company and serves as Public Relations chair for Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She is also a member of Wittenberg Integrated Media Corps and Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, and has written for Links, the Department of Communication newsletter. This past summer, she interned with WDTN-TV as a member of the marketing/promotions team. In the future, she hopes to work in public relations or media production.
Sheehan Brothers Vending Wins 2015 EBAward
Tuesday, March 3, 2015, Springfield, OH - After six months of promoting the award, analyzing nominations, and systematically narrowing down the finalists, Linzey Rice, Danielle Mace, and Emma Ficke, the team for the 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award, presented their findings to their managing partners and a winner was chosen. The team is excited to announce the winner, Sheehan Brothers Vending of Clark County.
Sheehan Brothers Vending is located in Springfield and specializes in supplying various forms of vending, including full-line vending, office coffee, retail catering, water systems, and micro-markets to locations throughout Southwest and Central Ohio. Truly innovative in their production and business practices, they exist on the cutting edge of the vending industry. With the addition of their new "micro-market" mini convenience store concept and Telementry, an inventory processing system, Sheehan Bros. has increased labor and cost efficiency.
Family owned and operated, the company has served the area for decades. What started as a small gumball machine service operation by Dennis and James Sheehan in 1956 has since become one of the most competitive vending services in the area. Despite their size and breadth, Sheehan Brothers Vending is proud to remain locally owned and independent, led by President Maribeth Sheehan Mahoney, in order to serve their customers in the best way possible.
The award will be presented to Maribeth Sheehan Mahoney at the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Banquet on May 14, 2015. The award committee is managed by Security National Bank, Junior Achievement, and the Wittenberg Center for Applied Business.
Applied Business Team Proposes Finalists for 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award.
December 19, 2014, Springfield, OH - Wittenberg University Applied Business team members Linzey Rice, Dani Mace, and Emma Ficke spent fall semester researching innovative businesses within Clark and Champaign Counties. They began the semester developing a nomination panel comprised of business and community leaders. This panel recommended twenty-four businesses for consideration for the 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award.
Since receiving the nominations, the team has been diligently researching each business through phone-screens, on-site visitations, and industry research. On December 3, the team recommended five finalists to the Award's managing partners. The finalists for the 2015 EBAward are: Champaign Berry Farm, Itinerant Studio, Oakview Farms, Sheehan Bros. Vending, and the Simon Kenton Inn.
The judging panel will convene on January 27 to select a winner for this year's award.
WittConsultants begins 18th year of the Entrepreneurial Business Award
September 9, 2014, Springfield, OH - WittConsultants Emma Ficke, Danielle Mace, and Linzey Rice are kicking off the Wittenberg school year with the nomination process for the 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award, or EBAward. The EBAward acknowledges a business in Clark or Champaign County that has successfully demonstrated innovation in its performance. The team of Wittenberg students will spend the semester creating an advertising campaign for the award, evaluating nominations, and coordinating events for public relations and promotion. Nominations for the award will be generated by a panel of local business and political leaders. The WittConsultants team will then research the nominated businesses and narrow the field to a small group of finalists. The finalists are then voted on by the nominating panel to select a winner. The process is supervised by managing partners Louise Lambert (President of Junior Achievement of the Mad River Region), Andy Irick (Vice President of Security National Bank), and Dr. Tim Bode (Assistant Professor of Marketing at Wittenberg University).
Meet the 2015 Entrepreneurial Business Award WittConsultant Team
Emma Ficke '16 is a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio double majoring in Graphic Design and English. This past summer she interned with Fifth Third Bank working on a team to re-vamp their website. Ficke works at the HPER center as a student worker. She is also the Public Relations chair of Sigma Kappa sorority on campus and plays on the varsity softball team. In the future, she aspires to work with a graphic design firm.
Danielle Mace '16 is a junior from Columbus, Ohio majoring in business with a minor in communications. In addition to her studies she is a cheerleader at Wittenberg, a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society. She has also been active in the Emerging Leaders program as well as holding a job as a Resident Advisor. After graduation Danielle plans on attending law school with the goal of becoming a corporate attorney.
Linzey Rice '16 from Van Wert, OH, is a Communication and Dance double major at Wittenberg. Activities at Wittenberg have included the Wittenberg Student Dance Company and serving as Director of Social Enrichment and Risk Management for Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She has also worked in event planning as a member of Class Cabinet and currently holds jobs as a box office manager at Chakeres Theatre and tour guide in the Wittenberg Office of Admissions. Her academic accomplishments include the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, the Wittenberg Honors program, and a Provost Scholar. In the future, Linzey plans to pursue a career in arts administration in New York City, preferably with a dance or theatre company.
Michael Farms Wins 2014 EBAward
Friday, February 7, 2014
Springfield, OH - After six months of promoting the award, analyzing nominations and systematically narrowing down the finalists, Beth Hubbard, Logan Warye, Kim Loofbourrow and Sarah Guilloteau, WittConsultants for the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award, presented their findings to the managing partners and a winner for the award was chosen. The team is excited to announce the winner, Michael Farms of Champaign County.
Michael Farms is located in Urbana and specializes in supplying grocery retailers and food service distributors in Ohio and surrounding states with top quality fresh produce. The truly innovative aspect of the company is that they are a company of many firsts - creating personalized hydrocoolers, microwavable products, and grocery store data analysis programs to name a few. Also, Michael's was the first farm in Ohio to install a center pivot irrigation system in 1965. What started as a small potato farm on 130 acres has grown to be the largest vegetable farm in the state encompassing nearly 3000 acres.
Michael Farms has shown a commitment to the Urbana community for over 50 years. The company is a second-generation, going on third, family owned and operated company that stresses the importance of innovation, common sense and hard work. Michael Farms has 25 full-time and as many as 120 seasonal workers during the harvest season.
The award will be presented to Scott, Todd and Kurt Michael at the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Banquet on May 15, 2014. The award committee is managed by Security National Bank, Junior Achievement, and the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management.
WittConsultants Propose Finalists for 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award
December 10, 2014 
Springfield, OH - Wittenberg University WittConsultants Sarah Guilloteau, Kim Loofbourrow, Beth Hubbard, and Logan Warye spent fall semester researching innovative businesses within Clark and Champaign Counties. They began the semester developing a nomination panel comprised of business and community leaders. This panel recommended twenty-three businesses for consideration for the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award. This was the second largest number in award history.
Since receiving the nominations, the team has been diligently researching each business through phone-screens, on-site visitations and industry research. On December 4, the team recommended three finalists to the Award's managing partners. The managing partners voted that the finalists for the 2014 EBAward are Hays Fabricating & Welding, Wilt PR, and Michael Farms.
Hays Fabricating & Welding is leading the way with fabrication and manufacturing in Springfield, putting the customer first when it comes to custom machining projects. By expanding their manufacturing capabilities, Hays is now known for their problem-solving capabilities and exceptional quality.
Wilt PR, working out of the Tuttle Building in downtown Springfield, provides public relation solutions and training programs for local businesses. Most recently, their work with Airpark Ohio, the Clark County Park District, and the Community Mercy Foundation have put them in the running for the EBAward.
Michael Farms, the first Ohio farm to install a center pivot irrigation system, has grown to be the largest vegetable farm in the state, covering 3000 acres in all. Combining years of experience with the best technology the industry has to offer, the family-oriented farm based out of Urbana, Ohio leads the way in fresh vegetable production.
The judging panel will convene on January 28 to select a winner for this year's award.
WittConsultants Tackles 17th Year of the Entrepreneurial Business Award
October 11, 2013
Springfield, OH--WittConsultants Sarah Guilloteau, Kim Loofbourrow, Beth Hubbard, Logan Warye, are spending their time at Wittenberg working to promote entrepreneurship in Clark and Champaign counties. The four comprise the public relations team for the Entrepreneurial Business Award (EBAward), managed by Wittenberg University.
They began the fall semester developing the advertising to generate ads from the community. Working with the creative staff of the Springfield News Sun to promote the award through various advertisements that they designed that ran during September and October. Throughout this project Beth Hubbard has been working with Mr. John Halsey at Springfield News Sun to produce newspaper ads to promote the definition of the Entrepreneurial Business Award. Six color ads were printed before the nomination meeting on October 9th, 2013. They also managed a nomination panel luncheon comprised of business and community leaders. This panel nominated twenty businesses for consideration for the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award. In addition, they plan on promoting the award at one Springfield Rotary weekly meeting.
Since receiving the nominations, the team is diligently researching each business through online research, phone calls, and site visits. Through this research the team will learn about the many "hidden treasures" these Clark and Champaign Counties county businesses have to offer. The team is currently narrowing the nomination list to a list of finalists. They will be presenting their research finalist recommendations to the managing partners in December and to a panel of judges in January.
The EBAward recognizes a business within the Clark or Champaign County that has proven to be innovative and successful. The criteria include a for-profit company that has been operational for at least three years, represents an innovative company, can provide evidence of success, and a company that tells a compelling story. 2014 is the 17th annual EBAward. The manager partners working with the team are Andy Irick, VP at Security National Bank, Louise Lambert, President of Junior Achievement of the Mad River Region, and Professors Tim Bode, Tom Kaplan, and Pamela Schindler of Wittenberg University. Professors Bode and Schindler also coach the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award team. Additional nominations for the 2014 award are due by November 1st.
Meet the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business Award PR Team:
Sarah Guilloteau, from Le Mans, France, obtained the equivalent of the French bachelor's degree in foreign languages applied to business last year. She is now completing the first year of her French Master's degree while studying at Wittenberg University. With a focus on business and marketing, Guilloteau has worked on various University marketing strategic planning projects. Speaking three foreign languages (French, English and German), she studies business culture on the global stage. Apart from business, she also enjoys being a part of the American International Association, a school organization that promotes culture awareness and diversity on campus. After graduation, Guilloteau plans to pursue a career in marketing.
Beth Hubbard '15 is a junior from West Hartford, Connecticut, double majoring in Communication and Business with a management concentration. She currently interns at Manchester Public Relations, an upcoming public relations firm based in New York, coordinating all forms of social media including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the website blog. At Wittenberg, Hubbard works in the Hagen Center, as a student service coordinator; service has been a major part of her life since her first mission trip to Guatemala five years ago. She holds two positions in her sorority: Vice President of Foundation and a member of Honor Board. Hubbard plays varsity women's lacrosse team and serves as a student athlete mentor. She aspires to work in public relations, preferably in fashion, and ultimately own her own fashion boutiques.
Kim Loofbourrow '15, from Louisville, Kentucky, is a junior Business major with a concentration in marketing, with an Art minor. At Wittenberg, she plays varsity Field Hockey and Women's Lacrosse. A member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, Loofbourrow serves as the Activities Chair. A member of the Honors Program, she is involved in the Emerging Leaders Program and has earned recognition as a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, Academic Coaches Association for Field Hockey (2012), and was a Provost Scholar (2013). Her future plans include graduate school and a career within an advertising firm.
Logan Warye '15 is a junior Business major with a concentration in marketing from Cincinnati, Ohio. She interned with Honest Tea in New York City this summer, working in its marketing and sales department. She traveled to multiple different New England states with a team of field marketers, and participated in sales routes. At Wittenberg, Logan is vice president of communication in Delta Gamma. A member of Class Cabinet, she was in charge of public relations and marketing events last year. Logan is on the Wittenberg Women's Lacrosse team, and will be traveling overseas next summer to compete. Her future aspirations include moving to NYC and working for a large advertising or marketing firm after she completes graduate school.
About WittConsultants
WittConsultants is a project-based learning alternative to traditional coursework offered within the Wittenberg Business program. Students serve businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations, by tackling projects, problems and opportunities. WittConsultants usually work in groups and must meet specific course prerequisites; these vary depending on the nature of the project. Each team is directed by a faculty coach, to assure that clients meet their project objectives. WittConsultants is one of several programs within the Wittenberg Center for Applied Business, directed by Dr. Wendy Gradwohl. More than 530 students have been involved in applied business programs since 1975.