The trade show was a great experience for all of us to showcase what we have been working on all year long. We got yet another networking opportunity with our community members. Getting to explain my business and show everyone what it is all about was very exciting and made me feel some sense of accomplishment.

05/05/2018

We visited Lilly’s on the square. This is such a great business that Charlie Bair runs and all proceeds go to the Food For Thought program which I think is truly unique. This is a great asset to our community and I’m glad we got to visit and network with him.

We went to Homestead Lumber in Carthage. John Schwartz talked to us about how he came into owning the business and all of the changes he has seen it go through throughout the years. I think it is neat that we have a place like this in our community because like Mr. Schwartz said, when you have to travel far for one little thing for a project it can be a pain and having something so convenient in our town is really nice.

04/28/2018

We visited Baby Bliss and Rural Bliss on the square. Cortney talked to us about how she got started and her motivation for opening these stores in our community. I liked how she shared her goal of expanding her online presence. She is proof that if you see a vision or a need in a specific area, it pays to take chances.

04/14/2018

On Tuesday, we got the opportunity to speak to Mrs. Greta Wetzel about the Hospital Foundation Gala. We were lucky enough to get chosen to be servers for this event on Friday. This was a great chance for us to network and get our names and faces out to some members of our community. She explained what all the Hospital Foundation does, including raising money for various needs within our community. This year, their big project was to purchase a bus for the elders at the nursing home so that they can get out and explore what our county has to offer.

We took a trip to Quincy to visit Royal Printing. Dan Asbury is the owner of this successful printing company. Honestly, I had no idea what all had to go into a place specified for printing purposes so when I walked into the building for the tour, I was shocked to see what it was all about. I really enjoyed hearing about his story of how he got started in this business.

David Rye has started renting out apartments on the square that he and his wife have spent hours upon hours renovating by themselves. This visit was very interesting, because going into it I had no idea what to expect. That is something that is truly unique about this class, getting to go and see places that you never would have known were there before and that for sure was the case for this visit. He also owns the Re-stock Room which was started in part of simply getting tired of driving far away to get parts and supplies for the remodeling of the upstairs apartments.

04/07/2018

On Monday and Tuesday this week, we got to learn about CNH Industrial located in Burlington, Iowa. Monday, we got to tour the factory and see how all of the equipment is made. We also got to view how everything operates with so many employees and tasks that need to be accomplished. It was very interesting to see every part of this plant, from the offices to the
welding areas. I was fascinated by seeing how much work and preparation goes into making each part of the finished product. Tuesday, Mr. Chris Talley talked about the company in detail. He brought in a model backhoe and we were able to see how it worked and operated on a much smaller scale. I had no clue how large their company was and how many different jobs were within the entire operation and learning about all of this was extremely informative and interesting as well.

03/31/2018

Thursday, we went to Nauvoo. This was my favorite visit of the year. The three ladies we spoke to were just so enthusiastic and seemed to really enjoy what they did. Ellen was the owner of The Apron who has been very successful since her opening and stressed how important customer service was to a thriving business. Helen was the owner of Annie’s Frozen Custard which was fun to get to see and learn about how she got started. We also talked to Sharon who was eager to tell us about all of the events happening in Nauvoo. I learned so much about the small town that’s only a thirty minute drive that I never would’ve found out before.

Friday, we took a trip to Zumwalt Farms. We got to talk about having a family owned business which included hearing about the positives and negatives as well as the sales side of the industry. Although I have grown up in such an Ag based community, there is always so much more knowledge to acquire and that’s always a very exciting thing.

03/24/2018

On Monday, we started our new home base at Lake Hill Winery. We went over some of the things we have learned and talked about this year.  I think we all realized how much information that we have gained throughout this course and look forward to what we have in store for the last quarter of class time.

We met with our mentors to show our final business plans and financials. There was a lot to take into consideration and for sure a lot of work to be revised but it was really good to already have a base of where I had started. It was great to ask questions and have someone available to answer truthfully.

On Wednesday, we had banker day. I think this is a very special and unique part of this program. It was an awesome experience that not everyone gets to have in high school. We
presented the bankers our entire business plans one on one and got to hear their thoughts.

We went to visit Wear Drug and Lake Hill Winery. The pharmacy was interesting in the fact of getting to learn how they started out and how much they have grown
since their opening. The winery was really cool to get to see the behind the scenes and how it all operates. I had no idea how much equipment went into this business and all the work
as well. It’s great to learn how they have thrived with these two businesses in our area.

03/17/2018

On Monday, Trevor Sandidge came to talk to us about our personal businesses. He was able to give us advice based on his real life experiences. It was interesting to find out what his life is like after CEO and how this program has helped him. He is a great example of how to start a successful business through this class.

Kendra and Elizabeth presented their chapter of the book on this day and it was basically saying that when in a conversation if you want a positive result, you need to have a
positive tone while conversing.

On Thursday, we had our last student recruitment breakfast in Augusta. I really think these breakfasts are a great tool to let potential students know all of what CEO is about.  It’s crazy to think of how far all of us have come throughout this program.

03/10/2018

On Monday, we had a student recruitment breakfast in Warsaw. I think these breakfasts are great tools to use in order to see and meet some of the potential students who may decide to
take advantage of this great program. I like how we did the team communication activity which was highly listening based. This showed how important communication is in order to complete a task.

On Tuesday, we finished our presentations in front of some board members. They offered great advice and it was really good to get some feedback on my business plan. This presentation was also great practice to see how I’m going to market and sell my service. It really made me think and want to get my personal business started.

03/03/2018

Amy Bruenger from First Bankers Trust come to talk to us about business plans. Her advice was greatly appreciated and will be in consideration as I finish my business plan. I liked how she came after we had turned in our rough drafts, because if she had talked about everything before we had started, my brain would’ve been overloaded with information that I would have had no idea of what to do or where to start.

02/24/2018

On Tuesday, we got the chance to meet with our mentors and discuss our business plans. Craig said the best way to figure things out and finalize details is just to do it. To make a product and see how it all turns out. He helped me by finding comparisons of much larger companies who do things similar to me. I’m excited and of course a little nervous to get my business started.

02/17/2018

On Friday we visited WIEC. My Grandpa used to work there and I still learned so much about the co-op that I had never known before. I never actually knew how an electrical co-op operated or why or even where. The amount of opportunity and success is endless in our rural community and as I learn more about it, I am very grateful to be a part.

The highlight of the CEOlympics for me was the feeling of success after the event. The speaking portion was a great opportunity for all of us and just the networking factor was great as well.

02/10/2018

Brandi Johnson came to talk to us about sales. She gave a lot of great tips on how to make a great sale and how to make yourself, as well as your brand, more presentable.

Maggie Strong spoke to us about personal branding. I really enjoyed her as a speaker not only because of her spontaneous personality, but I found the topics that she described in detail very interesting. She, like Brandi, talked a lot about social media and how it can affect your reputation. She also discussed the importance of networking which I never would’ve believed before participating in the CEO program. This has been one of the biggest lessons I have learned throughout this course.

01/27/2018

After much discussion with my two mentors, I have been actively considering changing my personal business to one of my original ideas. I enjoy having mentor mornings, because we all receive positive criticism that is always for our best interest. I think having two mentors is great, because then we can all bounce ideas off of eachother and I have double the networking opportunity. These mornings with mentors are extremely beneficial to all of us and I am happy we have decided to have the mentor mornings.

Rachel Lewis came to talk to us about marketing and her personal business that she is still continuing while in college. Listening to her experience was exciting because it is somewhat soothing knowing that she was once in our position trying to successfully put on a class business as well as a personal business.

01/13/2018

On Wednesday, we went on a business visit to CVS. Jared Murphy talked to us about the various positions within the company. This was very interesting to me, because I honestly didn’t know how much went on in those few companies and how massive that business truly is. It was crazy to walk through the whole building, because we have been meeting there for the entire second quarter and I had no idea of some of the behind-the-scenes work or areas of emphasis that are all accomplished within that building.

12/16/2017

We visited Memorial Hospital to check out the clinic side of the facility. We were in company with Stephanie Meyers. She was a great speaker who explained her path of getting to where she is now as the Clinic Director. She is in charge of five clinics, these include; Carthage, Colchester, Bowen, La Harpe, and Warsaw. I enjoyed learning about what she does on a daily basis in order to keep these specific places running smoothly.

12/09/2017

On Monday, we started working on the fine details of our class business. This is an exciting process, because we get to see what all needs to go into this event to make sure it runs smoothly. This, of course, is also what makes this a difficult task to accomplish. With communication and hard work, I know we can make this happen.

12/02/2017

After pondering ideas and a very extensive decision making progress, we finally came to an agreement on our class business that meets all of our goals we are trying to reach with this project. I’m eager to see what the next plans of action are with this project.

On Tuesday, we got to finally meet our mentors. I was very excited about this day, because in my opinion, the mentor program is one of the biggest tools that sets this class apart from any others. This program pairs us each with a community business person in order to ask questions and better our skills that we are slowly, yet surely acquiring. My mentor is Amy Graham. I think we will work well together and am thrilled to have this opportunity.

Harrison Monuments was very interesting because of the way it got its start and just the business platform in general. It was started from the owner’s grandfather going door to door  selling monuments for a company.This place was home to a great family business and able to prove how successful you can be even in our rural community of Hancock County.

11/11/2017

Mr. Eric Jackson is a very successful businessman who has had many opportunities not only across the United States, but worldwide!  Some of the main core values that employees of the business world should have that he stressed in his presentation include; trust, relationship, risk, and fail. These qualities are key in becoming successful in any industry. One thing that Mr. Jackson said that stuck out to me was, “Be happy where you are and expect everything to work out.” Sometimes. we all just need to have confidence in our abilities and know that everything will be alright in the end.

One quote that stuck out to me that David Zanolla shared was, “It’s not magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.” If you think about it, this is so true, because the harder you work, the more successful you will be.

11/04/2017

On Wednesday, we traveled to La Harpe to visit First State Bank. Andy Bastert took us through the history of the bank and gave us the inside eye. He also explained the five C’s of credit, which are: Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, and Conditions. These are five steps that will help to maintain a good credit score. Another thing that Mr. Bastert did was take us through the loan process. This was interesting just to hear what goes through the banker’s mind during this time.

10/28/2017

On Monday, our CEO class met at our new home base which is located at the Carthage Vet Clinic. I really like the building and the set up as well. I think it’s awesome that we switch
home bases because some places, such as this one, I didn’t even knew existed. It’s a great bonus to learn more about our small, yet very efficient community.

On Tuesday, Jim Boyd came to talk to our class about business plans. One of my favorite pieces of advice that he gave us on how to become successful was to “listen to people complain.” I think this is so true, because although I have never thought of it, the people who are great listeners are always the ones that have the best ideas. My belief is that these people stem from these words of wisdom.

10/21/2017

Our class visited Sharpe Real Estate.  Some of the advice that Holly Whitaker gave to us was to always be willing to give a little and I think that this not only great advice in this situation, but life in general.

On Friday, we went to visit the Hancock County Farm Bureau.  I really enjoyed listening to her (Kristin Huls) talk because her positivity and love for her job was
clearly shown.

10/14/2017

On Monday, we worked on visualization. We did some brainstorming for our personal businesses and I’m pretty excited about it. Seeing and thinking about what you can do really sparks some interest and I am happy to get started on both that and the class business.

09/30/2017

On Monday, our CEO class did a team building exercise with red solo cups and rubber bands that had four strings attached to it. The goal of this project was to stack the cups into a pyramid, only using the strings to expand and shrink the rubber band. This task was extremely challenging and we soon learned that this activity would not work without the help and communication of everyone in the group. I believe this was beneficial to our class because I personally think we still struggle with communication, so little things like this help us grow closer and work together to achieve a common goal.

On Wednesday, Mr. Terry Pope came to talk to our class about himself and what he does as the Executive Director of Hancock County Economic Development. His main goal working in this position is to keep companies in Hancock County. I think this is important because only being in this class for roughly a month, it has already taught me that small business are the one thing keeping our communities together and helping these towns to be successful. One thing he stressed while talking with us was to always have a plan.

09/23/2017

I learned being in the business world takes hard work and dedication, but persistence will pay off in the end.

09/02/2017