It was a really fun experience to watch all the kids work together and compete in the various challenges during the presentation at the middle school.  

05/12/2018

Tuesday was a very hectic day for me. Without the help of my mentor, Kristin, and my classmates, the trade show would not have gone half as well as it did for TJ Snax.

05/05/2018

On Tuesday we were visited by Greta Wetzel from the Memorial Hospital Foundation. She is tasked with the very difficult job of planning events and fundraising for the hospital and its different branches. Her job is something I could never do but she fits well and obviously enjoys which is an awesome thing to see. Her energy made me not only want to help her event on Friday but be excited about doing it for her.

We visited Mr. Asbury at Royal Printing. I had never seen a modern print shop and it was cool to get to see the process the things he prints goes through. With the modern aspect of a business comes the price aspect also. I had no idea when we first arrived that such a modest looking building would house such expensive machines or that printing machines would be that expensive!

04/07/2018

Our only two days of class were spent touring the Case facilities and talking with Chris  Talley from the Case company. This visit was very cool because we got to see things that most ordinary people would not get to see. I also personally thought it was really cool because I like the mechanics and engines and welding parts of a business like Case and we got to see all of those things on our visit. 

03/31/2018

On Monday we were visited by Trevor Sandidge, a former student and owner of TJ Enterprises. It was very cool and helpful to get feedback and words of wisdom from someone who has graduated the class and going to college and has continued his business.

03/10/2018

On Wednesday we were visited by Amy from First Bankers Trust in Carthage and she spoke to us about business plans. Her presentation was very helpful in writing our own personal business plans and the slides she provided helped fill in and make my own business plan fill up.

02/24/2018

On Friday we visited WIEC in Carthage. I didn’t realize that the company has been around for as long as they have been or how spread out they actually are. I also didn’t know that there was that much of a difference between co-ops like WIEC and companies like Ameren. It was cool to hear about how the electrical companies are having to adapt and change due to the new forms of energy.

Tuesday was they day we have been preparing for, for the last 3 months. Overall I think it was a huge success and I am very proud of how well prepared we were. I am very happy with how everyone's speeches went. The food was great and the people were awesome so that made the event even easier for us to host.

02/10/2018

We were visited by Nathan Harnetiaux in our new home base of Fortress Bank. He was a very cool financial guy to hear speak because he has worked both sides of the spectrum. He also gave us a much needed quick lesson in finance.

01/13/2018

Before talking with the employees of CVS, I didn't realize that there is international business being done in Hancock County and how important Carthage is in the swine market.

On Thursday we visited my favorite place thus far, Utter Hill Dairy farm. It was very cool to see a dairy farm and especially to see the electronic milkers in action. It’s mind blowing to hear about how much of a profit the farm has made just by purchasing these machines. Its also cool to see how he cows have gotten used to these foreign machines and now they are part of the cows daily lives.

12/16/2017

On Monday we visited Ms. Ashley Olin at Mind and Sole Dance Company. She spoke to us about her journey into owning her own business and becoming successful. She also told us how important is is to continue learning and adapting.

12/02/2017

Tuesday was our mentor match day and it was a fun experience that brought us closer with not only our personal mentors but also the other mentors. My personal mentor, Mrs. Kristin Huls, has already helped me a ton with my personal business and I'm sure we will get along great and she will guide me to a very successful business.

Wednesday was a big day for not only our class but also myself personally. We chose our CEO of our class business. This is big because before last week we were not even sure what we were going to do as a business and now not only do we have a set idea but we now have leader and a structure for how it will be run. I personally, as the CEO, want to see this class and our business exceed our goal and also be remembered as something awesome for the community that came from this class.

11/11/2017

Thursday we were visited by Mr. Kent Probst from Effingham. He was the facilitator for one of the first CEO classes ever so he has seen what has worked and what hasn't worked. He was a very good speaker and he was very easy to understand.  I think he might be the most influential speaker we have had. He really helped to put a perspective on our class as a whole.

10/21/2017

On Tuesday we were visited by Ms. Honey Zimmerman and she spoke to us about supply chain management. Before her visit with us, I really had no clue what supply chain management was or how important it was to a business’s success. I also didn't realize there are 2 different types of business sales, business to business and business to consumer.

10/07/2017

On Wednesday, we were visited by Mr. Terry Pope. Mr. Pope is the Economic Director for Hancock County. While he was sharing his experiences and knowledge with us, he said 2 things that stuck with me in particular. He said, “Make a presentation without saying a word.” and “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

09/23/2017

Ms. Tracy Engstrom come in and talked to us about business etiquette. It was probably the slowest breakfast I've ever eaten but I also have never had to make sure my knife and fork were laid on the plate differently according to whether I was done or not. I also learned that simple body language and the color of my dress shirt can mean a lot when it comes to communication.  I think it was a very successful week. We became more efficient as a class as well as learned to work as a team in better ways than last week. I also believe we became more educated about communicating and eating in business with Ms. Engstrom speaking with us.

09/09/2017