Our Class Business

The Grand Gala:  CEO-nopoly Style
Celebrating Businesses in the Belleville Area

Save the Date - Saturday, February 27, 2016

More information to come regarding sponsorships & tickets!

The Bank of Edwardsville

Bank President, Mr. Robert Mueller, opens up the presentation by asking the students relevant questions.

Mr. Robert Mueller, President/St. Clair County Market
Ms. Molly Watkins, AVP/Center Manager
Mr. Dave DeMond, Loan Mortgage Officer
Mr. Mark Meredith, Financial Consultant
The Bank of Edwardsville - Investor

The Bank of Edwardsville came and talked to our class on Tuesday. Our first speaker, Mr. Robert Mueller, talked to us about the background of The Bank of Edwardsville as well as some of the aspects of running a bank. Our second speaker, Ms. Molly Watkins, talked to us about fraud, scams, and other dangers in our current world. Mr. Dave DeMond followed up with home loans and credit scores and Mr. Mark Meredith finished by discussing the importance of investing and the benefits of starting early.

 Written by Emma Gregowitz

Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd. Tour

Mr. Patrick B. Mathis
Mr. Kevin J. Richter
Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd. - Investor

On Thursday, the students went to Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd.  to speak with Mr. Patrick Mathis and Mr. Kevin Richter, lawyers who specialize in business law, taxation, and estate planning. They discussed how their personal business got started and described the obstacles they faced when growing their firm. They also walked through an outline on how to start-up a business by stressing such points as defining your business, determining other owners, selecting your entity type, starting with adequate capital and knowing it is a key to lasting success, financing, etc. They also encouraged the students that persistence is key and to never fear failure.

 Written by Erik Faulkner & Jessica Stern

Just a Reminder

Our door is always open. Entrepreneurs, visitors, guests, and friends are welcome and highly encouraged to join us. Drop in and share your story with our students or participate in our class discussions. Check out the schedule on the website.

If you are interested in hosting our students for an educational visit about your business operations or would like to speak to the class and share your story, please email the facilitator, Julie Siebers, at jsiebers@bths201.org or call or text her at 618.719.3177.

Journal Tidbits

I discovered a lot about myself this week.  I realized what I really like and what I really do not about growing up and making major decisions.  Belleville CEO has helped answer some of my life's difficult questions.  Where do I want to attend college?  What place, though, is the right place for me?  What do I actually want to do with my life?  How will I be able to approach the obstacles in my way?  Will I let failure define who I am?

This week the group put most of our focus on the class business.  We were able to come to agree on decisions for the event such as the location, date, time, entertainment, and our breakeven.  Also, we attacked the jobs each person has within the business.  The program has been working diligently on figuring out on how to put the business out there to other businesses.  There are still some aspects we have to work out like being open-minded and staying on the task at hand.  Furthermore, money should not be everything.  Yes, some ideas may not seem as plausible or not what we thought we wanted.  Sacrifices have to be made to try to make this occasion as successful as possible.  Overall, I feel we have something great that makes me super proud to be a part of Belleville CEO.  No matter what the outcome is we already have achieved because we planned and organized this business on our own.  We had some help along the way, but we are the ultimate breadwinners in the end.

Bob Mueller, Molly Watkins, Dave Demond, and Mark Meredith from the Bank of Edwardsville came to speak to the class.  I found it interesting how the Bank of Edwardsville established the first bilingual banking center in Fairmont City, IL.  It makes them quite unique.  Having that advantage will attract more people instead one type of ethnicity.  I learned there are several factors I should considered when choosing a bank.  These factors include convenience of banking facilities, ATM availability, customer service, products offered to fit for needs, assist to build good credit, planning for financial future, and budgeting.  Technology has also changed how banking operates.  It is a blessing and curse.  Technology has made it more efficient for people to access their accounts online, yet it has open doors for identity theft.  So, I have to make sure to be careful what I do with money and see where it is going.  To be completely honest, I do not think my future will include working in a bank.  It does not really interest me, but I thought they were very informative with their presentation.

I think Mathis, Marifian, and Richter LTD with Pat Mathis and Kevin Richter was one of my favorite places to visit and speakers to listen.  …What I took away from it is that law and business can intertwine with each other.  Richter did not major in law in college.  He was a business major.  He did not think he wanted to be a financial associate, but look at him now.  Richter looks like he enjoys what he does.  Throughout the presentation, I learned various steps I need to examine before starting my own business: defining it, determining the other owners, selecting entity, capital, financing, and many more.  Also, law is a business within itself.  There is really no downtime because service still has to be provided.  I have to picture life without being paid initially.  Law is not always in a courtroom.  Negotiations can be placed right in an office setting.

Going back to my introduction paragraph about discovering who I am and answering life's challenging questions.  Where do I want to attend college?  I have no idea.  I have a place where I have dreamt on attending since the 6th grade.  Now, I really do not know.  I have seen so many places that I can picture myself for the next 4 years of my life.  I have to be realistic at some point.  Dreams are sometimes meant to be left to make new ones.  Hopefully, I will have a sign telling me wherever I choose to enroll in is the right decision.  In the end, I will end up where I am supposed to be.  Sometimes, it is not where I want to be, but it is where I should be.  I will work hard no matter where I am.  What do I actually want to do with my life?  I have thought about this question constantly.  When I mean constantly, I mean every day.  This week has really opened my eyes to new side of business I never really knew: law.  I started to research law in the fashion industry.  Sure enough, there is fashion law.  I began to read articles about it and how it is connected to business.  I still want to major in International Business and receive my MBA.  Also, I want to attend law school and specialize in fashion law or whatever the closest concentration it is in.  I have narrowed down where I picture myself in my life.  I feel quite content as of right now.  I may change my mind along the way, but at least I can perceive where I see myself.   How will I be able to approach the obstacles in my way?  Will I let failure define who I am?  These two questions can go together.  I will approach obstacles by finding solutions to overcome them.  Obstacles should not be the end of me.  Failure should not define who I am as a person.  Even though I have let failure take over my being, I move forward and persevere.  I prepare for the next hurdle my way.  The tenacity I have inside of myself will push through and help me become successful. 

Written by Sandy Amorado

This week was a learning experience. As CEO, I have learned that it is not as glamorous as one may think. I have had to discuss with the class about acceptable behaviors, responsibilities, and assigned jobs. Being in charge is a lot of hard work. If something doesn’t work it comes back on me. If something does not go according to plan it goes back on me. With handling different situations like running a class meeting, or organizing a time line comes arguments and discussions. Making sure everyone’s opinions are heard and pleasing them all is probably the hardest part. I don’t mind having discussions with people about good or bad things that are going on, but making sure everybody is happy is the most difficult. It is impossible to make sure everyone gets their way. As CEO, you have to compromise your ideas with others and sometimes it is not easy. Each day, I am learning and experiencing different situations.

The Bank of Edwardsville was a good presentation. I enjoyed listening to the four speakers… Their company motto is “The people you know and trust”. This is something every company should have as a policy. Customers or clients aren’t going to come to you if you aren’t trustworthy. Upholding this trust and making sure they are 100 percent satisfied is key.

“You may encounter defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” –Maya Angelou

This quote was given to the class during the Mathis Marifian and Richter Presentation. This quote is very inspirational to think about while working on our class business. Going into this visit, I’m not going to lie and say I thought it was going to be super interesting. I was very surprised to say the least. I should not have prejudged because I thought it was going to be a boring presentation from a few lawyers. I was wrong and liked listening to what they had to say. Some quotes I took from them were: “There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle, putting businesses together.” “If you can do it yourself, do it alone” “Make your odds of being successful greater than failure.” One quote that hit close to home was, “Making it all about money, brings out the worst in people.” The reason being it goes back to our class business. In several of our meetings about the Gala people have been so concerned on how much we are going to make. Although earning a profit is important, that is not the number one thing. This is especially true with it being the first year of the program in Belleville. I think everyone needs to keep in mind that this is a learning experience that we need to make successful all around. 

Written by Heather Gosebrink

On Monday and Wednesday, the class came a step closer to completing the class business. The production committee was able to provide a flyer, invitation and board mock up that should be sent out very soon. I am very pleased to be a part of as well as lead this committee. We are moving at a fast, efficient pace. I am also looking forward to beginning the actual decoration planning for the gala very soon. We also discussed how committed as students we should be to the class. There have been issues in the recent and distant past with individuals who fail to keep their word. To be a student in CEO class means to be “pig-committed.” This means that you have to be willing to put in hard work in order in order to receive a positive result. Overall, the class has been doing very well with this.

On Tuesday, the Bank of Edwardsville visited the class. I enjoyed being able to compare them to the knowledge I have of the Bank of Belleville. B.O.E is the leading locally owned community bank in the metro east as well as #2 in St. Clair County. The bank was able to build its self-up to this point over 148 years! Our four speakers all provided a different set of information. Molly Watkins and Dave Demond’s presentations stuck with me the most. Watkins discussed tech and fraud. She gave a list of what to look for when choosing a bank and ways to avoid being a victim of identity fraud. I never realized there were so many things to look for when selecting a bank. I just went with the bank my mom went with. I’ll definitely keep a lot of information she gave in the back of my head for future reference. Dave Demond’s presentation went over building credit. I was not aware that a person could build credit at any age. While a person may not be able to obtain a credit card till they’re 18, they are able to have their name be put on credit cards with their parents. This made me feel an urge to start building my credit now so I’ll be able to qualify for loans and such.

On Thursday, the class visited Mathis, Marifian and Richter,LTD. Patrick and Kevin were our speakers. The office was beautiful. It was greatly appreciated that they broke down the different types of businesses once more for us. We’ve heard about LLC’s and corporations from another tour but it was very helpful to hear them again. A quote that stuck out to me from this presentation was, “Why be a small fish in a big pond, when you can be a big fish in a small pond.” MM&R decided to stay in southern Illinois due to the lack of firms that do what they do. If they were to move their firm to STL, they would be going against dozens of other firms very similar them. To me this means that where your business is in demand is part of what determines how well the business will do. You must go where your business is the most in demand. I also admire that this firm does not strive to be a very large firm that has a commercial. They know what type of audience they want to attract and concentrates in that one area. They even gave examples of department stores such as Macy’s. Macy’s has been struggling because they strive to appeal to every to point that no one is quite sure who they’re trying to attract. MM&R also stressed that business partnerships are like marriages. You must go in depth with your business partner to make sure they know what each of your jobs are. I definitely will keep this in mind before I decide to go into business with someone else.

It was another eventful week for CEO and I am ready to take on the next.

Written by Melony Allen

This week was a good balance of going to other businesses and working on our class business. 

I hope we can get a lot done next week so that we can get a big chunk done before break. I think we had a setback when we decided to completely change the set up the levels of sponsorships. I'm still not completely sure why we did that when I thought we had that decided last week. But I think it turned out to be okay once we got it figured out. I think once the production committee gets all of its ducks in a row, we'll start moving a lot quicker. I am glad we have a location and entertainment locked in. It was encouraging to hear that the lawyers would pay that much for sponsorship so hopefully others are willing to pay that much. Although I wasn't there on Friday, the invitations that Heather showed me look very nice. The board pieces will look really nice on the thicker board I think. My only concern is that I think we need to have a deadline for when we need to have all the sponsorships in because I know it takes longer for Crotty to print those out on that material. Either that, or send in the sponsors as we get them so it's not a pile up of them in one day.

The group from the bank of Edwardsville had a lot of good information to share with us. I'm glad that they made me aware of starting to build my credit now in order to benefit me in the future. I'm still interested to find out the formula for a credit score. Although he said there isn't really a formula, there has to be some type of regulation or equation that the people who determine our credit score use. The scamming techniques out there are ones that I have never personally experienced and hope I don't have to anytime soon. I had to leave early for the end about banker day, but it sounds like they may have given some tips. Hopefully we go over it and I learn a few things before we have our own banker day. 

I really liked visiting Mr. Mathis and Mr. Richter. I liked how they said that they purposefully decorated their office to draw in a certain crowd. They also did it with marketing. I think that is really important for when we start our personal businesses. It's funny because we actually talked about that in class when we were talking about advertising on that one radio station. I thought the packet they gave us was very beneficial. I actually filled out the pieces that I knew off the bat that I wanted for my personal business which really put into perspective all the things that I don't have figured out yet.

Written by Aliyah Gillespie

We had a good amount of down time this week for our gala and feel like we are finally getting somewhere. I’m glad we changed the amounts on the monopoly board because I think that will be easier for us and more fair for the people.

Wow I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about banking.  I feel like I learned more in that hour and half then I have learned my four years of high school.  …I was really surprised when he said that they the number two bank in the area. Out of all the banks in our area I feel like that is a big accomplishment. Molly Watkins really made me realize that you have to be careful because there is people out there that want to steal from you. I should probably change all my passwords because I made them when I was younger so they are not good at all. When Dave DeMond talked to us about credit cards I didn’t realize that it would be a good idea to get one now. I never really understood credit score but thank God they told us about it because it is really important in life. If you don’t have a good credit score then you can not really buy anything or get a loan. My mom and dad have great credit score so I can get some good tips from then when I’m older. ...When Mark Meredith said that is you save $2000 starting at the age 20 and save that every year till your 65 that you will have $773011. That’s so crazy I hope when I’m 20 I’ll have a decent job where I can do that. Also I’m thinking about getting into the stock market because I heard you can actually get big money on that but as Mr. Meredith said it is a risk but you have to be willing to take. Life is about taking risk so why not. The first thing I will be investing in is Walmart because Mr. Meredith said that is the best thing to invest in right now.

Mathis Marifian and Richter had such a nice office area. It was so simple and beautiful. That’s how I want my office to look. It reminded me of an office on the movies. I like how they talked about risk but they also said its good to take if you know how to control it. I really like when businesses give us a packet because you can always right down everything. There was a lot of things I didn’t know about like corporations and different entities. Also I really liked the quotes in the back. For example, “ You may encounter defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, What you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” That quote is a quote that anybody can relate to and especially people wanting to start their own business.  

Written by Emma Gregowitz  

I got four points from MM&R Law Firm. The first one is defining your market. There are tons of law firms in St. Louis and MM&R could be over competing with all of them but instead there in Belleville where there is much less competition. This has allowed them to much more profitable as a result. The second is looking successful. When every we first walk into a business we judge it based off its appearance. Does the lobby look good or does it look like who did it and what for? Is the receptionist welcoming and nice or the complete opposite? Mr. Mathis and Mr. Richter know that first impressions are important ,so they've made their lobby as welcoming and inviting as they possible can. To them an outstanding lobby shows their customers how successful they are. The third is turning down good workers because of their attitude. It amazes me that they are willing to fire the best lawyers that money can buy to ensure their culture and customer service is unforgettable. My mom works at St. Elizabeth’s hospital and some of the coworkers she works with has terrible attitudes and have even had complaints from patients ,yet they still are working and their attitudes have not changed. The final point is to try not to be everything. Pick one thing that your business will be and be it. People get confused when you have more than one message. This is part of Walmart's success and what department stores like Macy's struggle with. Overall I really enjoyed their presentation and I will definitely be using that packet to help me with my business.

The Bank of Edwardsville is family owned, and like a lot of other businesses they value customer service. You can tell by their motto which is “the people you know and trust”. We also learned about inflation, the difference between bond and stock. Bond is when you loan money from a company, where stock is when you buy a share of a company. Inflation is basically the cost of living and every year it goes up by about 3.97%. One point I got from the bank of Edwardsville is the key to having a very successful business which is finding a need that no one else is selling. To me this is what CEO and being an entrepreneur is all about.

Written by Montez Douglas

Now, the Bank of Edwardsville presenters …had some excellent advice. I remember just a few months ago someone tried to steal my debit card information, so my bank cancelled my card. Well, Molly Watkins mentioned identity theft to us, and before my incident, I never thought something like that would happen to me! But you can never say never. I’m watching out for website scams too because I think I may have contributed to one before, and I think they actually stole some of my money. Well, that also happened with my last last debit card that was cancelled. I am very careful now because I was surely a sucker in the past! I was surprised to know that we can build credit at any age. Dave should have come to our Personal Finance class. I hope that our banker day will be successful because I really need a loan.

At Mathis, Marifian, & Richter, the gentlemen were so helpful and exceptional. Like their personalities were great and they know how to do law and business. What I noticed is that every business we’ve visited, no one took a pay check until about 6 months of starting their business. So, I’m prepared to be the same. They scared me a little when they mentioned that it’s not unusual that people who create new ideas, train people who leave to compete with them. I would hate for that to happen to me or at least my idea. It makes me think of the guy who created the two-wheel balance board. I know he must be a very rich guy, but there are so many other companies that sell that board. I never thought to think that I may run out of money. I just assumed that I’d not get enough. How awful that would be to run out of money and have my business fail. My favorite quote off of the packet was “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” I’m no downer, but I can honestly say I’m looking forward to failing, so I can learn from it. It will make me a stronger and more experienced entrepreneur.

Written by Malik Marks-McRath

First, we had The Bank of Edwardsville come in with a great presentation in a lot classroom. But in all seriousness, it really opened my eyes that I need some credit on my record. If I am going to start a business I am going to need a loan and without credit, it’s nearly impossible to get a fair loan. Also, they brought up a lot of great points about the importance of keeping your identity safe and safety tips for online purchases that can really help us moving forward. Secondly, Mathis Marifian and Richter was a great experience because of their vast knowledge of people starting their own businesses. Those guys had represented all types of people and gave us that packet with a great outline on how to make our own business which I will use for sure.

Written by David Rauckman

On Tuesday The Bank of Edwardsville came to speak to us. I thought they gave a ton of great information. I feel like I need to start building credit… I got to have money first though. I liked how they showed us each part of the bank branches and departments. I now feel that I understand what and how they operate at the bank. I also believed that they were very interested in knowing how little we knew about certain topics. I think they might have been a little disappointed.

On Thursday we went to Mathis, Marifian, and Richter, Ltd. They were very funny and I love how they are going to attend our gala! I also love how they gave us the inspirational quotes. I think that that was very unique and that they were very eye opening to just see some upbeat quotes on not giving up.

Written by Paige Montgomery