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Our Grand Gala - Platinum Level Sponsorships:

Effingham's CEO Experience

The Effingham CEO Experience kicked off with comedian and writer, Jon Acuff. His newest book “Do Over” talks about change and how to deal with it. At the CEO Experience, Mr. Acuff talked about how (relationships + skills + character) x hustle = career savings account. In life, one needs all four of these attributes for their career to be successful.  Mr. Acuff talked about when a voluntary-negative thing happens, it’s called a ceiling and this is when one's skills are needed. An involuntary-negative situation is a bump. This is when relationships are important and one sees who their real friends are. The other two are on the positive side.  A voluntary-positive situation is a jump; one will need good character to make the jump. The last one is an opportunity which is an involuntary-positive situation.  One must hustle in order to take advantage of an opportunity. 

Written by Montez Douglas

Our Grand Gala - Gold Level Sponsorship:

Mr. Mike Riley

President of Professional Therapy Services, Inc. - Investor

Mr. Mike Riley is an expert in the field of physical therapy. Starting as a physical therapist, he now owns his own company and has been very successful. In his presentation, he gave the students practical advice that he has learned from his years of experience, such as the concept of being a ‘mission driven’ company, the importance of accounting, the opportunities in healthcare, and ‘leadership training’. He is very devoted to his career and often travels to Springfield to fight for Physical Therapy causes. Our class learned a lot from him during his visit.

Written by Alan Plantz

Our Grand Gala - Silver Level Sponsorship:

Class Work

This week has been full of anticipation for the Belleville CEO class. We're all excited to finally work on our personal businesses - specifically our business plans. Our facilitator, Mrs. Siebers, is a wealth of knowledge as she assists us in our work. Besides that, our class has spent time discussing relevent issues as they come up with our class business, the 'Grand Gala'. Every day has something to offer in CEO!

Written by Jessica Stern

Our Grand Gala - Bronze Level Sponsorship:

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.

Our Grand Gala - Pewter sponsor:

Journal Tidbits

…we did have one speaker on Thursday. Mike Riley, brother of Joe Riley. Mike is a licensed physical therapist. He owns and runs a business that sends out physical therapists to hospitals doctors and any other facilities that are in need. Then the facility pays Mike so that way they do not have to go out and hire people individually. He has a contract with St. Elizabeth’s. I think that it is cool how even though them moving is a disaster for everyone; it is not for them. The people who work for the hospital will just simply follow the hospital to the new location and continue on with their work.

The remainder of the week was a variety of working on our personal business and of course on the Gala. I am happy that I already have my business plan draft done so I don’t have to do it all now. Also I think that personally it helped me to do it during class while we went over it in the book that way I could listen to what I need to do, do it, and look at the book. I am just happy that it looks good and that I am done. The Gala is coming quickly and we are sort of prepared. The only thing left to do is get TICKETS SOLD! We have to get 80 tickets in like a week or two and I have complete faith. We can most definitely sell these tickets. I mean the way I look at it is if we can get 22 people to buy spots ranging from 200­500 we should be able to see 80 $60 tickets. I can’t wait to see how the gala turns out!

 Written by Paige Montgomery

This week I think was very productive. I like how we go through the business plan workbook because there are a lot of things in the workbook that I had no idea what it meant. Mr. Rauckman has also been a big help in getting me familiarized with some of the basic business terms.

 The progress of the gala seems to be moving forward but I'm still a little nervous about meeting our goal of 200-280 people. I've been talking to all the people that I know who would come but I don't know if it is still enough. I think all of us going out on Wednesday will be helpful so we can truly see what we need to get done once we have all the decorations bought and hopefully we get a lot of people to come by going door to door!

 I liked the presentation that Mike Riley gave on Wednesday. I really enjoy hearing doctors speak because that is the field I want to go into. I find it very frustrating that healthcare is driven by money. I wish the people in charge had more of a heart like Mr. Riley and made healthcare based on quality and not quantity. Over and over again, I keep hearing that accounting is so crucial and that people who own businesses wish they would've taken some accounting classes. I'm not sure how it works, but if I can I want to take a basic accounting class while I'm in college.

 Written by Aliyah Gillespie

Mr. Riley was a really enjoyable speaker to have. I was impressed to find out so much about him and his businesses. I liked how he talked a lot about how he has transformed what he has worked with. He has entrepreneurial thinking which was obvious to me just listening to him talk to us. I wrote some quotes that I liked that he said down also. “There’s nothing like experience” “An entrepreneur is a gambler” “Healthcare is a good opportunity” “You’ve got to taste a few things to see what you like” These all were very helpful and I am looking forward to using them in my personal business adventure.

 Written by Heather Gosebrink

This week in CEO has mainly been a work week either on our business plan or on the Grand Gala. On Monday we worked on our business plan. …. My favorite day was Wednesday because of the Effingham CEO Experience. It was very exciting. My favorite part was listening to Mr. Jon Acuff and Mr. Habeeb. Mr. Acuff is a comedian as well as a writer. His newest book “Do Over” talks about change and how to deal with it. At the CEO Experience he talked about how relationships + skills + character x hustle = career savings account. In life one will need all four of these for their career.  When a volunteer-negative thing happens it’s called a ceiling and this is when ones skills are needed. An involunteer-negative situation is a bump. This is when relationships are important and one sees who their real friends are. The other two are on the positive side.  A volunteer-positive situation is a jump; one will need good character to make the jump. The last one is an opportunity which is an involunteer-positive situation. When an opportunity occurs one must hustle in order to get it.

 Mr. Habeeb talked about “True Success” and “Servant Leadership”. There are eight ways to truly be successful according to Mr. Habeeb and they are to: start with self, value others, kindness, integrity, humility, servant leadership, finding joy, and passing it on. Then he went into detail on each of the aspects while putting some of his life situations in it which made it even more interesting and relatable. To be a servant Leader one must be: humble, selfless, genuinely care for and about people, treat others with dignity, be kind, make stars instead of being the only star, listen to others, call people to greatness, cultivate trust, catch people doing things right, and be committed to the success of others. All these points Mr. Habeeb talked about are defiantly necessary in order to be truly successful as well as a servant leader.

 Written by Montez Douglas

Mike Riley was actually very interesting. I never really thought about physical therapy as a job but after hearing him talk I feel like that would be a cool job. He was another person to tell us to take accounting. I'm going to take on in college and I really hope I like it because it not only good for a business owner but they also make a lot of money. The only thing holding me back from being a physical therapist is that you have to have seven years of schooling and I don't think I can do seven more years. One thing that really suprised me is when he said that they do 3400 home visits. That's smart on his part because that connects with his patients on a personal level and that will make them come back and also recommend to others.

 Written by Emma Gregowicz

 According to Vince McConnell, "We must train from the inside out. Using our strengths to attack and nullify any weaknesses. It’s not about denying a weakness may exist but about denying its right to persist."  I think this quotes correlates very well to this week and to the CEO Program as a whole.

 This week we are learning what success and failure can bring to the table.  We are  progressing with the class business of the 'Grand Gala'.  Somedays, though, it feels like once we move forward, we have to take a step back and assess what we have done.  We, as a group, are always looking for room for improvement.  Most of all, we are investing ourselves more into the project and using all of our strengths and weaknesses to make it amazing.

 In the CEO Program, we have to learn to be persistent and resilient in whatever task we are doing.  Passion is key.  I have learned to transform my weaknesses to strengths.  Yes, sometimes I get down on myself, but don't we all?  Without passion, what is the use of living?  Passion gives us the chance to live for something whether that is for our families, friends, or anything else.  The Program has taught me to believe it is okay to fail , to move forward, and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

 We had the opportunity to listen to Mike Riley.  He is a Belleville-born resident.  Riley discussed the profession of Physical Therapy and how it resembles business in many ways.  Physical Therapy requires the idea of supply and demand and an end goal.  Riley explained PT as "the movement with human improvement transforming society and human involvement through movement."  I thought this definition was quite interesting.  Like business, human involvement also transforms society through the economy. 

 Prior to Mike Riley's presentation, I had an idea of what Physical Therapy was because of my medical background.  What I did not know was how much of an impact it had on the world.  Physical Therapists are needed everywhere.  People I know, mostly my friends, are going to college to be PTs.  They are make a difference in the world.  As a businessman, Riley advocates, takes risks, and evolves as a person.  He explained, "There's nothing like experience."  He has experience a lot in his life to get where he is now.  I find it pretty inspiring.

 What I have taken away from this week and every week is...to never give up.  Giving up is never the answer to anything.  I have to see the brighter side to everything I am doing and use the tenacity I have within myself to finish the task at hand.  Success will always have failures.  Perfection is not achievable at the end of the day.  The effort I exceed will be the prominent part demonstrated in my work.  Sometimes I have to accept the things, I do not want to accept.  But that is what growing up is all about, right? Right.

 Written by Sandy Amorado

Wednesday was definitely the most eventful day this week. A few students and I attended Effingham CEO’s class business. They were the very first area to have a CEO class. For the past few years, they’ve been holding a business conference. I was shocked at how many people attended. I was told over a thousand people were there! That’s one amazing turn out. Prior to the event, everyone was required to choose at least two breakout sessions to go along with the four keynote speakers. The first keynote speaker was John Acuff. He’s an author/comedian with N.Y. Times bestseller called “Do Over.” My favorite part of his presentation was the quadrant of life he provided. When you voluntarily do something negative, you hit a ceiling. That means you are limiting yourself when there’s so much you can do beyond the ceiling. You can solve this with your skills. Use your skills so you can expand what you think you can do. When something happens to you involuntarily that is negative, it’s called a bump. When you hit a bump, you are simply slowed down. It is merely an obstacle that you can get around. In this situation, you’ll need your relationships. You need family and friends to help you through those unexpected negatives. When you make a decision that is voluntary and positive, that’s a jump. You used your good character to help you move forward. When something happens to you that is involuntarily positive, that is an opportunity that you can take. That is your time to hustle and take full advantage of the opportunity. These are all great point that I’m happy to have heard from Acuff.

After his speech, everyone attended their 1st breakout session. I attended Jamie Stang’s Making the Masterpiece. She’s an artist and discussed her risky journey to where she is today. She reminds me a lot of how I want to see myself in 10 years. I want a life full of adventure just like hers. For example, she was a manager at the famous Coyote Ugly Bar for 6 years and also dropped everything an moved to New Orleans to sell her art. While in New Orleans, she experienced a lot of rejection every day until someone took a chance on her. The woman who took a chance on her happened to be important to the art world and became Jamie’s mentor. Despite her life of adventure, she wanted to move back home to Effingham and give back to her community. She opened her own art studio which is doing very well today. On top of her presentation, she painted an amazing picture of Craig Lindvahl in under 10 minutes. After this, it was time for everyone to return back to the main room for another keynote speaker.

 Habeeb Habeeb, a motivational speaker spoke. He shared a very moving story about being stuck between his war torn country in Lebanon and living in America. He was working at Hardee’s and was attempting to live a normal life while his loved ones were living hell on earth. He overcame his adversities though. He believes in taking your adversities and turning them as the stepping stones to success. He started at the very bottom in fast food but gradually rose to where he is today. He bloomed where he was planted and made the best out of his situation. He is also very grateful to live in America. It opened to how privileged we are to be in this country.

 After Habeeb’s speech, everyone attended their second breakout session. I attended Scott Kabbes’ making the connection. He made a few great points about networking even though I wish his presentation had had a more narrow focus to what the title said. One of my favorite points of his was to not make it a competition when networking. You have to network with someone with the purpose of learning something from them or taking away something from them. Also, a great quote from his presentation was, “Never tell people you’re nervous.” Confidence is everything. And even if you don’t have it, you have to fake it till you make it. I have so much to work on once it comes to this. I’m taking very conscious steps every day to display confidence, even if I don’t have a lot of it sometimes.

 After the second breakout session, the very last keynote speakers spoke. Craig Lindvahl and Karin Walters from the Midland Institute attended. I always enjoy hearing the story of how the CEO program came to be. It’s inspiring and shows that even when you have nothing, you ca only work your way up from there. There were several standing ovations during this time because these are two very amazing people. Without them, CEO wouldn’t exist. I see great things in the future of this program and I’m proud to be a part of it.

 On Thursday, Michael Riley spoke to the class at Barcom. He is a physical therapist. His presentation was very interesting. I didn’t realize how outcaste physical therapy is to the medical field. It’s not as recognized as it should be. Everyone has a family dentist but what about a family physical therapist? This is the mission of the National American Physical Therapy Association. Physical Therapists are experts in human movement are more important than what society credits them to be. One of his most notable points were, if you can’t do something then hire someone who can. I’ve heard this often from those who have spoken to the class. It is a great way to build a strong efficient team which is what I’m looking to create when I start my business.

 Written by Melony Allen

After some time of not feeling that burst of excitement, or energy I had early in the year, I started to wonder if I was still fit for CEO. But then four Belleville East students (including myself) headed out to Effingham, Illinois for the CEO Experience. And it was a fantastic time. It reminded me of our field trip we took to St. Louis for Trep Start. I took so many inspiring notes. Yes, I finally had that burst of excitement and energy again. The first guest speaker had a theme that hit close to home. It was “Being ready and navigating” something I started to consider. Four excellent points were hitting a ceiling, hitting a bump, having a jump moment, and having an opportunity. All of those points were about obstacles and success of entrepreneurship.  He spoke about character and concluded that it is who we are, too. I learned that relationships + skills + character x hustle = our career savings account. A cool equation that all entrepreneurs should know if they intend to be successful.

 I had two breakout sessions, but my favorite one was with Dan Remmenga, a mid 30 year old man, who has achieved more than most people I know. I could relate to his feelings about education and the system of it , because mine were similar. He brilliantly started by asking our group four questions and then went on to explain why our parents and teachers want us to learn that there’ only one answer to many things. But he believes that in entrepreneurship we should come up with many answers to find solutions.

 The day was pretty great. I networked with other entrepreneurs. I met knew CEO students who were genuinely nice. They made me feel welcomed and they even want to attend our gala! Craig Lindvahl spoke again about the the purpose of CEO and the plan to expand it across the USA by the year 2050. Going forward, I now have a new purpose for my own business.

 Written by Malik Marks-McRath

 CEO this week was one with a lot less action than previous weeks. We are finally coming off the high of selling all our sponsorships and now we have realized there is a lot more in store for us if we want this gala to succeed. Also our personal business and the trade show are starting to become closer and closer and time is going to start to run out very soon. Especially in times like this in CEO we see things start to get very stressful and some students who have level heads, turn hot. First, this week I have seen minimal change in attitude, people are still yelling at each other, and still the most frustrating thing out of everything we have done is the double, triple, and sometimes even quadruple voting. I mean I think we’ve voted on or tried to re­vote on the chicken marsala maybe eight times now. We need to learn what many of our great business owners and mentors have told us, make a plan and stick to it. We need to stop second guessing ourselves on all our decisions we are making and go with what we all collectively decided the first vote. Before I move onto my second point, Mike Riley was a fantastic speaker and a great guy. That is someone who had to work to get those big contracts with places like St. Elizabeth’s. Also what they are doing to try and halt money hungry physicians is very brave and inspiring.

 Lastly, on a more positive note, everyone in their committees is starting to pull their weight and some even more than that. Especially decorations committee, they have brought in prototypes, been researching setups and meeting with the Thad for more options. Personally, I trust that them and Thad are going to make this gala great. Also, advertisement has kicked it into a higher gear for getting us that magazine and also exploring more options for advertising our event. Even though we decided it was not right for our event, their efforts were appreciated. Now, Montez is treasurer and I couldn’t have been luckier to have Montez as a CFO partner, he was incredible and efficient. Overall, I feel that we will reach our $10,000 goal and impress all of Belleville.

 Written by David Rauckman