CEO Business Visits

• Mr. Kurt Artinger, Owner (Investor)
• Mr. Thad Payne, General Manager

The act of resurrection, what is it, what factors are apart of it? Well according to the dictionary, resurrection “is being brought bad from the dead, causing something to be able to be used once again.” At Artigem, Kurt did just that with the old Belleville Turners building. Restoring this building to its former glory may be impossible, but the building has turned around drastically. Having renovated an old YMCA, much was left to modify. Kurt Artinger turned a worthless building into a headquarters for three different businesses. All of this is great, for the community, the businesses being ran out of the old building, and the people who were involved in such, though I believe that taking something old and worn out and renewing such can be a business plan in itself. Recently I have found myself trying to rethink the game and can't come up with anything new that's an instant hit. I can relate to the story of the Belleville Turner building by renewing something old. It seems like the entire group of Belleville downtown businesses has modeled this approach and saved the buildings for their businesses and the community. The value in these old ran down structures seems to be overlooked and modern entrepreneurs are certainly getting a bang for their buck! As I look into it, the people that own a building on the strip are more invested in the community and what they stand for. Perhaps one day, once I am grown and educated, I too can remodel an old business and reinvest into a community that has given me so much.

Austin Thurman
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Austin

This week was slow. This week was our first full week at Artigem. This week we only had one business visit. During the week our rough drafts of our business plans were due. The hardest part of the business plan I'd getting accurate information and placing it in the right place/section. Also this week David Rauckman from a previous CEO class stopped by and spoke with our class. He talked about his current college life, academics, and his business from CEO.

This week had one business visit, and we went to the Country Club. We met with Thad Payne. Thad Payne was once in the military the Air Force to be specific. His presentation was mostly about etiquette, and planning events. One thing he said that stood out to me was when planning an event be early with invites and start with save the date letters so people can expect when your event is and make it a priority to go. He spoke about rsvp, and placement forks and spoons. A lot of the etiquette things he talked about I had already seen and heard because of Senior Pearls, and all the different banquets I attended with my father, and grandmother. I learned a lot about etiquette when I would be a hostess for NAACP banquet. Thad also talked about his time spent out of the country. He also talked about the military, and his military experience prepped him for his job.

Lastly this week we talked about our business plans, and how we plan to do our elevator pitches. Then we talked about the trade show for all of our businesses. This week we had a lot of work days. Last week I wished we would've had more or at least had our business visits after our rough drafts were due. Overall this week was okay, the workload, visits, and the presentations from our one business person was nice. As the end of the year come we are starting to have more due dates, and deadlines. Hopefully I can keep up with them all between my school classes, clubs, organizations, training and sports.

Epiphany Smith
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Epiphany

Week 27 of CEO featured the move to our final home base! On Monday we met at our new home, Artigem Replacement Services. Kurt Artinger was there to speak with us again and give us the whole tour of his place. He said he bought the old YMCA building  for a very large amount of $1. He has renovated it very much and completely turned it around. Now he runs Artigem Replacement Services and Peer 151 in it.

The next day, Tuesday, we took a visit to the Country Club to meet with Thad Payne. Mr. Payne used the time to talk to us about dinner etiquette during formal events. I have always been a very informal diner and while I always use good manners, I don’t make sure I place the napkin on my lap and excuse myself from the table every time I get up. To be honest that type of etiquette is so foreign to me I have no idea how people actually behave like that while they are eating. If I’m working for a company and I get the privilege to go to dinner with the CEO, he will most likely not be impressed with me because I have not been raised that way. I think Mcdonalds tastes much better than any other high end restaurant, and I know that is extremely weird. I believe I like that type of food and dining style more because I am extremely cheap. I’m not quite sure how being a cheap person is going to affect me in the business world, but hopefully it will help me by not wasting money on unnecessary items. I really wish Mr. Payne would have spoken to us about the business aspect of the St. Clair Country Club, because I’m really interested in how their business works. They are a respected business and many successful people are members of the club.

This week we also finished our rough drafts of our business plans. The help of Mrs. DiMaggio May helped tremendously. I can not imagine trying to write a business plan without the help of a professional and my plan would downright embarrassing without her. I’m excited my rough draft of the plan is finished and now I can start to see how my business is going to unfold. I thought the hardest part of the plan was going to be the industry report but with my business there really isn’t much of an industry to report on. It was hard since I haven’t decided on where I’m going to college and that will completely determine where I’m selling. Hopefully the final draft will be done soon and the plan works just how I want it to.

Michael Lassman
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Michael

The dinner table is the center for the teaching and practicing not just of table manners, but of conversation, consideration, tolerance, family feeling, and just about all the other accomplishments of polite society except the minute. We learned about the importance of table etiquette and manners while visiting Thad Payne at St. Clair Country Club, also we learned about the importance of keeping culture and a positive environment with Kurt Artinger at Artigem Replacement Services.

The week started at the new home base of Artigem Replacement Services. Mr Artinger talked to us about the importance of fighting for what you want and never backing down from a challenge. Mr. Artinger bought a historic but run down old YMCA building in downtown Belleville. Many of his friends and associates said that It was a lost cause, but he saw the good he could bring to his city while also creating jobs. He told us that when you invest your time, you make a goal and a decision about something that you want to accomplish. Whether it's making good grades in school, be a good athlete, be a good person, go down and do some community service and help somebody who's in need, whatever it is you choose to do, you're investing your time in that, don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global movement, you need to have a core belief that what you contribute can fundamentally change the paradigm or way of thinking about problems. This really stuck out to me because when we saw all he has done just for the community on its own, he saved the city a plethora amount of dollars just for them to demolish it and I really respect him for that. We also took a tour of the building and saw all of the renovations he did and we even saw the gym and the old stage which is now the break room. They found a historic picture that used to be used as a backdrop and they hung it up on the wall to show more culture in the break room. Mr. Artinger was quoted saying “People should be excited to go to work every day. Whether it's adding fun gadgets to your office, organizing staff lunches or simply joining a shared workspace being surrounded by engaging activities and productive people will make hard and busy days easier to deal with.”  He also encourages people to make mistakes, he believes mistakes are learning experiences and he hates when his staff will hide it from him because it will become a bigger issue. He personally believes that if they have to hide their mistakes from him, he is not doing his job correctly.

The next day we met with former Air Force Officer, Thad Payne at St. Clair Country Club. He taught us about the importance of table etiquette, good manners show respect for others. There are cultural differences of course, but there is a broad agreement across the world. Some people use a knife and fork one way, Americans who cut their food and use their fork another, and Africans and Arabs who use their fingers. All traditional but perhaps not acceptable to use your own method when in another country. Table manners are really important because you will eat in a fashion that doesn't offend. Table manners doesn't just mean how to hold a knife or fork, but how to converse and with whom, thank serving staff verbally, when you can leave the table, what to do during speeches and much more. Your level of knowledge necessary for good table manners also varies depending on your status. Most people will enjoy a 3 or 4 course meals, but if you are attending functions, dinners and banquets then you need to know about a whole raft of cutlery. I was actually lucky enough to be the guinea pig in this situation and learn table etiquette for the first time. He told me something that surprised me at first he said “People notice everything. This is particularly true in business relationships. In addition to great job performance, having good dining etiquette helps to establish your credibility and reputation. It also helps to make you an accepted member of the business group. And if you think about it, it helps build your self-confidence. It’s another skill to add to your professional repertoire.” I honestly did not believe people cared about the way I ate, but he proved me wrong that day.

The Storm of CEO activities is starting again and it is sadly almost coming to an end, I hope that i can make my time worthwhile.

Jaylen Davis
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Jaylen

Another week of CEO has passed, and it was a slower week. We had a lot of work days, and were on our own for the majority of the time. Our personal business plans were due this week. I think that I have a very good start on it, but I need to work on it a lot for banker day. I think there are a lot of holes right now that need to be patched up. I really need to start bearing down on the financials of the company. As it stands, I have not bought a hat press nor a sample shirt. Those will be my initial costs, and I will start having fixed costs. I think that my market is a very wide range of people. With that being said, I think that I will sell the most shirts initially to friends and family. As the shirts are worn, it will be free advertising. I will then start to grow through advertising. I think that I will advertise through social media and word of mouth. Because I have very little start up money, I will only use free advertisements. There are plenty of ways to use free advertising, and I think social media is the most practical.

We started this week at a new home base. Artigem Replacement Services is our fourth quarter home base. I love Precision Practice Management, but I am excited to get a new fresh atmosphere. It was very interesting to hear the story of how the building went from almost being torn down to restored into a new revamped building. It cost him $1 to buy the building, and he has put a million dollars into it. I think it was an amazing thing for Belleville to save such a big part of the history.

Stephen Waltrip
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Stephen

On Monday, our class met Kurt Artinger at our new home base, Artigem Replacement Services.  Mr. Artinger gave our class a tour of the building that displayed numerous historic art pieces from the original building.  Mr. Artinger taught me that it is important to have a good circle of friends.  I learned that your family and good friends will be the ones to support you through the rough patches of starting your business.  I also discovered that persistence is crucial.  Mr. Artinger was turned down several times before he succeeded and founded Artigem Replacement Services.  I learned that I should be prepared for several setbacks when I start my business and to learn from my failures.

On Wednesday, our class worked on finishing our rough draft for our business plans.  The part that I struggled with the most was the industry section.  My business, Turn the Page Art, has no precedent.  There is no collected data to project percentages.  With the help of Mrs. DiMaggio-May, I filled out this section by stating that I am relying on my strong sales and enthusiasm for the business.  I learned that making a business plan for a business that has never been created before is very difficult.  There are no statistics to go off of to know how successful your business is compared to others. 

On Thursday, our class had another work day.  I worked on my personal biography and the financial spreadsheet that will be used in my business plan.  My financials are pretty easy to calculate for the most part, but the other sections made me realize that my business requires a lot less cost than other businesses.  I also finished my resume for the business plan.  I learned that my resume can tell people more things about me than I thought.  For example, Mrs. Siebers said that someone would see all the activities I did and not only think that I am involved, but also see that I am a hard worker.

On Friday, our class was visited by a former student, David Rauckman.  David gave our class advice on presenting for upcoming Elevator Pitch and Banker Day events.  I learned that it is important to have all of my financials memorized and to be prepare to answer difficult questions.

           

Kaitlynn Borik
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Kaitlynn

This previous week has served to show us the delicacies of formal dinners, knowing your history of a business and once again, writing a business plan. All of these are true necessities for starting, maintaining, and making sure a business succeeds. I personally can already see where all these tie and fit into the grand scheme of things when it comes to a business, due to them all being part of a process. Business meeting luncheons will happen frequently throughout one's career and if you plan on being an entrepreneur it's necessary you know how to write a business plan. Knowing your history affects your culture of your business. Just like Mr. Artinger taught us this week, knowing all of your place of business's history can really help you when knowing how to run your business and know how to use that to your advantage when it comes to culture. Most people love knowing you care about heritage and what/where you came from which in turns keep you on your toes to not stray from your path of your vision. Having a set path will help you along the way to success to you are looking for.

Monday was our first day at Artigem for our home base and it truly was a great experience being able to tour their huge business. They are a company based upon culture which I talked about earlier. Mr. Artinger showed us all the old parts of their building and was able to show us distinctly which areas were which and why they were important. They were all mostly from when the German settlers of Belleville first arrived. It was great seeing how old some parts of the city are and how much people really go through to preserve them from falling apart.

Tuesday we visited the St. Clair Country Club with Mr. Thad Payne. Mr. Payne showed us many techniques to utilize while at formal settings to show our respect and manners towards others at these events. We learned an assortment of items from beginner’s napkin folding, to knowing which fork we use for which entree/appetizer. Mr. Payne has served for the Air Force for quite some time and even today still uses techniques he used while in service in being the event host for the country club.

Royce Payne
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Royce

Starting off my week on Monday with the start of a new home base at Artigem Replacement Services where we got to greet with Mr. Kurt Artinger and receive a tour of the building and heard a lot of about the history of the building. We also got to listen to Mr. Artinger talk about his personal life and all the struggles he went through to get where he is now.

On Tuesday our class met at St. Clair Country Club to speak with Mr. Thad Payne who really taught me the importance of first impressions, being presentable, and being etiquette. All of these qualities are essential to business to show your confidence and dedication.

On Wednesday our class met back at ARS for a work day to finish up on final business plan to turn in. This day was important to me because I feel as if I was “putting off” my business plan and I felt I wasn’t ready for that yet for anyone to see but then I realized that a business plan will constantly be changing as my business progresses.

We met back at Artigem replacement Services on Thursday for another work day to start our resumes and on our personal finances.

Ending our week on Friday we continued to work on our personal finances and resumes during a work day. I really like having the time in class to work on our financials and resumes so that I can ask my facilitator questions and to get examples of things that I wouldn’t understand.

Devin Alexander
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Devin

 This week was our first week at Artigem Replacement Services for our last home base. On Monday we met with Kurt Artinger, and on Tuesday we met with Thad Payne from the St. Claire Country Club. The rest of the week consisted of personal work days to finish our business plans, financials, and resumes. David Rauckman also dropped by on Friday to talk to the class.

Artigem Replacement Services is a company that helps replace rings or jewelry when someone loses them. They help to connect the insurance company, the owner of the jewelry, and any third parties. One thing I found interesting to hear was how they are continuing to evolve as a company with a new app coming out soon that they have developed. It takes their current business model and tweaks it for a new type of industry.

Kurt Artinger gave us a great tour of his facilities. It was amazing to hear about the history of the building, from it being used  as a Turner Hall, an Armory for the wars, and as a YMCA, all the way until it became a Artigem Replacement Services. It was really exciting to see what old artifacts they were able to preserve from when the building was almost torn down. Something as big and as old as the old stage backdrop went unnoticed for years until Kurt found it and found a new use for it. What this really helped me realize was how important history can be to a company. There will always be new and innovative technologies; however, history can never be replaced. ARS does a great job of combining the two to create a unique and captivating work environment. They still have some of the old basketball court floors, benches, and ladders mixed in with a workout room, advanced technology, and specially designed rooms to eliminate sound! It was crazy to see all of the thought put into the renovations.

On Tuesday, we met with Thad Payne. Thad had helped last year's class plan their grand gala, this year he taught us the essentials to etiquette. He taught us all kinds of different tricks and hints on how to appear etiquette and proper. I will definitely remember these when meeting with a potential business partner or customer. He really helped us to be aware of ourselves and how to best present ourselves to others. Who knew how much detail there was in simple table manners?

The rest of the weak we worked on our business plans, looked at financials, and wrote our resumes. This was a great three days for us to really finish up our business plans and see what direction we are taking our businesses in. David Rauckman came in on Friday and talked to us about how the class has helped him. We each told him our business ideas and gave us his input and some helpful tips. Overall, it was a great experience to talk to someone who had been through the class and knew what we have to do.

Tim Donaho
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Tim

On Monday, we met with Kurt Artinger on our first day at Artigem. At first he took us on a tour and told us all about the history. There is so much history in just one room there. Artigem used to be the old YMCA, then was turned into storage for ammunition and storage during two wars. The building also housed the German group Turner Association and back in the day that was very popular. He still has the stage sitting there and the same stage cover from back then it was so cool. The architecture of the gym turned into working space is awesome. It's very creative, but also means something.

On Tuesday, we met at the St. Clair Country Club with Thad Payne. He taught us all about etiquette. Most of us had no idea what he was talking about and it was cool to learn about. He was in the military and planned parties for all the countries and high up people to go too. There are very many different utensils and little details you need to know for etiquette that I would never have known.

On Wednesday we were at Artigem and our first draft of our business plans were due. We worked on finishing them and then starting our bios, which are due next Friday. We are really starting to get down to the end of the year and really cracking down on everything with our individual business and it is very stressful. We have the elevator pitch coming up and I hate speaking in front of people, but hopefully I can get it together. On Thursday, we worked on bios, business plans, and elevator speeches. On days we are at Artigem we just focus on personal businesses and finish whatever we need to finish on our own. It's good to have time in class to do this and not have to do everything out of class on our own.

Claire Randle
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Claire

This week in our CEO class we started it off by moving to Artigen Replacement Services and talking to Kurt Artinger, the CEO and owner of the business. It was weird looking at the room where our CEO class would meet for the last quarter. The class has gone by so quick and I have learned so much in this short amount of time. This class was a truly life changing experience and I’m happy that I am now a bit more prepared for when I enter the business world. From basic financial sense to intricate tax laws, I have learned essentials to creating my success in the future.

On Monday we toured our new home base and talked to Kurt Artinger about his business and took a tour of his building. Kurt’s story of his life was awesome and I have noticed a pattern with most of the people we talk to. They work hard their entire life to create the success they now enjoy and that it is not easy at all, that being an entrepreneur and opening a business is a bumpy ride that has no end in sight, some are even for years. The craziest part is that these factors would and do deter most people away from opening their own businesses or even taking risks in everyday life, but the thing is that all these stories telling of hard times and all the work someone has to put in just to easily instead of succeed they end up failing. All of that makes me want to do open a business and try it on my own in the world, I do not know why but those hard times are exactly what I want because from the difficulty comes greatness, some crazy idea that nobody will believe but that I will and only I can create it, that's what I want out of the CEO class, to have that spirit and the class has fanned that fire.

Joe Beussink
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Joe

 On Monday we had our first day at Artigem replacement services, it was a not only a historical tour that was given to us by the CEO Mr.Artinger, but an extremely informative one as well. We all learned that the building that is now Artigem Replacement Services was once a community gym. Mr. Artinger told us all about his struggle to save the building so he could build his buildings in it, all of the loops he had to go through and all of the strings he had to pull was nothing short of a person with an extraordinarily persisting drive. I learned that even a person with no kind of professional degree can become successful by knowing what they are doing and running with it with all of their passion and confidence.

The building was beautiful as well, Mr.Artinger also showed us the wonderful art pieces and structures he keeps around the building for useful purposes and for morale/psychological purposes for the workers. Some very colorful structures serve as beautiful room pieces but they also redirect sound toward the ceiling to keep the workspace quiet. I'm excited to develop my business in this wonderful building with the immense knowledge I have gained from my visit here.        

This week we also visited the St. Clair Country Club. It was a wonderful experience for us to learn about fine dining and ediquette as well as how to run a successful high class event. Mr. Thad Payne showed us the do's and do not's of fancy dining while explaining what he as the event coordinator would serve to the guests, display which decorations for the guests, and even how he would dismiss the guests in a buffet style setting. I found it so wonderful to learn about a world that I had never been a part of and the cultural differences between it and my everyday dining experience. Besides that, it was vital information to learn how to please your guests with style and grace to give them the most wonderful experience possible for my future events.

Alayna Wells
Friday, March 10, 2017Learn More About Alayna

My return to CEO was a very exciting and fun time to see the progression this program has made. I returned to this class because of my effort to join the University of Missouri Investor Group Executive Board. This program focuses on college students who plan to have a future in the investing field of work. Investing has always been a passion of mine and CEO helped me get a better understanding of the business world and finances. These students look to be getting as great of an experience as I had, and as an alumni I am very proud of the direction of this program.

David Rauckman
- Class of 2016