Our Trade Show Coming Soon

This year, the 2nd Annual Belleville CEO Trade Show will be held at the Dixon Overflow Room at Lindenwood University on Wednesday, April 26 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Please come out and shop at the 15 Belleville CEO students' businesses that will be showcased that afternoon.  Remember admission is FREE!   

Banker Day

Bank Of Belleville & The Bank Of Edwardsville

On Tuesday, the CEO class was visited by the Bank of Belleville and The Bank of Edwardsville.   The CEO students presented their business plans to two bankers as a way to prepare us to ask for loans in the future. The bankers gave all students helpful tips to give them the opportunity for further success. Thank you to Mr. Kevin Pesko, Mr. Ron Stephens, Mr. Rick Parks, and Ms. Linette Warnecke for taking time out of their day to be with the Belleville CEO class for Banker Day.

Written By Kaitlynn Borik

Mr. Kevin Pesko, President and CEO of the Bank of Belleville, reviewed Michael's business plans and financials.

Mr. Rick Parks, Senior Vice President with Commercial Banking at The Bank Of Edwardsville, asked Kaitlynn questions about her business, Turn the Page Art.

Jaylen discussed his business plan and financials with Mr. Ron Stephens, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at the Bank of Belleville.

Austin presented his business plan and financials to Ms. Warnecke, Vice President with Commerical Lending at The Bank of Edwardsville.

The four bankers who participated in Banker Day were Mr. Kevin Pesko, Mr. Ron Stephens, Mr. Rick Parks, and Ms. Linette Warnecke.

Issues & Eggs

Belleville Chamber Of Commerce

On Wednesday, the CEO class attended the Chamber of Commerce Issues and Eggs at the Bellecourt Manor. The topics were focused on smart internet use for our businesses.  The three speakers were Mr. Tony Bryan, Col. Terrence Adams, and Mr. Steve Loftus.  Mr. Bryan told us that the top five areas that are hacked most often are:  Health Care, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Government, and Transportation.  He continued to tell us that there will be $6 trillion of cyber crime damage by 2021.  Unfortunately, there will be 1.5 million unfilled cyber security jobs by 2019.   Mr. Loftus reminded us to backup and update our data often.  We would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce for allowing us to be part of this meeting and enjoyed networking with many outstanding members of the Belleville business community.

Austin, Michael and Devin chatted with a professor from Webster University before the meeting started.

Kelly networked with some attendees before the meeting began.

Our first speaker was Mr. Tony Bryan, Executive Director from Midwest Cyber Center.

The second speaker was Col. Terrence Adams.

The last speaker was Mr. Steve Loftus, Senior Consultant, at Aegis Strategies, LLC.

Kelly has some follow-up questions for the speakers after the meeting.