CEO Business Visits

• Roland Thouvenot, President (Investor)
• Jaime Auffenberg, President (Investor)

This week during CEO it was very short but it was also very educational and gave us information that we can still use to better ourselves and our class and personal businesses. This week we met with Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen and Auffenberg Auto Mall to talk to them who they run their businesses and what they do. One point both of them brought up was that you have to be willing to adapt to change and I think that is going to be very vital for our class business and later on  down the line for our own personal businesses. I believe that  this will help us with our personal businesses because if we want them to succeed we are going to need to change and adapt to whatever is happening technology wise or however our field our business is in seems fit. That is the only way you're going to be able to have a successful business and that is what both of these companies have shown. I also believe that it can help us in our class business because we could come up with an idea later down the line and we may have to tweak what we are doing for the class business to make our it successful. I think that Ian and Nick know this and that if it comes up later down the line the whole class will be willing to adjust and help contribute to make the class successful.

Jake Roche
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Jake

Monday me and my CEO met at Thouvenot, and talked with Roland Thouvenot. He said the reason they have been successful is because of their diversity. Me personally am a fan of diversity because  we live with diversity today in our everyday lives. The employees at the engineering firm took us outside and showed us a cool drone of how they can scan the area so they can know what to model in their job. I like how when one of my classmates asked one of the employees at Thouvenot, “ what do you do with the old technology”? One of the employees responded we give it our competitors. Which let me know that this engineering firm always likes to stay on top with their technology and they keep striving to be the best.

Jim Auffenberg a very prestigious man talked to me and my CEO class about his business Auffenberg. He said that the business was his dads at first and he took it over with little info on how to do it. But he talked about how he worked hard to learn the ins and the outs of the business till he succeeded. Which can show that he had to work very hard to get where he is right now. He told us when you find something you love you will put in the hours. Which is very true statement. Because when you find something you love you will stop at nothing to keep working at that thing until it succeeds.

Martrell Robinson
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Martrell

Monday, our CEO class visited Roland Thouvenot, where the emphasis on how technology influences their entire business was a major topic. From scanners, to room observers, all the way to drones, their company thrives off the foundation of up-to-date technology, or “toys” as they liked to joke about. To me, this was something that was not completely foreign to me. My father, a technical director at HLK Advertising, constantly uses RED Dragon cameras, 360 view gopros, and drones in his work. Seeing these other high tech cameras/monitors in other workplaces besides advertising was very intriguing. Seeing the technological advancement as millennial is almost scary in a way, because I realize that by the time we all become entrepreneurs and businessmen, technology will undoubtedly be a necessity to everyday work.

Tuesday, we visited Auffenberg, where Jaime Auffenberg explained his business journey, and his company objectives and goals. As I have always been extremely interested in cars, it was nice to see something in that nature. Meetings like these last two never fail to open my mind up to other possibilities that I could attain in the entrepreneurial world.

Ian Hass
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Ian

On Monday we visited Thouvenot, Wade, and Moerchen with Roland Thouvenot, and they gave us a very detailed presentation about their jobs as surveyors, and how much their business has changed since it had first began. They told us plenty about how technology has been the driving force in keeping their company ahead of their competitors. They also showed us how they can use it to save time and increase productivity for the group as a whole.

We had also visited Auffenberg Auto Mall with Jaime Auffenberg, and his talk was nice as well. We weren’t able to stay as long because we had to get out early for school, but I did enjoy his presentation about the company, and how car sales today are very different from car sales when his father was in charge.

The main lesson I had learned this week is that businesses will definitely have to keep up with the constantly changing market, but if you can find a way to use it to your advantage then you can be in really good shape for the coming future.

John Lewis
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About John

The 14th week of Belleville’s CEO class went by fast, considering we only had two days of class for the week. However, in those two we got to go to two different businesses with a great story and background. The first business was TWM, and we spoke with the president, upcoming president, and major engineers in the company. I thought they did one of the coolest presentations for our class. They were able to keep the class engaged in their business by bringing out and showing us the equipment they use as engineers to survey the land. It was great to see how they did their work, while staying engaged and focused on the business side of the company.

The second company we were able to visit was Auffenberg. We were able to meet with Mr. Jamie Auffenberg himself, and learn and understand the background of Auffenberg dealerships. From a business side of things it was amazing to see how he was able to expand his father’s company after he took over when his father was unable to continue. His story was fascinating and grasped all of our attentions. These two businesses alike, showed how you are able to start small and grow your business into something large. We all as entrepreneurs must have that drive and goal to always move forward.

James Monken
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About James

When we visited Roland Thouvenot, I was very interested in the type of business they are. It was the first time I have seen the type of technology they had. The surveying tools they used are only going to become more popular in the future.  In college I hope to learn how tools and gadgets like the ones they showed us work. Eventually to be able to make a company off of it.  

Auffenberg related to me because of the story of how he became the owner. It was a company owned by his father and he did not know if he wanted to run the business or not until he had to. It relates to me because the same could happen to me with my dad’s business. Hearing his story informed me to be ready just in case if I have to run it.

Cam Wicks
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Cam

I really enjoyed TWM. The visit reminded me quite a bit of Rauckman. Both put large emphasis on developing technology, and how doing so will help their business survive. As they both elegantly presented some of their new equipment, they have learned the art of showmanship quite well, as they strongly captured our interest in their devices. I also liked how TWM put an emphasis on offering a wide range of products to clients, but not spreading yourself too thin.

I found Auffenberg's story to be pretty interesting. I liked how he referred to the automobile industry as difficult but rewarding. I feel like many of the places we've visited have said that's their mentality as well. So maybe that's just what entrepreneurship is: trying but beneficial. I found it amazing that he was so successful in his field, and never knew that car sales businesses were just as dependent on used cars as new cars. I never previously knew much about the automobile business, and he was a good person to learn about it from.

Jacob Gall
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Jacob

I have not really considered being a surveyor as my profession, much how like the Roland Thouvenot stated. However, after this visit, I gained a little bit of interest. Being able to see how different machines are able to map rooms and environments was both an interesting thing to see and learn about. I also enjoyed watching the pre-programmed drone take off and fly around the building. Business wise, what they do is very important, in regards to other businesses and building projects, since you need to know the land before you can start.

What I gathered from the visit with Jaime Auffenberg, of Auffenberg Auto Mall was that the car dealership business is not a very easy one, (not that many businesses are easy in the first place). He explained to us that when he first joined the business, there were about 13 car dealerships around Belleville. There are only about three that are around today. When owning a car dealership, you have to be able to sell all your cars, even if you have to eventually sell it off to an auction. From Mr. Auffenberg’s words, it seems as people who do good at selling cars are “penalized” with higher objectives, given to them by the car manufacturers. Because they are able to a good amount of cars, they are expected to sell an even higher amount the following year...

Kaleb Leatherman
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Kaleb

This week we got the chance to go to Auffenberg and talk with Jamie Auffenberg, son of the founder. Like all the rest of the great businesspeople we have encountered this is the third time that we have heard the quote/saying “surround yourself with good people.” In every way they have used this quote differently but they all are alike in some way. Aside from the irony I decide to share, we talked about Auffenberg itself. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was that prices continue to drop on cars each week if they are not being bought. However, after 60-90 days they take the cars off the lot where they are then taken to auctions.

As the years progress, the car dealership business is going down. It’s good to have a smaller store and a bigger lot. The bigger the store, the less parking you have and you can’t keep a lot of cars. That was interesting and understandable. The Auffenberg by the Fairgrounds in Belleville has a huge store and their lot pretty small, although they are currently renovating the store it’s still about the same size. With knowing this it would be smaller to expand their parking lot and create a smaller store so that they can attract more customers in the future. I learned a lot during Mr. Jamie’s presentation. It was very informative. Not only about Auffenberg, but the car dealership business itself.

Teonna Davis
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Teonna

This week we went to Thouvenot, Wade, & Moerchen and Auffenberg Auto Mall. First we met with Roland Thouvenot and it was very interested. I found out that TWM was an engineering firm and learn what they daily. I also got to meet with the geospatial team they have and they gave us a demonstration of how they would scan the area. It was interesting because  the used a drone to scan the outside of the building and the inside a special tool that was used. I liked how they try to keep up their business with new and current technology that is available. They were interesting people and I learned so much from them from their perspective.

Then we got to meet with Jaime Auffenberg of Auffenberg Auto Mall and I learned so many new things I had never known before. I learned about how people earn from commission and how much they earned each month. I also learned that they lower car prices so that people can buy but if they can’t sell it then they put it to an auction which is interesting because I thought that if they can not sell a car they they would have thrown it out and I never knew knew that they can put it up for auctioning. I learn many new things from TWM and Auffenberg and surprisingly I want to learn a little bit more from them.                           

Emmie Huynh
Friday, November 24, 2017Learn More About Emmie