This week has been a week of learning which isn't too different from every other week, but this specific week has been a lot on being able to present yourself well to others. Starting on Monday the theme for the week quickly fell in line- Learn how to publicly speak. We started off our week at Lindenwood with Dr. Trice, staff and students and they showed us the ins and outs of campus, specifically the Communications department. After speaking briefly with us about the actual university we went on to do several dry run tests on what it feels like to be a CEO and how to manage yourself during an interview. It takes a lot of hard work for CEOs to preserve image and save face after there has been an incident within their company that comes to public knowledge and concern. These incidents often lead to the CEO having to publicly apologize for something he may had absolutely nothing to do with and had no control over. They also have to keep intact their integrity and keep their businesses well liked throughout the country by other businesses, political leaders and the common people.

On Thursday, we met at Sips N Splatters. Most businesses fail after 3 years and they are still surviving which is a testament to their commitment. Most businesses either find a problem and fix it or they make a better innovation to a previous invention that will help the overall business. Sips N Splatters is part of the former of those two. They took an already formed business and reinvented the way they do things which increases overall performance for their own business. Doing this way proves to most effective nowadays due to the rapid change and growth that has developed lately. Their social aspect equals much more than just the art that is painted there. They truly bring to life values such as companionship, valuing others and cherishing precious moments in life. They did all this and worked for their own dream instead of someone else's which is all one truly needs in life

03/31/2017

This week consisted of mostly learning ins and outs of business, investments, and thinking for the future. On Monday we visited Trinity Financial with Mr. and Mrs. Dunnigan. Have been married 35 years which shows longevity and commitment. Mr. Dunnigan has been in the investment business for 32 years. Both of them are McKendree graduates. Their son is their research analyst. When working, his wife is in one room and his son is in the other. Their other son is a research analyst for the Federal Bank. Trinity Financial is named Trinity due to him being a very Christian man. They originally were in the Copperbend Center. Approximately 57,000 cars drive by their business due to their location which goes to show location is everything. When they manage money they try to find out people's goals. The Rule of 72 teaches you how to make your money double. The greatest invention is the power of compound interest. Stock legal age is 18 which mean we should all start investing soon to seek maximum profit.

On Tuesday, Mr. Mike Wenzel visited us. Mike began his accounting career in 1970 with a major national firm. In 1982, he founded a sole proprietorship in Belleville, Illinois that would eventually become Wenzel and Associates Ltd.   Mike works with a variety of privately held businesses. During the past 37 years, Mike has provided accounting, tax and consulting services of all types to virtually every industry segment. Wenzel and Associates Ltd. do not provide services to governmental or not-for-profit entities. Mr. Wenzel also helped me personally for my individual business by showing me and my partner that there is a limit being placed for the city of Belleville that affects thrift stores and resell stores which is a cap of the amount of stores there are.

03/24/2017

Associated Bank of Fairview Heights graced us by allowing us to come to their place of business this previous Wednesday and what a wonderful time it was. We were greeted with friendly faces and they taught us a bunch of the ins and outs of banking that we would not have known prior to speaking with them. They showed us how to be banking literate and we appreciate them for it. They are originally out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ms. Amy Kempfer runs the Fairview Heights location. She utilizes a team of 12 bankers and tellers to run the bank. She also goes out and tells people about finance and of its importance. They also told us about the differences in banks. Classifications usually come from size. Smallest is community bank which includes Bank of Belleville and The Bank of Edwardsville. Regional banks include Associated Bank, etc. Large banks include those such as Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America. Central Bank is a community regional hybrid, in between them both. Regions is a super regional bank, a mix between Regional and Large. At Associated they try to act as a community bank because of the fact community banks have much more pull with the area they are in. For banks to give loans they must see that the entrepreneur has skin in the game or something to lose such as collateral because they truly dislike taking the first risk. They also made us aware of the Shadow banking system - most predatory lenders such as Payday loans, car loans etc from sharks. They charge exuberant interests, charge for having checking accounts, and charge for cashing checks.

Other than our visit we had work days for our personal businesses and it's astonishing to see how much progress is being made by everyone. Almost all of us are pretty set on our ideas and have started to get the wheels turning on how and in what direction we want our businesses to go.   We are utilizing our past connections from earlier CEO class days and really have started to put the pieces together in our business puzzles.

03/17/2017

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.

03/10/2017

It feels relaxing to have the stress and weight of our class business off our shoulders and be able to switch gears and focus on our own individual personal businesses. It seems as if we had been working on the class business for so long that it was the main primary focus of the class. Now we must reopen our eyes to be able to produce our own innovations.

Tuesday, we had Mr. Mike Riley join our class and tell us about the field of physical therapy. He saw a lack in the industry and decided to start his own place of business. His business has been around is 1980. They give patients what they really need, ensuring that they did not have to have repeat visits for re-injuring themselves.

Thursday we visited Gateway Classic Cars who's CEO is Mr. Sal Akbani. He started the company in 1998 but didn't start operations till February of 1999. They had no idea what they were doing at first. They are now stationed across throughout the US, mostly the Eastern half, supplying cars to thousands of customers. Sal Akbani was a teenager who emigrated from Pakistan to Chicago with his family in the 70s. He became a licensed pilot and airplane mechanic at Parks College in Cahokia. Mr. Akbani gave us two major takeaways for us to keep in mind while we go throughout our lives from now on. Find what you're passionate about and get into business about it. Learn to be alive even when you're at the bottom. Using these two great pieces of advice will do nothing but help us be successful in the future.

On Friday we had Mr. Jason Eding, Director of IT at PPM join us. Right off the bat Mr. Eding gave us a huge list of advice for us to keep in mind. One piece was that we must choose between should you do what you love or do what's practical to make a decent living. This is big because most people don't do what they love to ensure that they make enough money to support their families. Internet is the number one most important thing we use today in most industries, so learn how to use it to stay afloat in today's society. Experience is just knowledge after you connect the dots. Have an aptitude to learn new things It's been shown that many technological people are no longer the kind that sit around in basements doing business’s dirty work, but now they are the ones who go out and see people face to face to truly troubleshoot people’s problems with software/hardware and not only help them, but teach them so the same problem doesn’t happen twice. Mr. Eding was also kind enough to give us a list of interviewing skills to have: Make your resume different from everyone else’s.   Research company first. Make a list of questions (Company specific/Canned questions).   Prepared resume (with clear objectives) tailor it to the specific position.   Cover letter (Short, but say something specific about the company you are interviewing with).   Use a legit email address.   Make eye contact.   Sound articulate.   Dress for the occasion.   Ask lots of questions.   Never talk about money or benefits.   Act as though you really want the job.

02/24/2017

It finally came. After weeks upon weeks of preparation, dedication, hard work, discussions, advertising, the list goes on. We persevered as a class and it paid off. We worked day in and day out to make our event as successful as it was and personally I believe if we would have generated more ticket sales we would have had a huge hit for the whole city to remember.

On Thursday, Bill Hughes from US Agri-Services Group came to speak to us. His company is based in Freeburg, Illinois. Mr. Hughes's first big advice tip of many was no matter how old you are or what you're doing you can always seek improvement. Mr. Hughes was born in Okawville, Illinois. At a young age his parents didn't have much money so he knew he needed to be able to get it himself. He obtained an Associate’s degree from Kaskaskia College in Centralia. He then moved on to floating around to quite a few jobs but didn't like what he was doing. He started a construction company but eventually he ran out of business. He finally decided to go back to school but at this time he was married and has his first child. Fresh out of getting his degree he then got his first farm management job. From there on it was only a matter of time before he took all the knowledge he had to create his own farm managing company. Mr. Hughes was very knowledgeable and gave us many tips. Learn from those around you. Know what to do and what not do and know what to say to people and not to say to people. Everyone's job is important, from working the register at Taco Bell or being the CEO of Taco Bell, you have a role and you're important. There were so many tips I couldn't even get them all, but Mr. Hughes was definitely quite a wise from all his years of experience. Back to our actual event, it was really an eye opening experience. We succeeded in a LOT of areas, yet where we lacked most, cost us the greatest. Attendance. If we as a class would have advertised and followed up with people more, we could've really got some pretty big numbers in. The people who did come were amazed by how much we as young business people accomplished. All our booths were great with amazing products/services. I even found myself looking and purchasing wares in my free time. Our chocolate fountain was the biggest hit of all in my opinion and we owe it to Mr. and Mrs. Dunnigan for being generous enough to allow us with it. All in all we had a great event and I'm proud of our CEO class for making it happen.

02/10/2017

Work, work, work. That pretty much sums up our week pretty well. We devoted all our time and attention to trying to start finalizing all preparations for our class business in less than 10 days. We are pushing ourselves harder than ever to try to accommodate for us not excelling at getting the ball rolling earlier. This includes making an extensive list of phone calls daily and going out to talk to individual businesses to try to get our business to be the success we know it will. Our class goal for each individual person is to at least bring 10 or so people which will get us to a great overall amount in attendance. As long as we continue to work diligently for this next week we should meet our goal and bring ourselves joy and gladness of that success we know that we are capable of.

On Tuesday of last week, we met at Mathis, Marifian, Richter. They first began as a boutique firm which means they primarily only did taxes. Once they saw the limits of only doing a certain aspect of this huge industry they began expanding their horizons to other revenues of income. They came to start doing bankruptcies, litigations and more. They did not however take on representing unions or divorces due to the emotions involved with those. A major point that hit home while speaking with them was that a new business can start with just a phone call. After that you set up a meeting. Then the formation of type of company you want to have. Then you need capital from either investors, crowd funding, or finding some other asset to start your business. It's quite easy with guidance and experienced people helping your cause, which is quite evident in the fact that their company is doing so well.

On Friday we had Ms. Erica Barnell from her business, Geneoscopy LLC. In high school she went to John Burroughs High School. Early on in life she was a student athlete and learned early on what it took to succeed and strive for more. After graduating high school she went on to attend Cornell University. After getting her Bachelors she then went on to Tel Aviv. She went for more schooling and eventually found her new partners along the way. She owns her business with her brother and her classmate from college and they all work hard to constantly keep researching and evolving the way colonoscopies are performed to allow easier compliance and higher efficiency rates. This goes on to show that with hard work, dedication, and a good mentality you can be whatever you want in life, whether it's helping people, developing new software, or finding a way to cure cancer. They’re all great fields and deserve more people like this.

01/27/2017

This previous week was very significant due to the fact that we worked very strenuously on our class business and ensuring that we start generating ticket sales and increasing the amount of booths we acquire. Everyone in the class has been working hard to make sure to get sponsors and to that end we have succeeded in getting our more than fair share of sponsors. Wednesday's class we had Mrs. DiMaggio and she came back to show us more holes and flaws we had in our original business plan and how to better it overall. We utilize our preceding class's numbers and areas where they needed improvement in their own class business. They felt their biggest downfall was ticket sales and getting people to attend so that's what our class is going to really strive to improve and make sure that each one of us at least brings 20 or so people. If we all continue to do our part and stay on top of the game and pursue businesses and people to come to our event, then we shall prosper in our class endeavor.

On Thursday we visited The Edge/Vesper with Mr. and Mrs. Schell. They have now been around for 22 years. Their original business idea was an in seat food and beverage in 1994. They came up with enough capital to buy an old theatre but it didn't work out because the building wasn't for sale anymore. This was the old Ritz Theater that they tried to acquire after it shut down but instead it is now a church. Originally sports pubs weren't very popular here and if they were around they had no more than 4 or 5 TVs but Mr. and Mrs. Schell started one with 30 TVs. They also were the first laser tag arena to come here. Their biggest takeaway was don't let someone tell you not to do something just because it hasn't been done. They literally started something in their innovating industry in which no one else in the area had caught on to, yet decided to do it anyway. Them doing this resulted in their business being around till this day and making big money along with it. Another takeaway was know everything you talk about but don't necessarily talk about everything you know. The Edge's building was originally a family owned grocery store. It was bought out and converted to what it is now. The last takeaway was arguably the most important. Don't let anybody put you in a box and develop yourself at all times otherwise you're getting worse. Traditional financial aids weren't available because people weren't aware of the industry as of yet. The SBA gave loans in 1st position because of this and they were quite lucky to receive this help. Despite all these setbacks The Edge came to be one of the strongest established businesses in the area.

01/20/2017

We have come to Christmas break and what a semester it has been. We have had many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and we have overcome them all by sticking together and working as one well-oiled machine. Our class has excelled, in my opinion, at every challenge placed in front of us. From the badge project to representing ourselves to our upmost ability at every outing we've gone on, we've knocked the ball out of the park every time. Overall I couldn't have wished for a better group of peers to go through this experience with. Where someone is lacking, someone else is packing and we compliment each other beautifully.

It's kind of like how Mr. and Mrs. Boyer are. They may not have all the same strengths, but as a unit they are a force to be reckoned with. They both lead wonderful careers but just as the saying goes, Life isn’t no laser beam. They have gone through many difference opportunities to get where they are today, from going on 500 mile pilgrimages, to simply changing the direction of their life by switching careers. They truly have done it all, and are successful from being such persistent people. Our class is almost like a shortened version of their lives and just like them, in the end we should be successful.

12/16/2016

On Monday, we made the trip to Governor French Academy. Originally there were only 3 high schools in Belleville, until a Belleville East teacher sought to help students better on a 1 on 1 level. Governor French was looking for an accountant and Mrs. Bassler was a perfect match. Everything they do here is monitored by different types of groups, tax groups, education boards, etc. Payroll taxes have increased the difficulty and paperwork of paying employees. Employees seek benefits and insurance packages. Workers compensation is a necessity for all businesses for those accidents that no one can predict. The Academy being nonprofit takes work and you have to go through a hard process. They have to fundraise just as much as Althoff because their tuition is lower but they also have fewer students. In my personal opinion I would send my child to grade school here because of how advanced their classes are.

Thursday, we went to TWM; Thouvenot, Wade, & Moerchen. Before the presentation even started a quote that hit home was that everyday a new problem presents itself and you need to make a tactful decision and roll with it. Market diversity is always a standpoint no matter what type of business you are running. TWM has many different types of projects they take on. Once specific type is surveying jobs which utilize different forms of technology to capture and create models of areas. Another major point that hit home while we were there was the fact that you can have leading edge technology but sometimes your clients don't have the capability to access that service or data. The last and biggest point of the week was find something you would do 1 without getting paid, turn your vocation into work, find a way to make money from it, and without getting paid, turn your vocation into work, find a way to make money from it, and you'll never work a day in your life.

11/18/2016

Life doesn't always go as expected. Sometimes life hits us in ways we never see coming and we just have to roll with the punches. We've come into some rather difficult turns in our class business that we didn't necessarily see or predict to see. Our original idea for a main speaker has run into some trouble due to how expensive or unavailable they are. This will set us back for a minute but as with all things in life, a minor setback is needed for a major breakthrough.

On Tuesday, we visited Fletcher's who's owned by Derek Betz. Supply and demand is huge in his industry and it completely affects his business completely. Fletcher's was opened in 2004. The building used to be a few other restaurants but now it is Fletcher's. The business provides for his family substantially and providing for his family was his main goal.

On Wednesday was Ms. Cheryl Mitchell. Ms. Mitchell is the newest director of Midland Institute after Craig Lindvahl. Craig Lindvahl started before Midland was even thought of. Craig was a music teacher and in independent films but he ended up in T-Town. CEO started by one student just wanting to meet a business owner and then spread the idea around. The Institute was formed in 2010. As of 2016 there are 35 programs. After Craig's pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Cheryl took over as the director of the Institute. The possibilities of how many classes that could start up each new year start getting really high due to amount of popularity. CEO has started to move up north in Illinois, has some classes in Indiana, and new states each year so soon they could be a nationwide program. Midland States Bank was one of their original huge founders and funders. Both share and have people on boards in each of the groups. Some classes have failed before. The new way of "screening" for each new program has changed the way classes are chosen and where they are placed to ensure they don't fail easily. Mrs. Mitchell is a one spectacular person and I would not be surprised if she made the CEO program become a nationwide craze.

11/11/2016

As our weeks go on, we have become better and better at keeping our focus on what has to be done for success in our class business, while also keeping our minds open for information from all the business owners and entrepreneurs that come to us every week. We've made it to November already and it still feels like the class is fresh and new every time we meet. It's as if the class starts over every week due to how much each week is different.

Monday The Bank of Edwardsville came to see us. The biggest piece of information tries to make personal connections. The more you know about someone the more you can talk about next time you see them. The Bank of Edwardsville has148 years of banking under its belt, 20 full service banking centers, 190 million net worth, 1.8 Billion in assets. The Bank has received a myriad of awards, one of the top 50 businesses from RCGA, the Financial Literacy award, and St. Louis Business Journal top 10 largest trust company amongst others. Officers and employees of The Bank donate their times and talents to over 400 different charitable and community organizations. One difference between normal businesses are their balance sheets and assets. Banks' balance sheets consist of assets (loans, investments, cash, facilities and equipment) and liabilities (deposits).

Tuesday, Mr. Kevin Nichol came and gave us a seminar that tied in and went hand and hand with The Bank of Edwardsville very well. The most impactful takeaway for me was the fact that what you do today literally could affect you tomorrow. You have to always keep the future in mind because things are bound to happen but how you react and prepare yourself for the worst then you will always be ready for anything. Keeping this in mind, always try to cut down on liabilities and increase your assets to their maximum potential to get the most out of things in life. Using financial literacy you can keep things like your credit score or even relationships with people from getting into bad standing so that you can rely on them in the future. If me and my 1 CEOmates use these tools we should almost never find ourself on hard times, or if we do we can get out of them quickly.

11/04/2016

The road to success is never as easy, simple, or short as one plans to be. It takes hard work, dedication and perseverance. Yet success is still defined differently, varying from person to person. The more time and effort you put into a project, the more you will learn along the road to getting to where you wish to be. Even though we've only been in CEO for a few months, we've already started being able to use methods from our past experiences that worked, and eliminate those that didn't. Every time we have a new work day, our team has come together to become increasingly more efficient and self-sufficient.

On one of our visit days this week, we went to Rauckman Utility LLC. Their only customers are power companies. Their main service is to keep power lines working properly and not being tampered with by squirrels and birds. Mr. Rauckman attended Wolf Branch, Belleville East, and SWIC. He then went onto electrical Engineering, later working for Emerson. Most engineers are introverts and he felt he needed an extrovert. Mr. Rauckman was moved around the USA for his work, then around the world, visiting many different places. Soon, however his visitations started slowing down and he grew bored and started to hate his job after being stationed in one place. So, having the mind and heart of an engineer, he started his own business. One half is advertising such and takes commissions as pricing, while the other half is his product lines. Rauckman sells multiple products across the world that increase the durability and endurance of electric power lines.

Later on in the week, Mr. Neal of the Super Bit Kicks team visited us. Super Bit Kicks has its origins while Mr. Neal was still in high school. His first products were made by buying cheap shoes from Walmart and customizing them. Started his advertisement by wearing his own product. Then he went on to buy his own equipment and utilizing his own unique customization and printing abilities. Mr. Neal utilizes his side business to supplement his other sources of income to maintain his ventures to this day.

10/28/2016

Week after week we have shown extraordinary improvement as we progress forward through the CEO Program. I'm personally very proud of the way my CEOmates and I have truly stepped up to the plate and continued to hit home runs every given opportunity. Our first class work days started off a little slow, but as time went on, we've gotten the ball rolling and now we're in full swing of truly getting our class business together in the way we envision it.

Tuesday, Mr. Charles H Fike joined us at Barcom to tell us about his personal business and how to succeed in our own endeavors. Like most entrepreneurs, he started something he didn't like and then moved on to making his own company. He focuses his attention on helping small businesses and individuals. One major point he also spoke on is when you own your own business, your job is not set to begin and end 8-5 usually you work way longer hours plus weekends. Mr. Fike does not advertise, utilizing only word of mouth references. Using this method helps you know what caliber of customers are coming to you. His company of more a restaurant, than a fast food place because of quality of business. Mr. Fike gets to know a lot more then he wants to know but small businesses depend on relationships so this isn't a problem.

Wednesday Mr. Callison came to speak about Breakthru Beverage Distributing and also to give us personal advice as well. Breakthru distributes drinks to the majority of southern Illinois. They cover bars, grocery stores, restaurants, independent wine and spirit stores. They have in the business for around 70 years. They utilize local ownership to maintain relationships in the community. Mr. Callison is from and grew up in Belleville and also joined the local workforce before pursuing other endeavors. One major takeaway I got from Mr. Callison is that risks are always taken in business, but you have to decide whether it's high or low risk.

Friday was our CEO Empowerment day. We heard numerous things and to try to write all the amazing stories down that Mr. Maer told us is blasphemous. However, it is quite inspiring to know that someone around this area has been in contact with various different huge historical figures yet we had not heard of him ourselves. I thank Mr. Nichols for bringing such an amazing man for us to hear from. Key takeaways from this event were abundant but these were most prevalent to me. Never stop working on your craft. Doing something towards your craft everyday will help you improve no matter what. Don't ask for a job, seek information. Using this ideology you don't have to openly seek for employment, just make good use of someone's time that they give you and be genuine in everything you do.

10/21/2016

As the school year continues to roll along, things have been picking up in pace and anticipation of our future endeavors. Our class business has really started to hit us as being urgent due to the realization that we do not have as much time as we thought before. While thinking about how to affect our class business we have also started to go into more detail about our own personal businesses. And speaking of personal businesses... Tuesday we started off our week by having Mr. Brian Mentzer describing his various business endeavors to us. It's pretty difficult how someone can manage one business, let alone fathom managing various different ones! It is very evident that having such a great support team and family is different a major key aspect to how successful he continues to be in his life. Mr. Mentzer also makes sure to keep family first as well. He will bargain shop when it comes to grocery but spares no expense when it comes to his family's happiness. That is a great mentality to have for such a great businessman.

Wednesday we visited the Chamber of Commerce and before gaining the knowledge from our visit, I had absolutely no idea what the Chamber was. The Chamber is actually a huge part of not only the Belleville area, but also surrounding communities. They are a major contributor to many different events, such as the Chili Cook Off, Oktoberfest, and many more that are big draws of Belleville. They utilize these events also for giving small businesses opportunities to showcase what they really are and network them to other organizations. The Chamber has over 10 committees that see to the overall betterment of the Greater Belleville area.

In my opinion, Thursday was the most informative day to me. Mr. Kurt Artinger and Mr. Chris Oswald are a team that have a goal in my mind. They both make sure to keep their community in mind first, which includes their family as well. Mr. Oswald personally stated that most people will keep striving to achieve their personal goals and after obtaining them, they turn around and have no one to celebrate with because of being neglected. They both made it very clear that failures are only learning experiences and never let one stop you from being accepting of the next. You have to be a "no eating monster" and keep coming back bigger and stronger from each failure to become what you truly aspire to in life.   

10/14/2016

Once again, another amazing week in the program. This week had the best of both worlds. We improved ourselves as a group, individually, and displayed our strengths in a public setting at TrepStart.

TrepStart was everything I expected and more. Just hearing Maxine Clark speak about her past trials and tribulations would've been enough on its own. Then we got even more bargain for our tickets by being able to listen all of the entrepreneurs of our ages and younger. Their lives up to this point are testaments to the fact that no matter how old you are, you can impact your community and earn money by doing it, if that's what you wish to do. Each one of them probably does more for their respective communities, than 10 people could. Not only that but they also juggle all the responsibilities of an average student: extracurriculars, sports, clubs and their scholastics.  Zachary and Jake both were excellent break out session speakers. They both gave various examples of thinking outside the box and how to succeed in the business world. Zach utilizes his technological genius to improve an industry while Jake purely just thought outside the normal restraints of thought and created his invention. Knowing that Jake and his sister have been before such big names like Shark Tank is just proof that anyone can do anything they put their mind to.

Tuesday, Ms. DiMaggio came to speak about the gritty work of a starting business. Business plans are needed for multiple reasons. A few examples of these are getting sponsors, remembering your goal for your business at all times, being able to look back and stay focused, and know where you're going as you move forward. They're essential in every business.

Wednesday was the day we cleared the elephant in the room. We all know that it was coming and mentally prepared for it beforehand. I believe it was very productive and it brought us closer as a group. Mike's previous statement summed up our predicament perfectly and it was good that we solved it as a group.

Thursday was just like our last meet and greet, full of wonderful potential mentors and successful establish people in our community.

10/07/2016

Another week, another great 5 days spent working towards our team goal. This previous week was a great experience for what it means for a business to truly have to be personal and able to have empathy.

Tuesday, when we visited Kurrus Funeral Home, I instantly saw why funeral homes are so important in society. They take care of all the business aspects of a family death, while also having the responsibility and going the extra mile and being consolers to people who have just recently has a tragic incident occur in their lives. Not only are the compassionate with the family, but they also help figure out wills, take care of all the funeral arrangements, but they also take it to a deeper level and truly do what they say they will do. When we were escorted to the crematorium, they displayed the various methods of what it takes and what actually happens when a body is cremated. They place "dog tag"-like flame resistant metal coins inside of the basket alongside the bodies to make sure people's loved ones are truly being distributed correctly.

Wednesday, we visited Memorial Hospital. Never have I realized how much is truly required to run a medical institution! They have to have the safest, cleanest, ready-to-use building probably of any other business out there. The level of sanitation is just mind blowing. Also something I never knew, was that people's healthcare providers do not pay all of what it actually takes to perform operations and procedures. I'm extremely proud to say we have such wonderful places like this in Belleville.

Thursday our walk and talk was really more than what was expected. I didn't expect to see a diverse congregation of people and students alike at Union School. Other than the racial diversities that were present, there were also a great mixture of cultures and professions. From Dr. 1 Dossier, to Lindenwood football players, to even one of Althoff's softball coaches- there were many different kinds of people pouring into these young students' lives.

From a home base standpoint, I'm not sure of how I feel about our work days. They were definitely productive and informative about how to go about these upcoming projects, but there were some things that really stood out. I feel we're starting to get opinionated, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. We all have equal votes, and everyone's opinion counts for something, and as long as we keep our goals in mind and put aside our interests at times, we shall continue to strive as the great program we are.

09/23/2016

Tuesday, we visited Holland Construction and it was one of the perfect examples of a company being more of a family then an actual business. Mr. Marchal spoke on how their core values also mesh in with how their business is ran. They truly value their employees and tolerate mistakes as long as progress as made and that is exactly how I could vision my company being run as well.

Our workdays this week were also very productive. Our badge project should be completed on time and it won't even take too much money to actually complete. We truly came together as a group without necessarily appointing a leader but still did it quite efficiently. Although in upcoming projects we will need to start diversifying our roles to increase how much we can do in my opinion.

Thursday, we visited Dr. Dosier at District 201. It was quite amusing to see how much things have changed over the years, especially people's styles and apparel. It was also really cool the way he talked to us about social media and how to use proper etiquette with it. Business's throughout the area also seem to last quite a long time, seeing as the Motor Company, although changing names, has lasted from at least 1917 till now.

Friday was probably the most informative day on a business basis to me. It showed me how much it really costs to startup and maintain a business. Mr. Pesko's speech to us showed me that even having a million dollars isn't much when it comes to the business world, but that's an intangible amount of money to me right now. Mr. Pesko and Mr. Marchal also showed us the importance of relationships. If you do people favors, establish strong relationships, and do what you say you will do, you can get a lot of business going without having to necessarily purchase all the necessities for your business.

09/16/2016

In football, the most improvement a team can see is from week 1 to week 2. I think the same holds true for a lot of things in life. I could definitely see some improvement in myself and my CEOmates this previous week. When listening to the different lectures I feel we were more alert, attentive, and in tune with exactly what the speakers were talking about. We asked a lot more questions, displayed better body language and really just overall showed that we were paying attention to the presenters. We started our week by going to Egyptian Stationers and having their owner and his son speak to us about how they are a supply store and they build customizable office spaces. The process and tools in which they use to build the offices is quite complex yet simplistic and really offers consumers the ability to create a work from home feeling with great ease. They are definitely a company worth investing in if you want to have a productive work office. Having Mr. Hoering speak to us showed us the more business, in office, suit and tie type of setting and the major amount of money that can be obtained by being able to handle a job like that. I personally couldn't see my self sitting and typing spreadsheets and doing audits all day but for people that could do that, there's hundreds of thousands of dollars to be made in that profession. When we visited Kaskaskia Engineering, it was the best presentation, in my opinion, yet. The way Mrs. Boyer spoke about her company, their core values and overall life lessons just really hit home and sparked a true inquisitive interest in me that I had not had yet. She simply spoke volumes in a matter of less than an hour, so who knows what all she could've done given more time. The way she seemed so accepting yet stern, motherly yet able to give tough love, just made her seem like the perfect boss. 1 Friday, we took the awaited trip to Indiana to visit Holiday World, and it was all I expected and more. The presentation the leaders of the various parts of the company aspect of Holiday World all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their jobs and answered each of our questions with relative ease which showed the actually took time to prepare for us coming. Meeting various other CEO classes was also quite enjoyable. They all seemed to have joined CEO for the same reasons as us and aspire to do great things in the program. It would be cool if we could collaborate on a project with them one day.

09/02/2016

This previous week has been intriguing and diverse to say the least. Already I've learned skills that I can visualize myself using later on in life and their importance being detrimental to success in multiple areas in my life. The way Mr. Clapp and Mr. Schneider enabled us to become closer as a group I believe will allow us to be able to mesh way quicker than if they had not came and showed us the values of knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Speaking of that, a lot of my CEO mates' personalities have definitely became prominent in the first week and a half of class being in session. I can tell there will be a few clashes due to people's traits but we can work past them due to our willingness to overcome challenges as a team. The exercise utilized by Ms. Faber also showed us who's good at communication and leading, and who's willing to listen and cooperate. It's already evident who wants to be leaders and have more directing roles, and who will play the parts and work with the leaders on our future projects. One fear I do have, however, is if I'm wrong about our willingness to cooperate and if people won't budge or bend on certain points and opinions. We have all the tools to easily complete any task assigned to us, but we still have to figure it out and do our best to achieve them. The drive, willingness to work, and other characteristics that Mr. Lowery spoke about in his speech on Friday, are completely evident in each and every one of my classmates. The next year will most definitely be interesting to see how it all plays out.       

08/26/2016