LLCEO students showcase businesses at annual tradeshow
 

[May 04, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

On Wednesday evening, nine talented and intelligent young people, all either juniors or seniors from local high schools, participated in a small business tradeshow held at the American Legion. The activity was the final stage of their school-year-long participation in the Lincoln Land Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program.

The tradeshow marked the third such annual event for the LLCEO and was well attended by a steady stream of visitors, many of those visitors were parents, teachers, mentors, and members of the public, all there to show their support for the efforts of the young men and women.

The tradeshow is set up with booths for each student. As guests arrived, they were able to start at the first booth and make their way around the room, visiting with each student about their business. The students were to give their sales pitch, answer questions about their product or service, and also about their goals for the future.

The first booth inside the doorway was manned by LLCEO Board member April Doolin, with a variety of other folks joining her throughout the evening, some fellow board members and some instructors at various schools, and also joining in the conversations was LLCEO Instructor Jason Mauhar.

Each guest was given a booklet that contained information about the students including a biography and some of the activities of the school year, such as the Brains and Brawn Fundraiser held in February. The fundraiser was held on a Friday evening and Saturday and included trivia games to exercise the brain and athletic activities to exercise the body. The money raised was then used to support the development of the individual student businesses.

Austin Hayes

The first business in the lineup was Pixel Hayes Design, owned by Austin Hayes. Hayes is a junior at Hartsburg-Emden High School. He participates in high school sports is a member of the student council, has participated in scholastic bowl, and also in the high school play, and much more. He is planning to attend Parkland Community College, then transfer to the University of Illinois to complete his degree in Computer Science.

For his CEO business, Hayes developed a service based business working with website design and development. As he spoke with guests he said that in addition to creating useful websites for clients, he also will consult with clients on how to improve existing websites.

Hayes says that the website design business is really just a stepping stone toward his career goal. He plans to study computer programming so as to develop his own programs and also he wants to work in creation and design of video games.

In the program booklet Hayes noted: “The most important lesson I’ve learned during CEO is to do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.”

Emma Schoth

Emma Schoth is a senior at Mount Pulaski High School. She has participated in softball, cheerleading, student council, FFA, Scholastic Bowl, yearbook staff, and is a member of Spanish Club, FCCLA and National Honor Society.

Schoth’s business was driven by a very personal motivation. Drake's Toys is a subscription toy service focusing on special needs children. She explained that the name of the business reflects her motivation, her nephew Drake who has autism. She said that his parents struggle to find toys and games that Drake can use and that will help him develop skills.

With her business, a subscribing parent will first answer a questionnaire about his or her child and return that to Schoth. The questionnaire will provide Schoth with a guide to selecting toys and educational tools that are best suited for the child’s level of development. Schoth set up her business for a monthly subscription or she said she also will do quarterly subscriptions or one time only purchases. She added that she offers a gift box plan, for example, a relative can order a box and have it delivered directly to the child’s home. Schoth was assisted in her booth by Abbey Phillips who helped demonstrate specific toys as Schoth explained the program to guests.

Schoth said that her business is something she is very passionate about because of the nephew, but it also goes well with her future career goals. Schoth plans to attend college and major in psychology. She said her goal is to become a child psychologist.

In her biography she stated that, “Through CEO, I have had the opportunity to gain amazing communication skills that will help me immensely as I move forward with my business.”

Hayley Matson

Hayley Matson was set up in the third booth talking with guests about her passion turned to business – party planning. Matson said that she saw a need in the community for a real party planner, someone who could assist in the planning of graduation parties, baby showers, and anniversary celebrations. She said that she will plan the event start to finish, but she would also be the one folks could go to if they had a last minute snag in their own planning process and needed someone to bail them out, so to speak. Matson said that right now she is serving only Logan County and she hasn’t taken on anything really big like a wedding or corporate function. However, she said she is open to doing those things in the future.

Her plans for after high school include attending Lincoln Land Community College and studying business.

Matson said that one valuable thing she learned from CEO was not to take everything on herself. “The most important lesson I learned throughout my CEO experience is that delegation and accountability are extremely important."

Talia Andrade

Sugar Designs by Talia is definitely a career goal business for Talia Andrade, a senior at Hartsburg Emden High School. Talia had an edible booth set up with a chocolate and strawberry sheet cake. She was handing out pieces as a free sample. Also on display were some beautifully decorated cupcakes.

Andrade says that she plans to attend college and has selected a school where she can continue to study cooking and baking. She also hopes to gain additional baking and decorating experience by working for other shops, and then eventually she plans to open her own bakery.

In school Andrade has been active in cheerleading and FFA and outside of school has already held a job as a cook and waitress at the Stag R Inn.

Andrade noted: CEO has taught me many lifelong lessons but the most important has been to follow my dreams and to not let the doubt of others discourage me.

Lindsay Long

Lindsay Long is a junior at Lincoln Community High School. When she finishes high school she plans to attend college and study to become an athletic trainer. For her business she developed a physical fitness consulting business focusing on the “baby boomer” generation. She said that assisting an older generation in staying active and physically fit will make it possible for those people to maintain their independence longer.

Long developed a business where she consults with clients about their physical ability and activity level and what issues they may have. She will then design a program just for that person, utilizing exercises that they are able to do on their own that will strengthen their weak spots. She said that she worked with the Beards' of Reps Gym to research exercises and develop her program.

In her bio Long said, “Throughout this year in CEO the most important lesson I learned is the importance of teamwork and communication.”

Felipe Buenrostro

In his bio Filipe Buernostro states: “My dream is to partner my business skills and deep-seeded calling to help others into my own successful international business venture. Papos Style, my current business, will bring quality fashion and home accessories from underprivileged foreign communities to the world market at a fair price. I will share their stories, and then donate 10 percent of my profits back to them in order to be a catalyst for progress in their lives.”

Wednesday evening Buenrostro’s booth was filled with color, and drew quite a bit of attention. He said that the items he is selling are all hand made by people living in underprivileged societies. He is selling and donating a portion of his profits right now to the Atomi Indians in Mexico.

Buenrostro had a helper for the evening, Jaden Elliott who assisted in talking about the products being offered.

Bruenrosto is a senior at Mount Pulaski High School. He plans to attend Loyola University where he will take on a double major in International Business and Global Entrepreneurship with a minor in Spanish. In high school Buenrostro played soccer and participated in the high school band. He has been a member of FCCLA, student government, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, and participated in the cultural exchange program, traveling to Costa Rica.

Mya Roberts

While Mya Roberts, a senior at Lincoln Community High School, plans to become a history teacher, she also has a passion for animals. That passion drove her to start her small business Paws-itive Experience Pet Care. As an employee of Lincoln Animal Hospital she knows that pet owners worry about leaving their animals at home alone, especially for extended periods of time. Her business answers a need for pet parents in that she will tend to the needs of pets when the owners are away. Roberts and her best friend and helper for the evening Ashlan Broom shared with guests how Roberts’ business plan works.

Roberts said that for a fee she will do well-being checks on pets and will provide activity and food. She will also provide nail trimming and baths as requested. Her plan is basically to stop in and visit with the pets, but she recently had a request that she stay over with an animal and she was happy to work that out for the client and the pet.

Next year, Roberts plans to attend Eastern Illinois University to get her history degree. She hopes to continue her pet care business as a source of income during her college career.

Roberts said that in her CEO experience, “The most important lesson I learned is to not be deterred by what people may think of you.”

Dustyn Gaston

Dustyn Gaston is a junior at Lincoln Community High School. His small business reflects a very long, long term plan. Gaston is planning to enlist in the United States Air Force right after high school. He sees himself as career military, spending 20 years serving his country and developing skills in logistics or aviation mechanics. When he retires from the military he hopes to start up a business of his own based on the knowledge and experience he gained in the Navy.

Later in life, when he is ready to slow down, he says that the business he introduced at the tradeshow may become a business again. Gaston’s business revolved around wood craftsmanship. He enjoys making cutting boards but also had on display turned bowls, wooden boxes and a set of twin tables that he said took about 40 to 50 hours to complete.

Emma Cooper

Emma Cooper is a senior at Lincoln Community High School. For the last two years she has also been employed in the Foodservice Department at Lincoln College. She enjoys that type of work, and has also worked at the local Dairy Queen. Being out and about in the community she noted that the beverage industry is growing, but local coffee shops are not always located in the most convenient places for would-be buyers.

As a result she developed a business plan for Grind and Shine beverages that includes being more mobile, and going to the customers. She plans to operate her business through this year at least and will run it as a ‘pop-up’ where she sets up shop in various locations. She will use a website and social media to let returning customers know where she is at on any given day.

She sees a need to have the mobile business set up near the factories in town, the hospital, and other locations where there is high traffic and not a lot offered in the line of food and beverage.

After graduation Cooper will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago and plans to study business. Her ultimate goal is to one day own a brick and mortar coffee/beverage shop.

On Wednesday evening Copper was making and selling teas, coffees, and smoothies to guests. She said that the rough weather this spring has prevented her from getting out in the community with her pop up the way she wanted to, but is looking forward to doing so now that the weather is warming up.

Cooper said, “The most important lesson I have learned in CEO is the importance of communication and the impact that it can have on the way you are viewed by others.”

Throughout the year, the CEO students traveled to various businesses in Logan County and learned from successful business owners, then used what the learned to establish their own businesses. In order to be a part of the CEO, the students may be either juniors or seniors in high school and live in Logan County and attend a high school that serves their area. They must be willing to attend CEO classes before they go to school each day, meaning that most of them start their day’s quite early in order to prepare and get to class at CEO, then commute back to their home school in time for the beginning classes of the day.

Throughout the school year each student has a mentor who is a local business professional. The mentors work with the students and help to guide them in their studies and development of their business plans.

The CEO program is led by Jason Mauhar who answers to a board of advisors. The members of the board of advisors include April Doolin, Integrity Holdings; Clyde Reynolds, Keystone Risk Management; Lisa Steve, Olympia High School; Patrick Doolin, Integrity Data; Robert Bagby, LCHS District 404; Sara Sisk, Lincoln Community High School; Todd Hamm, Mount Pulaski CUD 23; Dr. R. Todd Nobbe, Nobbe Eye Care Center; Bridget Schneider, Level Four Wealth Management; and Kristi Powell, Heartland Community College.

[Nila Smith]