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 Open to juniors and seniors from any high school in the county,
the program began with 14 students and with ten students
successfully creating their own businesses and officially offering
that business to the public at the tradeshow.
The CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program is the
creation of Craig Lindvahl and was an immediate success in schools
and communities from around the state of Illinois and beyond. The
program increases education and personal growth in students. It
works when communities and schools join together and is successful
when local entrepreneurs invest in the program by lending their
experience and knowledge to the classroom.
The program was introduced to Logan County by local entrepreneurs
Patrick and April Doolin and the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of
Commerce. It also immediately gained support from Lincoln Community
High School Superintendent Robert Bagby.
To get the program off the ground, a board of directors was formed
that included April Doolin as the chair; Clyde Reynolds, Keystone
Risk Management; June Harnacke, New Holland Banking Center; Dr. Todd
Nobbe, Nobbe Eye Care Center; Patrick Doolin, Integrity Data; Andi
Hake, community volunteer; Robert Bagby, LCHS District 404, Todd
Hamm; Mount Pulaski High School; Sara Sisk, LCHS; Lisa Steve,
Olympia High School; Kristi Powell, Heartland Community College; and
David Gerlalch, Lincoln College.
 The group then worked to fund the program through sponsorships from
area businesses, individuals, and other organizations.
The group also sought out an instructor/facilitator for the program
and hired Jason Mauhar.
The program was set up as an extracurricular for participating
students, which meant that attending the CEO classes did not take
time away from their high school education. It also did not utilize
space in the schools, so meeting places for the daily classes had to
be secured by the board and facilitator.
For the students, this meant that they attended the classes in the
early mornings, before the first bell of the day at their high
school. They also attended in a variety of locations.
On Wednesday evening, Doolin explained that four Logan County
businesses had provided classroom space for the CEO, and the class
changed locations quarterly. The business that provided space were
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Eaton, Integrity Data, and State
Bank of Lincoln.
Throughout the school year the students spent time in the classroom
setting, receive guidance and instruction from Mauhar, and also
heard from several local business people who shared their business
knowledge and experience.
In addition, the group participated in several site visits that
included going out to local businesses, touring their facilities,
and hearing from business owners and managers about how the business
is managed on a daily basis.
Each student had a personal mentor, again a local business person,
who volunteered his or her time and talents to help and support the
students on their journey.
On Wednesday evening, Ed Dowling was among those mentors who was on
hand, keeping an eye on his student and talking to the public about
the program. Dowling may be best known to many as a local hot air
balloonist, but he also has a great deal of business experience. In
his career paths, he has been a business manager locally and owned a
small business in Springfield.
Dowling said that it was a great choice for him personally to get
involved with the program. He enjoyed working with the young people,
was excited about the program on the whole and what it brings to the
young students who have the ability to shape their own future
through entrepreneurship. Dowling said he addressed developing
long-term business plans and creating solid budget documents with
the students. For his own charge, Michael Wood, Dowling tried always
to be available to answer questions and lend his experiences to the
young man. He noted that some of the things they worked on together
were investigating online payment methods that Wood could utilize in
his web-based business, ‘Spitting Image.’
The tradeshow signified
the last large project for the students as the school year comes to
an end. Each student created his or her own business, offering a
product or service for sale to the public. In creating the business,
they had to have a plan, developed business contacts, worked on
promotion materials, set up their booths, and prepared talking
points for visiting guests. April Doolin noted the evolution of
the students through the year that culminated at this moment. She
said that it had been a great first year, and the board is excited
for next year. She noted that she had watched the students grow
professionally and that it had been a great experience for her.
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She said when the school year began, many of the
students were a bit reserved, unsure of themselves when dealing
with adults and adult situations, such as running a business.
Doolin noted one very interesting fact. She said in today’s age
of technology, kids communicate in a variety of ways, but one
thing they don’t do much anymore is talking on the telephone.
She summed up the first year saying, “It’s been a fun year, fun
to watch the students from when they began when they were
awkward with adults, watching them grow, honing their phone
skills, and getting comfortable with it by doing it over and
over again.”
The turnout for the tradeshow Wednesday evening was remarkable
and for some of the students, somewhat of a shock. Student Joe
Ahrends whose business was Silver Case Productions commented on
the turnout. He didn’t know what to expect, but in the back of
his mind, he thought the evening would end up being a “desk-sit”
when from time to time someone would pass by, and he would get
the opportunity to talk about his business.
For the ten participants the tradeshow was anything but a
desk-sit, as the ballroom at the American Legion filled early
with visitors and the flow of people coming and going remained
large and steady throughout the evening.
For the young entrepreneurs, another highlight of a busy and
successful evening may have been a visit to their booth by
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.
Rauner arrived at the tradeshow shortly after 5 p.m. and stayed
for quite some time.
April Doolin called the room to attention and began by thanking
everyone for attending. She thanked the people who have worked
with the students, local businesses, and the LLCEO Board and the
Tradeshow Committee who assisted the students in planning the
show and making it come off successfully without a hitch.
Rauner spoke, thanking everyone for coming out to show their
support for the young entrepreneurs. He told the room that he
has been a venture capitalist, but that not everything he tried
to do was successful. He said he wanted to remind the students
that there is no such thing as failure, it is just a learning
opportunity.
 Rauner noted that as everyone knows, there are big issues on the
state level. He told the group that the needs of the citizens of
the state, money for schools, pensions, and support to families
in need, would not be solved through taxation. He said, “We are
not going to be able to tax our way to solving these challenges,
it won’t happen. We can’t cut our way to solving these
challenges. We need to grow our economy; number one priority!
The reason America is the most prosperous nation on earth is our
free enterprise system. Our belief in open markets, free
competition and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is what has
made America the greatest, most prosperous nation on earth.
Taking a risk, having a dream, having a vision, having a goal
and taking the risk to get yourself out there and make it a
reality.”
Rauner then spent the rest of his time visiting each of the ten
booths and speaking with the students about their businesses.
Overall, the CEO program has been of great benefit to the
students who participated and has been dubbed as a success by
its board. Everyone is looking forward to year two, and growing
the program. With this school year coming to an end, the LLCEO
is now taking applications for next year, and they are getting
several.
As for this year’s class, keep your eye on these young people.
Some of them have career choices in mind that won’t necessarily
develop into entrepreneurship, but at the same time will create
young leaders in our community. They are all ambitious and goal
oriented, with a great deal to offer, and Logan County will be
fortunate to have these young adults in our midst.
[Nila Smith]
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