|
 The
Land of Lincoln Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (LLCEO)
program is “the standard for entrepreneurship education in the
United States.” In morning sessions, students in the program “get
real-life, hands-on learning experiences” hearing from a variety of
guest speakers and visiting businesses throughout Lincoln, Logan
County and beyond.
This year’s, there were four students representing two schools.
The students began the trade show with a ribbon
cutting hosted by Lincoln Daily News. Students were joined behind
the ribbon by LLCEO Facilitator Lisa Kuhlman, several LLCEO Board
members, two city aldermen, the Lincoln Tourism representatives, the
LEAD director and 2023 Logan County Fair royalty.
Holding the ribbon were LDN ribbon cutters Karen Castelein and
Chassidy White.
LLCEO board member Michelle Bauer led the ceremony,
thanking everyone who came to the trade show. The LLCEO program is
getting ready to head into its tenth year and Bauer said she is
really excited about this class and the work they have put in. She
said there were former LLCEO students at the trade show and an
alumni booth highlighting previous years, which is really
encouraging for the LLCEO Board. Bauer said it is important to see
the program continue and do exactly what its intention is, which is
to build young entrepreneurs that go out into the world and continue
their entrepreneurial spirit.
After a countdown from three, 2024 LLCEO students Jaedyn Gulley and
Alex Steffens cut the ribbon.
LLCEO Board Chairman Rachael Judd has been on the
board for six years. This year is her first year as Board Chairman.
Judd said more than anything, she loved that kids stuck with the
program even through the COVID years when it was harder. We are
excited to see the class growing. There were four in this year’s
class and next year, there will be twelve, tripling this year’s
number. In 2025, the program will celebrate 10 years, which Judd
said is a big deal.
Th ribbon cutting kicked off the evening. At 5:00 the
event was open to the public and the students spent the next hour
selling their products and services to those interested.
The 2024 LLCEO class consisted of Amy Dederich, Aiden Frye, Jaedyn
Gulley and Alex Steffens.
Each student briefly discussed the business they started as people
stopped by their tables.
Aiden Frye (pictured right)
Aiden Frye is a junior at LCHS, where he is a dual
sport athlete, playing football and wrestling. He is reborn through
the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ and volunteers at Lincoln Christian
Church. He also participates in FFA, school choir and church choir.
Frye is interested in going into the ministry and/or serving his
community as a firefighter and looks forward to putting the
leadership skills he gained through the LLCEO program into practice
and trust God’s will for his future.
Frye’s business was Aiden Lawncare. He does about five lawns per
week but expects his business to grow in the next few weeks and
throughout the summer. Frye values his relationship with his
customers, trying to keep communication open in case of
misunderstandings. He also values customer satisfaction. In his
lawncare business, Frye does a variety of jobs like mowing, weeding,
trimming, leaf blowing, mulching, hedge trimming and laying down
rock. He is sometimes assisted by LCHS senior Luke Garretson.
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Jaedyn Gulley (pictured left)
Jaedyn Gulley is a junior at LCHS, where he is a dual
sport athlete competing in football and baseball while also working
hard at academics and extracurricular activities. Gulley is working
to balance his day to day life with his newfound interest in
business. He hopes to have a bright future beyond LCHS thanks to the
lessons he has learned in the LLCEO program.
Gulley’s business was Mighty Mulch, which involves
mulch distribution with ease for the customer. His mulch is intended
to keep plants safe throughout the summer and winter even in harsh
environments. Gulley’s goal is to keep people from doing back
breaking labor, so he delivers and lays the mulch. He suggests using
red mulch and his mulch is sourced naturally from Atlanta. Gulley
sprays the mulch with insect repellent.
Alex Steffens
Alex Steffens is a junior at LCHS with an interest in
technology. He is the vice president of his class and starting
varsity goalkeeper for the school’s soccer team. Steffens is also
involved in LCHS Math Club, LCHS Chess Club, LCHS LEAF Club, Chester
4-H Club and multiple accelerated classes. He helps his community by
volunteering at his local church and in his free time, enjoys
learning to do new things and playing soccer. In the future,
Steffens looks forward to going into the information technology
field.
Steffens is the Iron Shield Pool and Hot Tub Solutions owner. Iron
Shield takes iron out of water as the filter he uses takes 94
percent of harmful iron particles out of water and can save people
thousands of dollars on expensive filters or having water brought
in. The iron filter is put on the side of the pool or hot tub and
Steffen said it should last for years.
Amy Dederich
Amy Dederich is a senior at Olympia High School. She
is the OHS yearbook editor. STEM Club President and Student Council
Point Secretary. She has earned the OHS Spanish Department Award and
the NCWIT Regional Award for Aspirations in Computing while also
being the English State Qualifier for the ACES Competition. Dederich
likes to dance, play soccer and hang out with friends in her free
time. She plans to attend Maryville University of St. Louis this
fall to complete a five year master’s program in Cybersecurity with
a minor in Spanish.
Amy on the left
Dederich’s business is Scholar Solutions. Her
business provides digital organizational solutions for high school
and college-aged students as they apply for various scholarships.
Dederich said Scholar Solutions provides students with a scholarship
tracker that helps them keep track of all scholarship applications
and reminds them of application deadlines. For $19, you get a PDF
with a link to make a copy of the spreadsheet and a video tutorial.
The spreadsheet can be used indefinitely. She also has a free
scholarship guide with resources.
Before the trade show began, next year’s facilitator
Sarah Tomaszewski was introduced followed by seven next year’s
twelve students signing up for the program.
To learn more about the Land of Lincoln CEO program, visit llceo.com
[Angela Reiners] |
