Land of Lincoln CEO Program hosts annual trade show

[May 02, 2025]   

The students began the trade show with a ribbon cutting hosted by Lincoln Daily News. Students were joined behind the ribbon by some LLCEO board members and a few elected officials.

Holding the ribbon were by LLCEO Facilitator Sarah Tomaszewski and LLCEO Board Chair Rachael Judd.

Before the ribbon was cut, Lincoln Daily News’ Karen Castelein congratulated the LLCEO students who worked hard to create their own businesses.

After a countdown from three, the LLCEO students cut the ribbon.

LLCEO Board Chairman Rachael Judd said a few words before the trade show started. Judd has been on the board for seven years. It is her second year as Board Chairman, and someone else will serve in the role next year. Judd said she is filled with pride and gratitude for the journey our students have taken.

The trade show celebrates the hard work, resilience of growth of the students, and Judd said, “the students showed incredible initiative” by “organizing and participating in events that deepened their learning and gave back to the community.”

The Midland Institute encourages these programs to recognize their students. Therefore, something new this year was a cording ceremony for the seniors in the program. LCHS senior Alex Steffens was in the LLCEO program last year. The other five seniors were in the program this year and include Kyle Koehler, Ivy Sandel, Alek Claudio, Paytan Bunner and Finley Hewett. As she called each senior’s name, Judd put cords around their necks.

The 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 2025 LLCEO class consisted Paytan Bunner, Finley Hewett, Kennedy McCree, Kyle Koehler, Ivy Sandel, Alek Claudio, Cheyenne Medrano and Adalynn Reed.

Paytan Bunner is a senior at Lincoln Community High School. In the fall, Bunner will continue his education and football career at Quincy University, where he plans to study the structure of business. He hopes to be a successful business owner in the future and use his CEO experience and skills to accomplish his goals after college.

Bunner’s business was True Detail, which is an auto detailing business. He has been detailing car for one and a half years and strives to make sure vehicles have a pristine finish. Bunner said he takes most of the money he makes and invests it into the business by buying new equipment.

Finley Hewitt is a senior at Lincoln Community High School with an interest in learning about business and criminal justice. In her free time, she loves to work as a waitress at Guzzardo’s Italian Villa in addition to spending time with family, fishing, travelling, reading and being outside. Hewitt’s extracurricular activities include LCHS LEAF and M.O.V.E. Club. After high school, Hewett hopes to study criminal justice in college and plans to become a police officer.
 

Hewitt’s business is Paw-Sitive Steps, which is a professional dog walking service. She said the service benefits both owners and their dogs. The dogs get the exercise they need to stay healthy plus burn off energy. Her goal is to make life easier for pet owners while she keeps the dogs happy and well cared for. Hewitt plans to continue walking dogs this summer. You can find more details about Paw-Sitive Steps on both Instagram and Facebook.

Kennedy McCree is a junior at Hartburg Emden High School, where she is on the yearbook committee, senior beta club, choir, cheer and softball. She is also in girl scouts, plays percussion in the band and is a part of the Logan County Liftoff Program. After high school, McCree plans to pursue a business degree. She is excited to use the skills and knowledge that the CEO program has given her.

McCree’s business is Canine Confections, which is an all-natural dog treat bakery. McCree said the treats have no added preservatives and are made of all-natural ingredients. She offers options such as breakfast biscuits with bacon and cheese and peanut butter and pumpkin treats at an affordable price.

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Kyle Koehler is a senior at Lincoln Community High School. He is a dual sport athlete playing baseball and football and hopes to continue playing baseball throughout college. After college, Koehler wants to become an electrician. He hopes to use the leadership skills he has learned from the CEO program to start his own electrical business.

Koehler’s business is Koehler Lawncare. Koehler said he can save people time and money by mowing, weed eating, trimming bushes and edging concrete. He has done residential mowing and also commercial lawn mowing for Farm and Home and other businesses.

Ivy Sandel is a senior at Lincoln Community High School. She is a dual sport athlete as the captain of the varsity cheer team and starting varsity soccer player. Sandel is also involved in LCHS Math, M.O.V.E., Library and Kindness clubs in addition to student government, where she serves as a senior class representative. She plans to attend Illinois State University this fall, where she will continue cheering as she completes her undergraduate degree in biology while minoring in Spanish. Sandel then plans to continue her education in dental school.

Sandel’s business is Wild Ivy Clothing. Sandel heat presses vinyl onto t-shirts. She creates her own designs and believes everyone deserves to be clothed in what makes them feel comfortable, stylish and happy without a high price. Sandel plans to launch her website Monday. For more information, look for Wild Ivy on Facebook and wildivy2025 on Instagram.

Alek Claudio is a senior at Lincoln Community High School. He is a dedicated student athlete on the football team. After graduation, Claudio will be heading to North Georgia to attend the Southwest Lineman Training Center and pursue a career as a power lineman. He plans to apply the skills he gained from the CEO program to become the best version of himself.

Claudio’s business is Rugify, a custom rug making business. Claudio uses a tufting gun to make one-of-a-kind rugs. If you send Claudio an image, he can make rugs using sports logos or other items tailored to your personal style.

Cheyenne Medrano is a junior at Lincoln Community High School. She is an ambitious freelance designer and content coordinator. Medrano is involved in film management for Lincoln Railers Football and is on the stage crew for the Thespians of LCHS. She enjoys and excels in psychology, art and English. After high school, Medrano plans to study animation at the Pratt Institute.

Medrano’s business is Medrano Media. Medrano is a media content coordinator who does anything from graphic design to video animation. She tailors business accounts to match their audience and objectives. Medrano enhances a business’s online visibility and strengthens brand recognition as she actively interacts with customers and potential leads on her client’s behalf.

Adalyn Reed is a junior at Lincoln Community High School. Reed is an active member of the leaf club and is in many accelerated classes in addition to taking classes through Heartland Community College. In her free time, Reed loves to travel with her family and go drag racing with her dad. After high school, she plans to pursue a career in criminal justice.

Reed’s business is Earthy Chick. Reed makes natural body care products such as goat’s milk soap, shampoo bars, conditioner bars, dish soap bars, beeswax wraps and sugar scrubs. Her products are eco-friendly with minimal amounts on natural ingredients in them.

Before the trade show began, three of next year’s LLCEO students signed up for the program. Students signing up for the 2025-2026 school year were Dani Dueringer, Luca Messina and Drayden Neal. Sarah Tomaszewski will continue as the LLCEO Facilitator next year.
 
To learn more about the Land of Lincoln CEO program, visit llceo.com.

[Angela Reiners]
 

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