New program to create local business leaders
Junior and senior high school students in Saline County will be able to take advantage of a program that lets them become real-life CEO's. Beginning in the 2015 school year, up to 25 students from county high schools will be selected to participate in the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program.
"This is such a good opportunity for our community," said Ayn Bartok, Chamber of Commerce president. "This is something that people are not going to want to miss."
Bartok was speaking at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Harrisburg on Wednesday, where the CEO Program was officially announced. Area business and education leaders have partnered with The Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship to bring the company's CEO program to Saline County.
The CEO program is an innovative teaching method where some 20 to 25 students are selected for a year-long class, to be taught in an extremely hands-on method how to create and run a company that offers a product or service. The students will meet in an offices of county business and will learn how to create and write a business plan for their own business. Students will create a class business and a individual business.
Each CEO student is teamed up with a mentor from the business community for the program and the students will visit many area businesses and be lectured by dozens of guest speakers from the banking and business community.
"Harrisburg is lucky to get into this program for the 2015 school year," said Dale Fowler, Harrisburg mayor and CEO Program Executive Board member.
Fowler explained that he had been to a Midland CEO exposition in Indiana and immediately felt that this was a program that Saline County needed. Fowler went on to say that a very large number of cities in Illinois were applying to have the program in their communities and he was very pleased that Harrisburg worked quickly and that Midland found that Saline County had the right resources for the program.
In a press release the executive director of The Midland Institute, Craig Lindvahl stated, "Saline county has all the necessary elements in place to build a successful program; a dynamic business community, forward thinking schools and a real desire to connect with their young people."
The start-up funding for the project came from the Peoples National Bank and Legence Bank, each donating $10,000 to cover the program's initial fee. Bartok expressed the Chamber's gratefulness for this generous gift to the county. The program will draw on local business men and women to assist with teaching the class and will have a full time instructor, a professionally qualified teacher as the lead instructor. The Midland Institute will continue to serve as consultants for the local program, lending assistance in any way necessary.
Fowler explained that he hoped that this program would serve two purposes. First, to find gifted student, future business leaders, and give them real world education and experience in creating and running a company. Second, Fowler hopes that some of the graduates from the program remain in Saline County and continue their business career in the local business community.
But to achieve this, the program is counting on the support of local businesses, schools and the community. Arla Wasson, also an Executive Board member of CEO said that the-response from county schools was very good and that she and Fowler would be visiting area high schools in the next several months to begin promoting the program to the teachers and students.
"Applications will be available on March 1 and the selection process will occur in April," Wasson said. "When the 2015 school year starts, the CEO Class will start."
CEO students will attend a 90-minute class each weekday and are only responsible for their own transportation to the class site. All other costs of the program are paid for by donations from the community.
"And that's one of the nice things about the program," Wasson said. "Donors are limited to a 3-year contract of $1,000 a year. Donations can come from businesses, organizations or individuals. If they wish to continue or donate more, the funds are kept in a separate CEO account and is used for the current class to reward them for the hard work."
Wasson explained that this could be a holiday party or a trip for the class to a restaurant, but the funds from all donations benefit the students directly.
The students have the option of actually producing a product or service. Wasson said the program is there to facilitate the student's creativity in their project, to assist them as much as they need.
Fowler spoke enthusiastically of the many different products and services produced by the CEO students at the exposition he had attended, stating that he felt this program was a very successful way to help mold future business leaders.
"This program will really be an asset to the county," Fowler said. "A real benefit to the local business climate."