By Miles Flynn | Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON — The Daviess County CEO program has kicked off its ninth year of helping participating juniors and seniors from all around Daviess County build their own foundation in entrepreneurship. CEO, or Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, was created by the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship in Effingham, Illinois, in 2010, and it’s since grown to include more than 40 programs in four states. “We were the first program in the state of Indiana to get started,” noted Bill Turner, who’s served as the facilitator of the Daviess County program since its inception.
CEO is designed to immerse participants in real life learning experiences with the opportunity to take risks, manage the results, and learn from the outcomes. A dozen Daviess County students are taking part this year, and Turner said the size of the class is ideal for interaction and also for the many business visits members take part in throughout the school year. Participants come from across the county’s school systems, or from homeschool families, and meet daily from 7:45-9:15 a.m. in Washington at a space provided by the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation.
As mentioned, field trips to area businesses are a major part of the program. In fact, students will make two to three visits every week of the school year. Stops include manufacturers, banks, restaurants, non-profit institutions and even Amish businesses. Turner said it’s fairly common for students to come away saying they had no idea Daviess County is home to so much activity.
When they’re not on the road, participants hear from guest speakers, including local entrepreneurs, bankers, economic development leaders, and even CEO alumni who come back to talk about how the program has benefited them in their own journeys. (Just a couple of examples of success by Daviess County CEO participants include a former student whose videography business now takes him on assignments all over the world and another alum who now operates a fleet of eight food trucks.)
Each student will also end up being paired with a mentor for approximately three-quarters of the school year. The one-on-one work includes a scheduled morning coffee social each month, and Turner said the progress of the students is something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the visiting professionals. “One thing they remark on is the transformation from the beginning of each year ‘til the end of the year,” he shared.
Daviess County CEO costs approximately $40,000 to $50,000 a year to administer, and several local investors make it possible with no school funding. Turner said the community’s enthusiastic support of the program guarantees it never runs out of places to visit, speakers, mentors or funding. He said it’s clear members of the business community see it as an excellent development tool for the local economy.
Skills taught during the program begin with the fundamentals, including eye contact, handshakes and the art of engaging conversation. “We really work on the soft skills,” Turner said.
The lessons continue right up to what it takes to launch and run a business. Through the course of the year, students will develop a business plan of 10-12 pages, which they then present to local bankers. The plans aren’t merely paper exercises; the students will use what they come up with to launch their own business for the program’s annual trade show of products. “Some of them do very well financial with that,” Turner shared. “And it’s all their money.”
Daviess County CEO is also tied in with Vincennes University, and successfully completing the coursework means two business credits for students who are heading on to college. The vast majority of participants are college bound, Turner noted.
The program visits schools each spring to recruit students for the coming year. Turner said the best public relations for the program, though, is the “word of mouth” advertising from participants talking to their peers about their personal experiences. “Our biggest recruiters are the kids themselves,” he said.
Student applications are looked over by Daviess County CEO’s 12-member governing board. Turner said while school counselors occasionally decide an applicant isn’t a good fit for the program, the CEO board members have never turned anyone away whose application makes it to them. If interest continues to grow, he said it’s possible Daviess County CEO might eventually split into two classes to ensure participants continue to enjoy the important one-on-one work and small tours that have been so beneficial for the local program throughout its nine-year history.
However, Turner won’t be there as facilitator after the end of the 2021-22 school year. After spending 41 years in business education prior to his retirement from Washington High School three years ago, he has made the decision that he’s now ready to retire fully. The Daviess County CEO board is in the process of looking for his replacement.