Perry County CEO entrepreneur program gets traction
The Linzee Insurance Agency in Du Quoin and Kellerman Feed Store in Pinckneyville have announced their $1,000 contributions as Angel Investors to the Perry CEO program. Angel Investors commit $1,000 to assist with start-up costs, then $1,000 per year for three years to support CEO instructional costs.
The funds are being used by Perry CEO to help launch the joint Pinckneyville-Du Quoin High School entrepreneurship training program set to launch in August 2015. The goal of Perry CEO is to provide an opportunity for Perry County high school seniors in both Pinckneyville and Du Quoin High Schools to learn about business, business leadership, and entrepreneurship, with an eye toward reducing the long-running exodus of our best and brightest young people from Perry County.
Perry CEO is an Illinois-based 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a private sector-public sector board of directors from across the county. Student applications for the 2015-2016 academic year are available now. The CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program is funded entirely and led by primarily by private sector business leaders and entrepreneurs throughout Perry County.
Guests of the Du Quoin chamber Wednesday night were Josh Huite and Jessica Holder, who talked about the CEO concept and what it could mean to local students.
Huite said the idea is not new. It is borrowed from Effingham County, where it has flourished. "Effingham shared the concern about upcoming generations," he said. "The millennials will be the greatest generation of all time. They are concerned about our environment, our relationships and economic development," he said.
"There is a perception about students automatically leaving the area for St. Louis or Chicago or Nashville," he said.
That doesn't have to happen if we teach them to think in terms of creative entrepreneurial business plans.
Holder said she came from a business family in Pinckneyville that owned American Lifestyle Homes. There were challenges to that business, as well. But, her father was successful because he met the challenges.
Chamber president Gary Kelly said the chamber should commit to a $1,000 sponsorship of the CEO program.
For more information about Perry CEO, visit the non-profit's Facebook page at Facebook.com/PerryCEO. Interested in supporting the work of Perry CEO? Contact Rex Duncan at (618) 542-3841 or rduncan@siu.edu or Jessica Holder at (618) 357-1423 or jessicaeholder@hotmail.com.
Mayor Rex Duncan is a member of the board and recently invited the public to attend a meeting of the Friends of Perry CEO that is now set for Thursday, February 19 beginning at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held at Red Hawk Golf Club on Route 154 east of Pinckneyville. "We've been making excellent progress as things take shape toward a 2015-2016 academic year roll-out. We look forward to reporting to you on that progress," he said.
The night also included the introduction of DHS senior Kelly Genesio as part of Supt. Dr. Kelly's senior success series at the chamber meetings.
Kelly plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University to major in marketing. She has a tough college honors course curriculum to complete her senior year. She enjoys academics, speech, plays, scholar bowl, FBLA and band. Her words of advice are "don't slack off" even as a freshman at DHS and "surround yourself with good people."
Chamber members were updated on April's home and garden show, a benefit golf scramble May 15 and he welcomed new and returning chamber members to the meeting at Alongi's, attended by approximately 30 people