Jefferson County’s Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) class is gearing up for its annual Trade Show, slated for April 24.
The trade show will be held at a new location this year: Rend Lake Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy, located on Potomac Blvd.
“When the college constructed the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy at RLC Marketplace, the board began having conversations about hosting the Trade Show in their new state-of-the-art facility. The board officially decided to move the Trade Show to the SIMA building at one of the recent board meetings,” reported CEO facilitator and MV counselor Ms. Nealy Hamson.
“By collaborating with the college on this event, it is yet another way to showcase not only the CEO program, but also the offerings that the college has for our community,” asserted Hamson.
Here, students of the CEO program will be presenting their official personal business to the public, with the opportunity to make sales, network, and even win scholarships or their very own position in the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.
“My personal business is Tryton Fassett house sitting and I will watch your animals, do daily security checks on your house, and water and take care of your plants,” stated CEO student Tryton Fassett, ‘25. “At the trade show I’m going to be handing out business cards and I’ll have a banner with my name on it, as well as candy and other surprises,” Fassett stated.
One interesting business this year is a non-traditional dynamic among CEO businesses.
CEO students Liam Asbery, Dayne Pollard, and Daylon Pollard went to the CEO board this year to request approval to have a three-person business, for which they were approved.
“My personal business is Full Stack Boba LLC. I chose my business collectively with my co-owners to supply a better preworkout to the community. We have marketed and so far we’ve gotten connections with multiple gyms and RYSE,” said Asbery, ‘25.
“We wanted to satisfy a need in the market for a less intimidating pre workout option. We formed an LLC so when we go to college we can continue to grow our business,” said Dayne Pollard, ‘25.
The mentors of CEOs, who are paired together at the beginning of the course, are also eagerly anticipating the trade show.
One mentor, Mrs. Melanie Andrews, said, “Every year the trade show is a showcase and culmination of the CEO student work. I’m really excited to see these businesses in action.”
So remember to mark your calendars for April 24 so you, too, can see the amazing work of these ambitious young entrepreneurs.