Kankakee County CEO

What an incredible opportunity to welcome facilitators from across the country to Kankakee for the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship CEO Facilitator Retreat and Conference, held June 1–3 at The Majestic Building. We are proud to have showcased the entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, hospitality, and community partnerships that make our community such a special place.

A heartfelt thank you to Angelina Gear, Executive Director of Visit Kankakee County, Nina Piolatto, Executive Director of Downtown Kankakee, and Katie Bretzlaff, Facilitator of the Kankakee County CEO program and owner of Hedgeapple Arts, for helping make this event a success.

We are especially grateful for two outstanding speakers from right here in Kankakee County. John Keigher, President of the Kankakee County CEO Board, shared encouraging leadership insights, while keynote speaker Dr. Michael Boyd, President of Kankakee Community College, delivered an inspiring message to facilitators from across the nation.

The conference also featured Professor Doug Villhard of Washington University in St. Louis, whose entrepreneurship program is widely regarded as the top program in the world. His expertise and perspective added tremendous value to the event and provided facilitators with innovative ideas to bring back to their own programs.

Throughout the conference, attendees enjoyed outstanding local food and hospitality from BrickStone Brewery, The Country Table, Yuriria Kitchen, Stefari West Avenue, Rigo's Place, and Creme of the Crop and enjoyed spending time at The Venu Lounge and The Kankakee Valley Boat Club.

Guests also experienced some of Kankakee County's unique attractions through a Downtown Kankakee Mural Walking Tour, a visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright tour- Wright In Kankakee, and a pottery glazing workshop at Hedgeapple Arts.

This event brought approximately 60 participants from communities throughout the United States to Kankakee. We were thrilled to share our community's entrepreneurial energy, innovation, and collaborative spirit with fellow CEO Program facilitators and leaders.

Thank you to Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship for the opportunity to host this remarkable gathering. We hope our guests left with new ideas, meaningful connections, and great memories of Kankakee County as an inspiring, welcoming, and fun place to visit.

Future Entrepreneurs Sign On for CEO 2026-2027

On May 27, the Kankakee County CEO Class of 2026-2027 gathered with their parents and guardians for CEO Orientation.

Students learned more about the program, met their classmates, and officially signed their commitment to being part of next year's CEO experience.

The orientation was led by Facilitator Katie Bretzlaff, along with CEO Board members Mike O'Brien, Angela Morrey, and Nicole Smolkovich, and supported by recent CEO alum Kori McCasland and Miles Yohnka.

We are excited to welcome this new group of young entrepreneurs and look forward to an incredible year ahead!

Kankakee County CEO Students & Families: Orientation is coming up on Wednesday, May 27 from 6:30–7:30 PM at Kankakee Community College in the Iroquois Room.

STUDENTS: Please check your email for important details and RSVP to the Google Calendar invite. We can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2026–2027!

The last email has been sent. The name badges are hung up. The early morning alarms are finally turned off for the summer.

And just like that, another year of Kankakee County CEO has come to a close.

But while the school year may be ending, the lessons learned will continue far beyond the classroom walls. This group of students learned how to network, communicate professionally, present ideas, solve problems, adapt, take risks, and build confidence in themselves and one another.

Most importantly, they learned how to walk into a room and believe they belong there.

Our students now join a growing network of Kankakee County CEO alumni, along with the larger national CEO alumni network. Through this program, they have built relationships with an incredible network of mentors, business owners, professionals, and community leaders who will continue cheering them on long after graduation.

To our students, congratulations on everything you accomplished this year. We are so proud of the growth, grit, creativity, and professionalism you showed along the way. We cannot wait to see what you do next.

Thank you to our mentors, board members, business owners, investors, parents, and community partners who helped make this experience possible for our students.

A few of our CEO students, including Henry with Topdeck Studios, will be at the Mental Health and Wellness fest today at the Kankakee farmers market. Stop by to say hello!

Kankakee County CEO is at the Farmers market for mental health and wellness festival.

Topdeck Studios, Feature Arts AND Earthkind Creations. All in one spot. We hope to see you soon

What a fun way to wrap up the year for our Kankakee County CEO team!

Our students enjoyed a mini golf outing together at Adventure Commons as we celebrated the successes, growth, friendships, and memories made throughout the year.

Highlights included Henry getting two holes in one, Ella landing a hole in one of her own, and Miles taking first place overall.

Most importantly, it was great spending time together, laughing, competing a little, and reflecting on what an incredible year this has been.

A huge thank you to Adventure Commons for opening early just for our group. We appreciate your hospitality and support of our students and program!

Building a Business Around Experience: CEO Students Visit Big Fellas' Mobile Cigar Lounge

OK, before we share about this business tour, let’s answer the question: “Why would you bring 17 & 18 year old entrepreneurship students to a cigar lounge for a business tour?”

Because entrepreneurship lessons can be found everywhere.

This wasn’t just about ci**rs. It was about branding, hospitality, customer experience, regulations, niche marketing, relationship-building, and learning what it really takes to build a business from the ground up.

And even more special? This business is owned by one of our CEO students’ parents! Brian and Bridget Joiner (along with Henry) opened up the mobile cigar lounge early in the morning specifically for our CEO students, creating a unique and memorable hands-on learning experience.

Brian shared how he started the business, the hurdles he had to overcome, and how they created not just a place for people to buy ci**rs, but an entire experience centered around hospitality, atmosphere, and customer service.

So… back to the question of what our students learned on this business visit:

>>> Regulations, Licensing & Compliance > Hospitality & Relationship-Based Business > Branding & Niche Markets > Learning from one of our own CEO students

Inside Gotion Illinois: CEO Students Experience Innovation in Action

The CEO program is designed to expose students to a wide variety of businesses, industries, and career paths throughout our region. We appreciate the opportunity for students to learn directly from professionals, ask questions, and gain insight into different types of operations and industries.

Kankakee County CEO students recently toured Gotion Illinois in Manteno, a cutting-edge facility focused on advanced Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and electric vehicle battery technology. Students learned about the company’s growing role in sustainable energy and the development of its two-phase operation, producing battery storage products and expanding into lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery manufacturing.

During the tour, an emphasis on safety was evident from start to finish. Students wore PPE during the tour, viewed a safety training video beforehand, and learned how LFP batteries are considered more stable and less reactive than many other battery chemistries. The tour was led by Andy Wheeler, Nicole Gavin, Reggie Greenwood, and Sabrina Fan. The CEO students also had the opportunity to present their own business pitches while receiving valuable feedback from the Gotion team.

The opening of Gotion Illinois marks one of the largest clean-energy manufacturing investments in Illinois in decades. The $2 billion facility is expected to create approximately 2,600 jobs while helping position Illinois as a major hub for electric vehicle battery and energy storage technology.

Thank you to Gotion Illinois for sharing insight into this innovative and rapidly growing industry!