Gateway CEO

Alumni Spotlight! It's often asked if our Gateway CEO graduates continue their business after high school. Some continue those businesses that started prior to CEO, others developed during CEO and continues to grow, while some may even create something new that goes to market within a few years.

Meet Jose Varela, a 2022 graduate from Collinsville High School. During Gateway CEO, he was partnering with his dad in a landscaping business. While there, Jose developed branding and focus for V Green Lawn and Landscape Management. From managing limited clients to well over 100 clients today, Jose now supports his family full time with this business endeavor. It's been amazing over the years to watch him navigate the challenges and yet always reach for bigger goals. As a recent college graduate, the sky is the limit for this young man.

I remember several conversations during his time with CEO as he worked with his mentor Bob Eaton and they discussed what scaling a business might look like. To watch this come to a reality today is what this entire program is about. Jose is anchored in the Metro East, expanding to the St. Louis area and is one of the hardest working young men out there. If you might be needing help this summer, reach out to V Green Lawn and Landscape. Check out his story here!

Meet Jose Angel Varela of V Green Lawn & Landscape Management Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Angel Varela. Hi Jose Angel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?I didn’t start V Green completely from scratch, it [....

As we reflect on this past school year, we are amazed at the milestones our students met and the experience created with support from our community. Here are a few highlights from the Class of 2026. We are more than thankful to our Gateway CEO family for stepping up in so many different ways to share real life, business experience and so many hours of investing back into this generation. Gateway CEO alumni leave with a strong foundation of entrepreneurship and know that they are not limited in what their next chapter looks like. Thank you for giving back!

If you are interested in learning more about Gateway CEO and how your business can get involved, please reach out to [email protected]!

Collinsville High School Triad High School Maryville Christian School Highland High School IL

Highland High School IL has seven graduates in the Gateway CEO Class of 2026. It was amazing to see each of these students explore their interests and lean into the experience. Thank you for partnering with us! Congratulations on the road ahead.

We are excited to share our three Maryville Christian School students that are now graduates of Gateway CEO 2026. They are headed as far as Kentucky and running with business right here! Thank you for partnering with us MCS. Congratulations to Emma, Brody and Noah!

Gateway CEO had five graduates from Triad High School. Thank you for partnering with us once again! Each of them have bright futures as they go into different directions. Congratulations to our Triad students!

As we wrap up our last few posts for the Class of 2026, I wanted to share each of the students and their 'What's Next?' It was amazing to see each student develop at their own pace throughout the school year. Congratulations to our graduates from Collinsville High School! We are so excited to continue to cheer you on. Collinsville High School thank you for partnering with us!

The Gateway CEO experience is about bringing real life to our students in a business atmosphere, as they learn the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur in real life. As part of this process, students raised money during their class business to include seed money for their individual business, an opportunity to re-invest into the program and if net proceeds allowed, they could fund a 'Work hard - play hard' day. We did just that as our last event as the official Gateway CEO Class of 2026. Students enjoyed sharing memories, laughing a lot and a bit of healthy competition at North Golf Club in Edwardsville. With 4 bays, a fajita buffet and perfect weather, this was the perfect day to relax as students spent a little bit more time together before graduations and new chapters.

We are SO thankful to everyone that played a part in their Candy Cane Classic in December - resulting in this opportunity at the end of the year. With entrepreneurship, as much hard work as takes place, celebrating the WINS is always part of keeping a healthy balance and returning to the grind to make things happen. We appreciate all of the support this year!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We spent Friday reflecting on the year, and writing a few thank you note. As their Facilitator, I wanted to leave them with a few more thoughts. I’ll share below!

Today, we gathered at Plummer Park for a final day of team bonding and hanging out. They played some great pickleball, leaned into coaching from another player, spent time laughing and enjoying one more day! We gathered and wrote a few notes on their name cards that they used all year. Decision day tshirts and hoodies as they head into their next adventure. A special group❤️ here’s a few last thoughts for this class!

26 Things I want you to know…
1. Embrace every single moment of the next few weeks. And be nice to your parents. They are both happy and sad too.
2. Find that one quiet, shy person in your school and tell them they’re amazing. And … don’t be afraid to smile. You never know who needs that smile.
3. Wake up every day with gratitude. Make it a practice, even when challenges are in front of you.
4. Find your people.
5. Saving is cool. You will thank yourself later.
6. It doesn’t matter where you come from right now. It doesn’t matter if your family has a lot of money. If you have no money. You get to determine how hard you work and what you’re passionate about.
7. Let your kids play the sports one day. It goes fast and it’s always worth it.
8. Define standards for you now. What’s acceptable. What’s not acceptable when it comes to your personal relationships.
9. Wealth is not always defined by money.
10. Be spontaneous sometimes. Just go do it because it’s fun.
11. If you get pulled over, be kind, be respectful and own what you’ve done. Most of the time, you get out of that ticket.
12. You literally can do anything. You have to believe it here (in your heart) first. You can learn any skill. The world is wide open for you.
13. Find the place that grounds you. For me, it’s my core Christian faith, friends and it’s my church community.
14. If you’re gonna have a lot of carbs, make sure they’re good ones.
15. I think leather seats in your car and a leather couch when you’re raising kids is one of the best investments you’ll ever make.
16. Celebrate every single birthday. You are worth celebrating.
17. Don’t be afraid to say yes to a challenge.
18. When you don’t believe in yourself, you find the people who do believe in you and you go spend time with them.
19. Politics are important. Lean into and discover why you believe what you believe. Ask questions. Stand on what you believe without putting others down.
20. Grace is huge. Asking questions before judgment tends to serve you better.
21. Find your passion and chase that… and the money will follow.
22. Be authentically you. And it’s definitely OK to be a free spirit. Just don’t be disrespectful.
23. A filet - medium rare at a top-notch steakhouse - is always worth the bill.
24. Be kind to yourself when you mess up. When you fail, get back up. Evaluate, adjust and keep going.
25. When life doesn’t go as planned, it’s really OK. Sometimes those moments have to happen. Sometimes the pain has to happen and yet beauty can come from that. Every time, you just have to do your own heart check.
26. Catch the vision. Realize the dream.

Much love to the Class of 2026 -
Lisa, Gateway CEO Facilitator

Our visit to CMC Electric gave us an inside look at what it truly takes to build a business with both skill and strong values.

Owners Carrie and Michael Cushing, both Collinsville High School graduates, started their company in January 2008 out of their home, selling their truck to invest in a work van. From those humble beginnings, they grew into their first shop in 2012 and purchased their current building in 2021, creating a space that combines offices, meeting areas, and a warehouse under one roof. You can see that vision has been poured into their meeting space with an open air feel, 4 large screens, a kitchen and plenty of seating. It's so beautiful plus practical for their trainings, meetings and holiday parties.

Today, CMC Electric offers a wide range of services including residential and commercial new construction and remodeling, service work and troubleshooting, parking lot lighting with a bucket truck, generator installation, and even solar work. They are an open shop and are affiliated with the Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater St. Louis, with a strong apprenticeship program helping develop the next generation of electricians. They are also proudly certified as a WBENC business.

Their team continues to grow with 7 electricians, 5 apprentices, 6 office staff, and 3 “future" employees (their awesome kids), all rooted in a mission to provide a kind, friendly, and genuine experience.

Some powerful takeaways they shared with our students:
• Define your mission and core values early
• Start small - a lower overhead allows reinvestment
• Surround yourself with a strong team (attorney, accountant, insurance agent)
• Build relationships with mentors and even competitors
• Hire people you trust and treat them well
• Keep learning, take risks, and have the courage to step out
• Sometimes you have to spend money to make money

We are so thankful for this team. CMC Electric is an investor in our Gateway CEO program and Carrie serves on our board. Thank you for letting us get a glimpse into your business. The students also really appreciated the breakfast pizza and fruit!