Various students from Marshall, Slayton and Tracy school districts were welcomed to the Lyon and Murray County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program during a class signing event on Wednesday, May 10 at Bitton’s Roadhouse in Garvin.

LYON/MURRAY CEO PROGRAM HELD THEIR SECOND SIGNING EVENT FOR NEXT YEARS CLASS

The Class of 2023-24 looks to include 13 students — all juniors and seniors — for the second annual CEO opportunity. Once school begins in the fall, classes will be held from 7:15-8:45 a.m. five days a week throughout the academic school year. “I’m very excited for our second year,” CEO facilitator Shanda Walker said. “The first group set a high standard for you. We have high expectations, but you are on a fun, interesting journey. You’ll have hundreds of people in your corner to help you be successful.”

CEO board chair Carla Goedtke said she was confident participating individuals would transition from high school students to young professionals during the course of the year.

Unlike traditional classroom settings, the CEO program intentionally diversifies student experiences by holding class time at a variety of different locations throughout communities in the area. “We want to expand your horizons, get your heads out of the books,” Goedtke said.

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couple more schools involved — we could easily have up to 20 students involved each year — but then you might have to worry about the distance students are driving, too. “Most of their classes are in various businesses.”

Financial support and mentorship are also keys to the program’s success. “It’s great that there are 46 full investors who agree to invest $3,000 — $1,000 a year for three years — and there are also 11 Friends of CEO supporters,” he said.

Three students who are part of the first CEO class shared highlights of their experiences. Braxton Seifert said it was like having a field trip every day. Walker pointed out that Seifert is the youngest auctioneer in Minnesota, having developed Silver Dollar Auction Company through the program. Along with about a dozen auctioneering jobs already, Seifert is slated to auction off multiple items at the Lyon and Murray County CEO Tradeshow on May 24 at trū Shrimp in Balaton. Those proceeds will go to the Alumni Pipeline to provide future loans to graduates of the CEO program.

Students Cloie Stevens and Jett Wing also revealed how the program impacted them. Stevens thought there was no way they’d get to hear from more than 100 speakers during the year, but she now realizes that they had only skimmed the surface. “It’s a lot of real-life experiences and making connections,” said Stevens, who started her own business, Sugar & Spice Bakery, at age 14 and worked through the program to publish her own cookbook.

Wing said he appreciates all the connections he has made through the program. He also acknowledges that he’s grown his leadership abilities, especially when it comes to talking to other people. Wing started his own pressure washing business called Wing Pressure Washing.

Walker then went over the details of the paperwork involved in being part of the program. She explained that names are not used during the application process and that they rely on the personal narrative, professional references and school references that each student submits. She covered expectations such as being early, dressing appropriately and having a laptop or tablet for use in class, adding that Friends of CEO supporters could help if there were financial burdens, such as technology or travel costs.

One of the biggest messages was delivered to both the parents and the students and had to do with responsibility and accountability. Walker said parents should still plan to call their respective schools regarding absences and so on but that it’s their child’s job to communicate with her. “We want them to take the initiative,” she said. “They need to learn the process of accountability. They may struggle through some of it, but part of learning is failing. They need to understand that sink or swim, it’s on them. We don’t want mom and dad or grandma and grandpa swooping in to save the day.”