This is the first year of Cass County CEO. (See course description below.) If you are a business owner or in a role where you could offer insight to these young adults, please reach out to CEO Facilitator Heather Booth. We will try to arrange a visit to your business or have you speak to our group at one of our meeting locations in Ashland, Virginia, or Beardstown.

Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) is a year-long course designed to utilize partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes. Our local community partners with local schools to create project-based experiences for students by providing funding, expertise, meeting space, business tours, and one-on-one mentoring. Students visit area businesses, learn from guest speakers, participate in a class business, write business plans, and start and operate their own businesses. Business concepts learned through the experiential CEO class are critical; the 21st century skills of problem-solving, teamwork, self-motivation, responsibility, higher-order thinking, communication, and inquiry are at the heart of a student’s development throughout this course.