One week and one day ago, the Union County CEO team was feverishly putting the finishing touches on their booth setups for the 2026 All Star Celebration & Trade Show. Since then, finding the words to fully express our gratitude, pride, and happiness over the success of this event has honestly been a challenge. This evening represented the culmination of nine months of learning, growing, implementing ideas, overcoming challenges, and watching each of their individual businesses come to life.

From the very first day of their CEO experience, these young professionals have learned not just from one teacher or facilitator, but from an entire community of business owners, community leaders, mentors, hands-on experiences, mistakes, successes, and one another. Along the way, they have learned how to work together as a team while also growing together as a family.

This event is special not only because they are launching businesses they have worked incredibly hard to build, but because it gives them the opportunity to reflect on and share the many lessons they have learned about themselves, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the community around them as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives.

It is truly an honor and a privilege to witness that growth and to share it with the people who make up this incredible community. We want to sincerely thank each and every person who has supported, encouraged, invested in, and believed in our program and our students along the way. Your impact reaches far beyond this one event, and we are deeply grateful. 🧡🖤

I am always hesitant to name names when thanking people for fear of missing someone, but I would like to recognize the following individuals who went above and beyond to help with preparations for this event.

A special thank you to Harvest Church of Southern IL, Chris Snyder, and Matt Crain for welcoming us into their beautiful building and going out of their way to accommodate us as we learned how to set up in a new space.

Thank you to Union County CEO Board Members Angela Sadler Boyd and Meghan Norris for spending the day with us as we prepared for the event. Thank you also to Board Member and parent of Adam Clark, Chris Clark, and Board Member and parent of 2021 alumna Olivia Capel, Grant Capel for monitoring our sound system throughout the evening. We also want to thank UCCEO Board Member and 2023 alum Drake Campbell for assisting with setup, and UCCEO Board Member and 2022 alum Hunter Boyd for helping with teardown after the event.

Thank you as well to mentor Tanya Loveless for sharing her Trade Show tips and advice, as well as generously lending decorative touches and resources from her “she-shed” to not only support her mentee, but several other students as they prepared their booths and displays for the event.

Another heartfelt thank you to Courtney Misener, parent of 2024 UCCEO alum Presli Garner, and Karen Clark, parent of current student Adam Clark, for their assistance in designing invitations, posters, and flyers for the event.

We also want to thank UCCEO 2024 alumna Alexandria Keller and 2025 alum Cole Pender, as well as 2027 UCCEO team members Hunter Dillow, Maxwell Ruddick, and Tilman Dallas, for their hard work during teardown.

Most importantly, we want to once again express how incredibly thankful we are for every person who supports and believes in the Union County CEO program. From our investors, board members, mentors, business owners, guest speakers, and community leaders, to parents, family members, friends, and the community as a whole — thank you for not only attending the Trade Show and supporting these young entrepreneurs, but for the encouragement, guidance, opportunities, and belief in our program that you show day after day. The Union County CEO program is successful because of the people who pour into it, and each of you plays an important role in the lasting impact it continues to make on our students and our communities. 🧡🖤