Photo: Pictured (front, from left) are Maddy Wingerter of The Bank of Missouri, Waylon Huber, Lexi Johnson, Savannah Lukefahr, Mirra Pingel, Samantha Tomlinson, Marilisa Lopez-Herrera, and Rachel Braeuner of The Bank of Missouri. Back- Kaleb Huber, Ben Huber, Marcas Smith, Carter Blechle, Adalina Deckerd, and Amelia Wilson.
The Perryville CEO class is currently being hosted by The Bank of Missouri. Instructor Amy Camarillo and students enrolled in the 3-hour block program are working from a bank conference room each day for two weeks, and receiving lessons from banking professionals. The class toured the Operations Center and the main branch on Wednesday where they learned about different careers in banking including risk analyst, operations processor, commercial and mortgage loan officer, treasury officer, branch manager, accounts manager, and teller.
The CEO program at Perry County School District 32, launched at the start of the new school year, immerses students in the business community where they can develop essential employability skills. The program is designed to foster entrepreneurial aspirations in young people while exposing them to the many career and start-up opportunities in their community. As part of the program, students will identify a product or service that is needed here, create a business plan, and launch their own business.
Camarillo’s 14 students are from Perryville, St. Vincent, and Saxony Lutheran High Schools. They are Carter Blechle, Adalina Deckerd, Ben Huber, Kaleb Huber, Waylon Huber, Lexi Johnson, Maralisa Lopez-Herrera, Savannah Lukefahr, Mirra Pingel, John Schwartz, Marcas Smith, Kennedy Sutterer, Samantha Tomlinson, and Amelia Wilson.
Classes are held at different businesses and students enjoy presentations by area professionals from a wide variety of industries and services. The first host site was the Catalyst Center where they toured the Tractor Museum and heard presentations from Chris Egelston with the Midland Institute Program, Jared Cochran with Speed Fabrication, Brent Buerck the City Administrator dropped in one afternoon, Alex Lueders from the Chamber of Commerce took professional photos, and Mary Jo and Dave Bammel with Villainous Grounds spoke.
Camarillo said that the program has gotten off to a great start. "The CEO Program provides a completely new and unique learning experience for students. This program allows students to hear first-hand experiences from business owners throughout the community. In addition, they have the opportunity to obtain numerous connections and skill sets to use in their future endeavors."
The Perryville Area CEO Program Advisory Board brings together local leaders from many industries and organizations. Jared Cochran of Speed Fabrication and Carisa Stark of Mary Jane Burgers and Brews are the co-chairs, and members are EDA Executive Director Crystal Jones, Dave Monier of Robinson Construction Company, Ed Flores of The Bank of Missouri, Dennis Bohnert of First State Community Bank, Amy Kiehne of Saxony Lutheran High School, Melanie Dodd of St. Vincent High School, and Craig Hayden of District 32.
Eleven states across the nation with over 70 programs and 330 schools are currently participating in the CEO Program. The program is designed to strengthen the future workforce, increase economic development with the launch of multiple new businesses each year, and cause bright students to invest in their hometowns instead of moving away for economic opportunities.
There are several ways that businesses and professionals can join this exciting program to foster innovation and investment in Perry County:
• Program Investor - $1,000 (or more) per year for 3 years
• Host the Class at Your Business or Visit the Class as a Guest Speaker - This is a one-time, 90-minute visit during the school year.
• Mentor - This is a more involved role. In-person once a month for an in-person mentor/mentee meeting during normal class time along with some email/phone availability between the in-person sessions.
• Provide a Class Host Site - Provide a conference room at your location for the class to meet, 2-3 times per week.
For more information about the Perryville Area CEO Program, contact Amy Camarillo at acamarillo@pcsd32.com or 547-7500 Ext. 1245.
Photo: Sue Schlegel of The Bank of Missouri (center) encourages students in the CEO Program to work and seek internships while they are in high school and college to develop career skills and network