A Visit Rooted in Integrity and Hard Work

Thursday morning came early for our CEO students. At 6:50 a.m., they stood outside Okawville Equipment, bundled up against the dark, chilly air. The town was still quiet, lights just starting to flicker on. But the moment Cody Whitworth spotted them through the glass doors, everything changed.

He opened the doors wide and welcomed the group into a warm, spotless, and brightly lit showroom—the glow of Kubota orange reflecting off every polished surface. The space was alive with the hum of a new day. Employees were already hard at work, moving with purpose, and our students couldn’t help but look around in awe.

When everyone gathered, Cody, smiled and said something that instantly shifted the tone of the morning:
“I’ve been following you, and I know what you do every day. I see you’ve got your portfolios and pens ready to take notes, but today we’re going to do things a little differently—close your notebooks and just listen. The things that matter most will stick with you.”

And with that, every portfolio closed. Every head lifted. Every student leaned in.

Cody began telling the story of Okawville Equipment, a business that has stood strong in the community for 75 years. For decades, it was owned by the father of Jon Wolf—(Cody’s business partner). The Wolf name became synonymous with trust and service not just in Okawville but in surrounding areas. When the business was eventually sold outside the family, it marked the end of an era—or so it seemed.

Years later, in a moment that felt meant to be, Cody and Jon—friends, business partners, and entrepreneurs at heart—purchased the business together in 2018, bringing it back into the family where it all began.

Cody shared how unlikely his own path to this point was. With a doctorate in pharmacy, he once worked in a field that demanded success but the world of corporate owned pharmacy conflicted with his values. When faced with cultural pressures that didn’t align with who he was, he made the difficult choice to walk away. In 2008, he started a new chapter at Okawville Equipment—admittedly knowing very little about tractors, but everything about treating people right, listening well, working hard, and an innate business sense.

Those values have guided him ever since.

Today, Cody and Jon are serial entrepreneurs, now partners in five ventures, including The Vault and Hawkins Burger Bar at The Vault in Mascoutah. Cody and his wife also own Dauber Pharmacy in Mascoutah and Millstadt Pharmacy, where their focus on care and community continues to shine. Their business success is impressive—but it was their heart and humility that left the biggest impression on our students.

They spoke about what truly matters in business and in life:
– How to remove emotion from financial decisions, but never from how you care for people.
– How understanding others—through tools like the DISC assessment—can shape a strong, healthy team.
– How culture defines a company more than any product.
– And how, in business, cash is king, but integrity is everything.

One piece of advice hit home for many students:
“Choose your hard—it’s hard to own a business, but it’s harder to make a lot of money for someone else.”

And then, as the morning wrapped up, Cody said something that silenced the room and will stay with our students for a long time:

“The only thing you own when you die is your integrity.”
Be a good person. Do the right thing.

Those words carried a weight that didn’t need explaining. You could see it on the students’ faces—the kind of lesson that doesn’t just fill a page in a notebook but finds a place in your heart.

We cannot thank owners Cody, Jon, and media/marketing director Tianna Wesselmann enough. Your continued financial investment as a sustaining investor In Silver Creek Area CEO means so much, but your investment of time, honesty, and heart means even more.

What makes this story even more special is the sense of legacy that surrounds Okawville Equipment—family, community, and hard work coming full circle. A business once built by family hands, passed on, and then lovingly brought home again. It’s proof that when a company is rooted in integrity and people, its story never really ends—it just grows deeper with each generation.

From all of us at Silver Creek Area CEO—thank you for opening your doors, sharing your story, and reminding our students that success isn’t just about what you build. It’s about who you become while you’re building it.