Today was Ask the Expert Day at Silver Creek Area CEO, and what an exciting morning it was! For the first time this year, we had five experienced professionals working directly with our students. It was so rewarding to watch our students learn from people who bring so much real-world experience to the table.

If you’ve been following our story, you know our students have been working hard on their class business over the past several weeks. Last Thursday, they presented their idea to our board of directors and received approval just in time for fall break! We returned to class yesterday with a site visit, and today it was time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work.

Our students have broken up into four teams: Finance, Operations, Marketing & Event Experience, and Sales & Sponsorships. After the students shared their business pitch to our experts, our guests joined the teams working in their respective areas.

Today, we welcomed five incredible guests:

Brianna Anderson, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois, worked with Sales & Sponsorships.

Tim Boyce, co-founder of Boyce Hund & Associates, joined forces with Cody Ferland, Vice President of Finance at Wehmeyer Seed to work with our Finance Team.

Kristen Wehmeyer Eaves, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager at Wehmeyer Seed, partnered with Marketing & Event Experience.

Dale Wehmeyer, founder of Wehmeyer Seed, worked with our Operations crew.

Our experts weren’t there to tell the students how to run their business. Instead, they brought their experience to the table and helped each team look at its responsibilities from a real-world perspective. They encouraged the students to think through the details, weigh their options, and consider things they may not have thought about yet. The decisions are still theirs to make, but having experienced professionals help them see the bigger picture is an invaluable part of the process.

From building a realistic budget and thinking strategically about sponsorships to considering the customer experience and how all the pieces fit together, our students had a lot to think about! They’re discovering just how many decisions go into turning an idea into a business, and each conversation gave them something new to consider as they move forward.

At the end of the morning, after our guests had left, I asked the students if they felt the day had been beneficial to their growth. The overwhelming answer was a resounding YES! Y’all, you should have heard the excitement in their voices! It was so rewarding to hear them talk about what they had learned and to see how much they valued the time our guests spent with them.

I’m so grateful to Dale, Cody, Tim, Brianna, and Kristen for sharing their morning with us, and to all the people in our community who continue to invest their time and knowledge in our students. These are the experiences that make Silver Creek Area CEO so special!

And speaking of what’s ahead, keep an eye out for a save-the-date announcement this weekend, with more details coming next week. We have some exciting things to share, and we can’t wait!