Mount Carmel CEO

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

Business Tour:
C***r Barn Tree Farm & Ice Skating Rink
w/Wayne County CEO Program

Guest Speaker:
Owner/Operator, Mindy Brokaw

Wayne Co CEO and Mount Carmel CEO Programs teamed up at the C***r Barn Tree Farm & Ice Skating Rink in Fairfield, IL on Thursday morning to REVEAL the results of the $1-$100 Challenge.

After tallying up the bank bags, the results showed Wayne Co CEO won the challenge.
Congratulations to the Wayne Co Program on a job well done! We appreciate your willingness to participate in the $1$-$100 with us and wish you all success in both your class business this fall and personal businesses in the spring.

~Special Shoutout to Brushed by Vanessa in Fairfield for painting our $1-$100 Challenge Results Banner! It’s perfect! Thank You!!~

Once the $1-$100 Challenge Results were revealed, we handed the floor over to Mindy Brokaw, owner/operator of the C***r Barn Tree Farm & Ice Skating Rink. Mindy spoke on the importance of advocating for yourself and not letting a ‘No’ become discouraging. She shared her success story of ACHIEVING her dream, despite the people that told her “No.”

Mindy was so kind to host us, feed us, introduce us to her staff, which consists of white tail deer, fallow deer, ‘Peppermint’ the pig, peacocks, and a group of mixed water fowl hanging out on the pond, as well as share her time, knowledge, and encouragement with our groups. She even gifted the participants a free ice skating pass for this upcoming season after completing her ‘Around the Farm Fall’ scavenger hunt.

Mindy Brokaw, thank you for sharing with us your little piece of heaven. It was a beautiful morning speaking with you. Thank you for your time and generosity!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026

Guest Speaker: Wayne Henegar
w/Henegar Consulting, INC.
CEO Connector: Jordan Freeland

Today, we welcomed in guest speaker Wayne Henegar, one of the Mount Carmel CEO Program’s community founders and current investors.

Wayne has been a life long friend of the Mount Carmel CEO Program and has continued to pour into the groups that choose the path of CEO every year.

This year, he left us with:
“Get All You Can,
Can All You Get,
And Sit On The Lid.”

There are no words to express our appreciation for Wayne, not only for coming in to speak with us Wednesday morning, but for everything he has contributed to the Mount Carmel CEO Program over the years. His knowledge & generosity is unmatched.

Thank you Wayne Henegar with Henegar Consulting Inc. for investing in your Mount Carmel CEO Program! We are so grateful for you!

Monday, October 5, 2026
Isaac was our CEO Connector and got us on track to complete our LAST $1-$100 Work Day. The challenge ends at MIDNIGHT. Our results will be revealed THURSDAY, October 8. Check back on Thursday to find out which program will bring home the bragging rights!

Will it be:
MOUNT CARMEL CEO ?
or
WAYNE COUNTY CEO ?

Tuesday October 6, 2026
Carter was our CEO Connector and constructed an agenda for a much needed Team Day.

We had the privilege of hosting our meeting at a new location, The Village Courtyard of West Salem. It’s a beautiful space to meet. We’re so grateful Averi Goodman invited us to host our meetings here for the month of October.

The team hashed out the final details of the $1-$100 Challenge. There’s still some work to be done even though the challenge is over.
As CEO Participants we hold ourselves to a higher standard and we stick to the founder of CEO, Craig Lindvahl’s, ways.
He says:
1. Do What You Say You’ll Do
2. Do It When You Say You’ll Do It
3. Communicate While You Do It

We strive everyday to do all three. For the jobs we didn’t complete in the amount of time our challenge was held, we will still come to complete the work we said we’d do.

Moving on to new business, the team came to a decision on a Class Business Theme/Idea. There’s still a lot of planning to do (and board approval to receive) but we’re off to the races with the next goal in mind: how to make our 2026 CEO Class Business a success.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026

Business Tour: SOUL Mt. Carmel
Guest Speaker: Owner, Kallie Allender
CEO Connector: Ella Turner

Ella said “Today was such a privilege for our CEO class to tour Soul Beauty in Mount Carmel!

We got to see behind the scenes, learn about the different things they offer, and hear how she started from step one and grew from having not one, but TWO locations!

It was so inspiring to see how she helps people feel more confident in themselves while doing what she loves.

Such an amazing tour and learning experience! 🤍”

Thank you Kallie Allender for hosting us this morning! You make turning a dream into reality look easy & work look like fun!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026

Business Tour: First Mid Bank & Trust
Guest Speakers: Brenda Bobbitt & Sheila Wallace
CEO Connector: Stella Woodcock

Stella said “Thursday October 1 in our CEO program, we toured First Mid Bank. Sheila Wallace spoke to us about her career and how she got started in the banking industry. She shared her experiences and explained some of the challenges and opportunities she faced while building her career. It was interesting to hear how her experiences helped her become a leader.

Sheila also taught us more about First Mid Bank and how the bank operates. We learned about the different services the bank provides and how it helps people and businesses in the community. The visit showed us that being a business leader involves hard work, communication, making good decisions, and building relationships with others.”

Thank you Brenda & Sheila for spending your Thursday morning with us!

Thank you to First Mid Bank & Trust for investing in our Mount Carmel CEO Program!
Our experience today would not exist without your people’s generosity. Thank you!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2026

Guest Speaker: Sheila Alton at the Edwards County Courthouse
CEO Connector: Laney Knasinski

Laney said “We had the opportunity to visit the Albion Courthouse and meet with Sheila Alton.

During our visit, Sheila shared valuable information about property taxes and explained aspects of the process that many of us were unfamiliar with. She also gave us an informative tour of the courthouse, including the holding cell, which was a unique experience.

We truly appreciate Sheila taking the time to share her knowledge with us and give us a closer look at how the courthouse operates.

It was an educational and memorable experience!”

Thank you Sheila for feeding us and spending your morning educating us on all things ‘Real Estate Taxes.’

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

Task: $1-$100 Challenge Work Day
CEO Connector: Quentin Pike

Quentin said “Today we had a workday for our $1-100 challenge against Wayne County.

We also had special guest Chase Shelton from Full Force Exterior Cleaning LLC come to talk us through all the ins and outs of how he quotes customers. It was very helpful for us to learn how we should properly quote and what steps to take to determine our quotes.

Thank you Chase for coming in.”

We want to give a BIG shoutout to Chase for helping the team overcome some unforeseen obstacles at our customer’s property. He was so generous to donate his time and equipment to help us power wash the front side of the Corwin Printing building.

When you drive by Corwin, give them a wave & the front of their building a good look!

Chase with Full Force Exterior Cleaning LLC is top notch.

Chase, thank you again for your help & generosity this morning!

Full Force Exterior Cleaning LLC,

🚀 8 CEO PROGRAMS. NEARLY 100 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS. ONE INCREDIBLE REGIONAL GATHERING. 🚀

📅 September 28, 2026

When young entrepreneurs from across Southern Illinois come together, big things happen.

Yesterday, 8 CEO programs and nearly 100 young entrepreneurs came together for the largest gathering of CEO programs our region has hosted to date! 🎉

The result? Connections. Networking. Knowledge. Personal growth. And a whole lot of CEO energy!

🎤 We were fortunate to have Chris Egelston and Kasie Woodworth, members of the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship team, lead engaging, interactive sessions that challenged our young entrepreneurs to think about two essential pieces of business: crafting the perfect pitch and marketing to a specific audience. They learned that having a great idea is only part of the equation. How you communicate that idea, and understanding who you are communicating it to, can make all the difference.

🤝 Just as valuable were the connections happening throughout the day. Students stepped outside their individual programs, met young entrepreneurs from other communities, shared ideas, built relationships, and expanded their CEO network across Southern Illinois.

A special thank you to ThrillHouse Family Entertainment Center for sponsoring the space for this incredible gathering! Their investment in CEO is a perfect example of what happens when the business community invests in the future of entrepreneurship and small business in Southern Illinois.

And ThrillHouse didn’t just provide us with a place to meet!

Participants had the opportunity to tour their impressive 30,000-square-foot facility and hear more about the vision behind ThrillHouse and how they are investing not only in Williamson County, but in the entire Southern Illinois region.

💡 This is CEO.

It’s young people learning from professionals.
It’s businesses investing in the next generation.
It’s communities connecting with communities.
It’s relationships being built beyond county lines.
And it’s nearly 100 young entrepreneurs discovering that their network just became a whole lot bigger.

Southern Illinois has a lot to be excited about when this is what the future of entrepreneurship looks like! 🚀

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