Kankakee County CEO

Liliana “Lili” Schultz is a junior at Herscher High School and the daughter of Erika and Darrin Schultz. She participates in Student Council and Publications, helping with school broadcasts and newsletters. Lili works at The Love Stack and Open Road food trucks at the farmers market and enjoys reading. Through CEO, she hopes to strengthen her communication skills, gain business knowledge, and learn more about businesses in her community.

Her motivating quote is: “No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.”

Mia Beland is a junior at Kankakee High School and the daughter of Jeannie and Shawn Beland. She participates in tennis, Yearbook, and Kays Media, where she works on photography and livestreams. Mia takes classes at Kankakee Community College and plans to major in marketing or business. Through CEO, she hopes to improve her communication skills, learn more about business, and successfully launch her own business.

Her motivating quote is: “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again.” — Walt Disney

Carter Overacker is a junior at Herscher High School and the son of Jen and Jon Overacker. He participates in golf, baseball, wrestling, and motocross. During the summer, Carter works in grounds maintenance at Riverside Medical Center. During the school year, he works part time and takes on side jobs for Triangle Diesel. Carter describes himself as motivated and compassionate. Through CEO, he hopes to develop skills that will set him apart, work effectively with a team, and learn to run a business.

His motivating quote is: “Pressure is a privilege.”

Over the next several days we will be introducing our CEO students for the 2026-27 school year. We're excited about what these students will learn and achieve this year!

Audrey Scanlon is a junior at Herscher High School and the daughter of Beth and Chris Scanlon. She is on the varsity Volleyball team and was recently named Homecoming Queen! She owns and works at two food trucks, Open Road Soda and The Love Stack. Audrey describes herself as talkative and enjoys having fun with friends. Through CEO, she hopes to build her network, step outside her comfort zone, and approach ideas with an open mind.

Her motivating quote is: “Be brave to stand for what you believe in even if you stand alone.”

Kankakee County CEO students explored how business growth and workforce development connect during our visit with Angela Morrey and Hannah Swale of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County and LaDonna Russell of the Grundy Livingston Kankakee Workforce Board.

The Economic Alliance helps attract new businesses, supports existing businesses as they grow, and promotes Kankakee County as a place to invest and work. The Workforce Board connects people with job training and career services while helping employers find the skilled workers they need.

Thank you to Angela, Hannah, and LaDonna for sharing your expertise and helping our students understand how these organizations work with businesses, schools, and community partners to create opportunities throughout our region!

Kankakee County CEO takes learning beyond the classroom. Students visit local businesses, connect with entrepreneurs, and build the skills to turn ideas into action. It’s a year of learning by doing, growing in confidence, and discovering what’s possible right here in our community.

In CEO, students don’t just learn about business. They learn by doing it.

Recently, students took on their first micro-business challenge, the Badge Business. They researched costs, secured business sponsors, considered return on investment, and worked together to produce the identification badges they’ll wear throughout the year.

We’ve also explored different types of businesses through the categories of products, services, and events, then put those ideas into action with our $1 to $100 Challenge. Students each started with just $1 and challenged to find a way to earn money, reinvest it, and keep building until they reach or surpass $100.

These projects require students to make decisions, communicate with real businesses and customers, solve problems, take calculated risks, and learn from what works and what doesn’t.
That’s what CEO is all about: authentic, hands-on learning that takes business concepts out of the textbook and puts them into practice.

Business, Creativity and Connections at Eric Penrod Photography

Kankakee County CEO students recently went behind the scenes at Eric Penrod Photography in Kankakee, where owner Eric Penrod shared lessons from his career as a photographer, educator, and entrepreneur.

During our visit, Eric gave students a tour of his unique studio, which features a variety of indoor and outdoor photography spaces and professional lighting setups. Students learned what goes into operating a successful brick-and-mortar creative business and even stepped in front of the camera as Eric generously took professional headshots for our entire CEO team, something we greatly appreciate!
Eric shared his professional journey and talked about the value of developing a broad skill set, adapting as your industry changes and persevering through the challenges of entrepreneurship.

One of his biggest lessons for students was the importance of “making your own luck.” Opportunities often come from consistently putting in the work, building relationships and being ready when the right opportunity arrives.

Eric also reminded students that no matter what product or service you provide, you’re ultimately in the people business. Building trust, taking care of customers and creating a positive experience are essential parts of building a successful business.

Thank you to Eric Penrod Photography for once again welcoming Kankakee County CEO students, sharing your experience and expertise, and providing professional headshots our team can use as they continue building their professional identities.

From CEO Connections to New Opportunities: Holden Hall Shares His Experience

There’s something special about seeing CEO come full circle when former students return to encourage and inspire the next class. Kankakee County CEO welcomed 2025 alum Holden Hall back to class to share his experience with this year’s students as they begin their CEO journey.

Now a business student at DePaul University in Chicago, Holden reflected on how his year in CEO impacted him personally and professionally. He shared how the relationships he built through the program continued to open doors after graduation, including helping him connect with internship opportunities this summer through the professional network he began building as a CEO student.

Hall also shared more about the game company he created while in CEO, and the lessons he learned along the way. During his time in CEO, Hall won 3rd place in the CEO National Pitch Competition, and was also a high school pitch competition winner at the ONU Createur Conference.

Holden encouraged this year’s class to take full advantage of every business visit, guest speaker and introduction, reminding them that the connections they make now can continue to create opportunities long after their year in CEO ends.

One of the best parts of the CEO experience is seeing former students return to encourage the next class and share where their experiences have taken them.
Thank you, Holden, for coming back to invest in our newest group of CEO students and helping them kick off an exciting year!

What an incredible opportunity to welcome facilitators from across the country to Kankakee for the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship CEO Facilitator Retreat and Conference, held June 1–3 at The Majestic Building. We are proud to have showcased the entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, hospitality, and community partnerships that make our community such a special place.

A heartfelt thank you to Angelina Gear, Executive Director of Visit Kankakee County, Nina Piolatto, Executive Director of Downtown Kankakee, and Katie Bretzlaff, Facilitator of the Kankakee County CEO program and owner of Hedgeapple Arts, for helping make this event a success.

We are especially grateful for two outstanding speakers from right here in Kankakee County. John Keigher, President of the Kankakee County CEO Board, shared encouraging leadership insights, while keynote speaker Dr. Michael Boyd, President of Kankakee Community College, delivered an inspiring message to facilitators from across the nation.

The conference also featured Professor Doug Villhard of Washington University in St. Louis, whose entrepreneurship program is widely regarded as the top program in the world. His expertise and perspective added tremendous value to the event and provided facilitators with innovative ideas to bring back to their own programs.

Throughout the conference, attendees enjoyed outstanding local food and hospitality from BrickStone Brewery, The Country Table, Yuriria Kitchen, Stefari West Avenue, Rigo's Place, and Creme of the Crop and enjoyed spending time at The Venu Lounge and The Kankakee Valley Boat Club.

Guests also experienced some of Kankakee County's unique attractions through a Downtown Kankakee Mural Walking Tour, a visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright tour- Wright In Kankakee, and a pottery glazing workshop at Hedgeapple Arts.

This event brought approximately 60 participants from communities throughout the United States to Kankakee. We were thrilled to share our community's entrepreneurial energy, innovation, and collaborative spirit with fellow CEO Program facilitators and leaders.

Thank you to Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship for the opportunity to host this remarkable gathering. We hope our guests left with new ideas, meaningful connections, and great memories of Kankakee County as an inspiring, welcoming, and fun place to visit.