Kandiyohi County CEO: A Program Driven By Three Communities
This program is completely driven and funded by the communities of Atwater, Cosmos, Grove City, New London, Spicer and Willmar. Not only do the businesses and business leaders in these areas provide the funding for the class, they provide their expertise. Our students will learn what they need to know directly from those experts in the field today. If you or your organization would like to help in any way please look over the options below and then navigate to the Contact page to connect with the class facilitator Tyler Gehrking.
Investor
Tour/Speaker
Mentor
Full investors in the Kandiyohi CEO Program contribute $1000.00 per year for three years. We limit investor contributions to this amount in order to get as many individuals, businesses, and organizations involved as possible. It is possible to donate more than the annual one thousand dollars, however. The additional funds will be deposited in the 'Friends of CEO' fund, which provides emergency financial assistance to our students for things like transportation and adequate business attire. Our investors not only provide the funding for the class, they provide the core network of resources for our students. It is from our list of investors that we develop our schedule for speakers and visits.
Approximately forty to fifty times per year the class will meet at and tour a business. These tours can be as long or as short as needed, but they must take place within our 7:15 to 8:45 class period. Visits provide the energy and inspiration that our students constantly crave.
In addition to business visits, the class has fifty to sixty guest speakers throughout the year. These speaker visits can be as short as fifteen minutes or as long as ninety. It is through these speakers that students access the knowledge they need to start and run a successful business. Mr. Gehrking will personally contact each speaker approximately two weeks before the visit to outline what will be discussed.
Those investors, speakers, or supporters that wish to be involved on a more personal level can sign up to be a mentor. Each student, who we will call a protege, will be paired with at least one mentor. It is the responsibility of the protege to maintain an open line of communication with the mentor. The mentor can provide advice or insight as needed, but more importantly, he or she will provide a gateway to the expertise our local business circles can provide. Each mentor, protege relationship is unique, but Mr. Gehrking should be kept in the loop as much as possible.