Kankakee County CEO

08/21/2026

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS & SENIORS (including HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS!)

📣 There's Still Time to Join Kankakee County CEO!
We have a few spots available in this year's Kankakee County CEO Program and are accepting late applications!
Are you a high school junior or senior with room in your schedule this year? Looking for something different than a traditional class?
✔️ Meet in local businesses, not a classroom
✔️ Learn from entrepreneurs and community leaders
✔️ Start and run your own business
✔️ Keep the profits you earn
✔️ Earn 2 high school credits at no cost to you
If you're ready for a hands-on, real-world experience that will challenge and inspire you, CEO is for you!
Interested? --> Email us today at [email protected], and we'll help you get started with the application process. Don't wait...our remaining spots are limited

08/11/2026

Be part of something special!

08/05/2026

📣 There's Still Time to Join Kankakee County CEO!

We have a few spots available in this year's Kankakee County CEO Program and are accepting late applications!

Are you a high school junior or senior with room in your schedule this year? Looking for something different than a traditional class?

✔️ Meet in local businesses, not a classroom
✔️ Learn from entrepreneurs and community leaders
✔️ Start and run your own business
✔️ Keep the profits you earn
✔️ Earn 2 high school credits at no cost to you

If you're ready for a hands-on, real-world experience that will challenge and inspire you, CEO is for you!

Interested? --> Email us today at [email protected], and we'll help you get started with the application process. Don't wait...our remaining spots are limited!

07/13/2026

Congratulations to our board president, John Keigher! We appreciate his dedication, enthusiasm, and leadership for our CEO program!

Following a career defined by executive leadership, entrepreneurial success, and an unwavering commitment to servant leadership, John Keigher has been named the 2026 John M. Fulton Distinguished Alumni Award recipient by the Kankakee Community College Foundation.
This honor recognizes John’s remarkable professional accomplishments and his dedication to making a meaningful impact in his community and beyond. We are proud to celebrate a leader who truly embodies the spirit of excellence and service.
Learn more: https://www.kcc.edu/foundation/alumni/distinguished-alumni-award/ -keigher

06/04/2026

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.

06/02/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome the CEO Facilitator Retreat to Kankakee this year!

It takes a community to make an event like this happen, and we’re grateful for the many local businesses, organizations, and partners who have come together to showcase the very best of our area. Facilitators from across the network are already experiencing the hospitality, innovation, and community spirit that make Kankakee such a special place.

Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship

05/31/2026

Future Entrepreneurs Sign On for CEO 2026-2027

On May 27, the Kankakee County CEO Class of 2026-2027 gathered with their parents and guardians for CEO Orientation.

Students learned more about the program, met their classmates, and officially signed their commitment to being part of next year's CEO experience.

The orientation was led by Facilitator Katie Bretzlaff, along with CEO Board members Mike O'Brien, Angela Morrey, and Nicole Smolkovich, and supported by recent CEO alum Kori McCasland and Miles Yohnka.

We are excited to welcome this new group of young entrepreneurs and look forward to an incredible year ahead!

05/27/2026

05/19/2026

Kankakee County CEO Students & Families: Orientation is coming up on Wednesday, May 27 from 6:30–7:30 PM at Kankakee Community College in the Iroquois Room.

STUDENTS: Please check your email for important details and RSVP to the Google Calendar invite. We can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2026–2027!

05/17/2026

The last email has been sent. The name badges are hung up. The early morning alarms are finally turned off for the summer.

And just like that, another year of Kankakee County CEO has come to a close.

But while the school year may be ending, the lessons learned will continue far beyond the classroom walls. This group of students learned how to network, communicate professionally, present ideas, solve problems, adapt, take risks, and build confidence in themselves and one another.

Most importantly, they learned how to walk into a room and believe they belong there.

Our students now join a growing network of Kankakee County CEO alumni, along with the larger national CEO alumni network. Through this program, they have built relationships with an incredible network of mentors, business owners, professionals, and community leaders who will continue cheering them on long after graduation.

To our students, congratulations on everything you accomplished this year. We are so proud of the growth, grit, creativity, and professionalism you showed along the way. We cannot wait to see what you do next.

Thank you to our mentors, board members, business owners, investors, parents, and community partners who helped make this experience possible for our students.