Richland County FBLA

04/20/2026

Congratulations to the following FBLA members on their outstanding success at the FBLA State Leadership Conference April 10-11!

- Andrew Smith was recognized as the Illinois FBLA Member of the Year.
- Seth Norwood earned 3rd place in Computer Problem Solving.
- Jason Vongunten placed 6th in Customer Service.
- Andrew Smith also earned 7th place in Computer Gaming & Simulation Programming.
- Brianna Beard and Emmalynn Hannel placed 9th in Introduction to Business Presentations.

As a chapter, we received several honors, including Gold Seal Chapter, Connecting Generations, Promote FBLA Week, Support American Enterprise Day, and Alzheimer’s Awareness.

We are also proud to recognize Austin Smith, who was installed as the 2026–27 Illinois FBLA State Vice President representing the Eastern Area.

Finally, a very special congratulations to Brayden Runyon, who was elected as the 2026–27 Illinois FBLA State President.

04/11/2026

Brayden finished up his campaign this evening by delivering his campaign speech, our chapter placed 6th in the Alzheimer’s Awareness campaign and money raised, and the following students made it to finals in their respective events:
- Jason Vongunten: Customer Service
- Brianna Beard and Emmalynn Hannel: Introduction to Business Presentation
- Myers Parker: Introduction to Public Speaking
These students along with Andrew Smith (Computer Game Simulation Programming) will all compete in finals tomorrow morning.

04/11/2026

The general sessions of the State Leadership Conference can be watched online at slc.ilfbla.org. The first session starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 10. The second session starts at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 11

2025 Illinois FBLA State Leadership Conference

04/10/2026

The 2026 FBLA State Leadership Conference is well underway! Several of the students have presented their events and Brayden’s campaign for FBLA State President is going well. More updates and pictures will be posted as we progress.