CEO program proposed for Martin County schools
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The Martin County Alliance is looking to bring a CEO program to two area high schools. Our partners at WTWO-TV report the program would allow students to get a behind-the-scenes look at local businesses and what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Martin County Alliance Executive Director Jessica Potts said the effort has been six months in the making, and it has already garnered interest from Loogootee High School and Shoals High School.
“I’m excited to get the kids out of the classrooms and get them out there learning about the businesses and the entrepreneurship opportunities,” Potts told WTWO. “And also, it’s an awesome professional development for these young kids.”
The CEO program was developed by the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship in Effingham, Illinois. Potts said she hopes the program will show students they don’t need to move away to start a successful business.
“[They can see] the opportunity that’s right here at home,” she said. “They can go away and get their education, or they can travel the world, but as long as they come back home and reside in Martin County.”
Grant Sherfick, who opened H&H Hardware in downtown Shoals just last weekend, told the station he wished he had access to such a program when he was in school. He aims to show students that anyone can become a business owner.
“That’s what I’m hoping to provide to students now–give them the opportunity to see what the potential is and help them provide a vision for doing that,” Sherfick said. “I think that’s the hardest part, really. It’s just getting over the initial [thoughts of], ‘I could never own my own business.’ There’s a lot of things you don’t know until you get into the process.”
Potts said they are still fundraising for the program, having raised about $35,000 to date, which is about half of what they need. That first amount will cover startup costs to build the curriculum and marketing materials.
The second phase will be used to pay the teacher for the program. Officials hope to begin the program in the fall 2024 semester.