Our Jackson CEO students recently visited the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center for an engaging morning with Michael Jessup of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at SIU!

Drawing from his years in sales, experience owning multiple businesses and work with the SBDC, Michael shared valuable lessons about entrepreneurship, leadership and the importance of doing what you love and surrounding yourself with good people.

Students also put their teamwork and problem-solving skills to the test with a spaghetti and marshmallow tower-building challenge! While none of the teams successfully built a tower, the activity sparked a great discussion about leadership, communication and learning from failure.

A big thank you to Michael for sharing his experiences and making this such an interactive visit! We'd also like to thank Jackson CEO Board Member Ken Stoner for stopping by and showing his continued support for our students!