A Week of Learning, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship:
CEO students had another exciting week filled with opportunities to gain experience in what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. Through business visits and conversations with local professionals, students gained valuable insight into entrepreneurship, career opportunities, fiscal responsibility, and the importance of hard work.
Billy Barnes Enterprises, Inc.
On Tuesday, August 25, the CEO students visited Billy Barnes Enterprises, Inc., where Mr. Bryan Kilpatrick shared a wealth of knowledge about the trucking industry and several career opportunities connected to it.
Students quickly learned that Billy Barnes Enterprises is about much more than semi-trucks and 18-wheelers. Below are few of the things that Mr. Kilpatrick told the CEO students.
CEO students learned:
• The trucking industry connects to many other industries, including engineering, banking, manufacturing, forestry, logging, timber, and specialty mills such as plywood, paper, and sawmills.
• A trucking company employs and requires much more than drivers. Career opportunities may include:
Diesel, electrical, welding, and diagnostic technicians.
Dispatch and logistics professionals.
IT, data, telematics, and cybersecurity professionals.
Accounting, human resources, sales, finance, and management.
The visit gave students an opportunity to see firsthand the organization involved in operating a trucking business. One of the highlights of the visit was getting the chance to sit in the driver's seat of an 18-wheeler!
South Alabama Kubota:
On August 27, the CEO students visited South Alabama Kubota, where they met owner, Mr. Daniel Sawyer. The students were so energized and eager to learn that Mr. Sawyer allowed each student the opportunity to drive a utility/specialty agricultural tractor before leaving the business.
Some of the many highlights that Mr. Sawyer shared with the CEO students are:
• South Alabama Kubota offers and sells several products, including utility vehicles, zero-turn mowers, side-by-side vehicles, tractors, and more.
• Mr. Sawyer was very transparent with the students about his entrepreneurial journey. He explained that entrepreneurship can be a “work in progress.” Sometimes business owners learn as they go, make mistakes, and use those experiences to become better entrepreneurs.
• Small business owners must always pay close attention to their finances and know whether their business is making a profit or experiencing a loss.
• Purchasing an already-established business with existing sales can provide an entrepreneur with a strong starting point.
Business owners should become members of professional associations within their industries.
The visit ended on a high note when students had the exciting opportunity to experience a ride on a $60,000 tractor!
Real Talk About Life After High School
CEO students also had the opportunity to hear from the Career Coaches of Monroe County Board of Education, Mr. Joshua Easley and Mr. Terry Johnson. Both Career Coaches engaged students in an open and meaningful conversation about life after high school.
Overall, the week provided CEO students with valuable real-world experiences that went far beyond the classroom. From learning about the organization of the trucking industry and the realities of owning a business to exploring career and educational options after high school.