Kankakee County CEO

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.

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!

A few of our CEO students, including Henry with Topdeck Studios, will be at the Mental Health and Wellness fest today at the Kankakee farmers market. Stop by to say hello!

Kankakee County CEO is at the Farmers market for mental health and wellness festival.

Topdeck Studios, Feature Arts AND Earthkind Creations. All in one spot. We hope to see you soon

What a fun way to wrap up the year for our Kankakee County CEO team!

Our students enjoyed a mini golf outing together at Adventure Commons as we celebrated the successes, growth, friendships, and memories made throughout the year.

Highlights included Henry getting two holes in one, Ella landing a hole in one of her own, and Miles taking first place overall.

Most importantly, it was great spending time together, laughing, competing a little, and reflecting on what an incredible year this has been.

A huge thank you to Adventure Commons for opening early just for our group. We appreciate your hospitality and support of our students and program!