Streator Area CEO student entrepreneur receives cash prize in National Pitch Competition

A student entrepreneur in Streator and Woodland high schools’ CEO program recently received honorable mention in a National Pitch Competition, where he competed alongside 260-plus other high-school-aged entrepreneurs for a share of $4,000 in cash prizes.

Tom Yanek, of Woodland High School and a participant of the Streator Area CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program, made an official submission to the 2022 National Pitch Competition.

Yanek has been working alongside his fellow CEO participants all year to create his business, Yaneko Central; focusing on creating high-quality low profile epoxy coasters perfect for any room of the house.

With this award, he receives a $50 cash prize that can be invested back into his business concept, as well as a collection of resources to support him in his entrepreneurial journey.

The CEO program is an accredited entrepreneurship education course available to juniors/seniors from both Woodland and Streator high schools. The class is never held in school, rather, participants meet five days a week for 90 minutes in local businesses.

Even so, participants receive school credit for the program, as well as dual credit accepted at Illinois Valley Community College.

Funding for the non-profit program comes from financial pledges from local businesses and donations from other individual and group community investors.

Throughout the school year, the CEO program takes students out of the classroom and into local businesses, allowing them to meet with community leaders, exposing them to more than 100 guest speakers, and providing them with mentors who coach them through the process of starting and running a business.

Each student leaves the program having created two businesses - a class business, a collaborative effort among all current participants which takes place in the first half of the year, and an individual business, which participants focus on developing during the second semester of the course.

To celebrate these individual businesses, the provider of the CEO program nationwide, the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship, hosts an annual National Pitch competition for all CEO participants in the 62 CEO Programs across the country.

The National Pitch Competition is an opportunity for CEO participants to share their individual businesses on a national platform and compete for cash prizes that can be invested back into their business concepts.

In the 2022 National Pitch Competition, Yanek shared his business through a recorded, 30-second video, which was taken in one continuous shot and then uploaded to a secure platform for judging.

Submissions for the competition were reviewed by a community of more than 70 CEO stakeholders from across the country comprised of CEO board members, CEO Alumni, local business owners, and mentors.

The scores the pitches received from these individuals helped rank the top 30 pitches.

The final winners were then selected from these top 30 by a panel of three high-level judges who have seen success in their own entrepreneurial endeavors: Wilbur You, founder and CEO of YouTech, Joan Pacetti, CEO of The Cookie Dough Cafe, and Dan Chancellor, founder and CEO of So ILL.

The top pitches were announced on a live webinar April 13, during which these high-level judges awarded the winners and provided comments and expert advice to students on pursuing their entrepreneurial path forward.

“The national pitch competition is a reflection of the hard work that these youth entrepreneurs have put into the conceptualization and creation of their businesses throughout the year,” said Austin Brooks, executive director of the Midland Institute for Entrepreneurship.

All local Streator Area CEO students will showcase their individual businesses at a local trade show 5 to 7 p.m. May 18 at The Eastwood in Streator. It is open to the public. This event will take place Wednesday, May 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Eastwood, 2000 Eastwood Ave., in Streator

For more information about Streator Area CEO, the trade show, or to read more about students’ individual businesses, go to www.Streatorareaceo.com or visit the Streator Area CEO Facebook page.