Grant Davis and Ben Wangler sit side by side in the Little Egypt CEO program, but they're moving toward very different futures. One wants to become a sports agent who safeguards athletes as whole people; the other is already a small-business owner with customers across the region. Yet the more they talk about why they joined CEO and what they've discovered along the way, the more it becomes obvious that what really drives them isn't business at all—it's possibility.

Grant has been drawn to sports and leadership for as long as he can remember. His mom still has a second-grade picture where he wrote, "CEO of everything." Today, that ambition has taken shape: he wants to study sports management in college and work in athlete representation. He loves the strategy, the negotiations, the relationships, and the responsibility that comes with helping someone chart a life-changing career. What sets him apart is the way he describes the work. He wants to be known as "one who cares about the person, not the brand."

Ben came into CEO from the opposite direction. He already owns a business—Mushroom Clones, a handmade morel mushroom model company he purchased from a taxidermist in Effingham. His creations appear in turkey mounts, home décor, craft shows, and even on ceiling fan pull chains. He sells online and in person. Each mushroom is handmade from a proprietary material he won't disclose. "I can't tell you. That's the big secret," he says. Ben's next step is scaling: reaching taxidermists directly so he can secure bulk, recurring orders and reduce reliance on social media advertising. His CEO stimulus grant—up to $599 per student—will go toward marketing photography, Facebook ads, and restocking supplies.

Although their goals are different, CEO has given them a shared foundation. The early mornings, the professional dress, the intentional networking, and the confidence they're building through conversations with business owners have reshaped their expectations for themselves. Grant says CEO has helped him learn to speak with confidence. "Connections are key," he says. Learning to approach a business owner with a proposal, an email, or even an honest question has changed the way he sees opportunity.

Ben agrees. "Nobody wants to give their time and get nothing in return," he says. CEO taught him to think about what he can offer in any interaction—whether it's information, curiosity, enthusiasm, or a willingness to listen.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for both came when visiting local businesses. Ben was stunned by entrepreneur Shannon Cooney's downtown revitalization work—reviving the famed Centralia House restaurant, opening Crooked Creek Winery, and creating The Prescription, a co-working and incubation space with meeting rooms, printers, and a podcast studio. Grant left similarly energized after meeting leaders like Marcus Holland at the Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of time, people see it as, oh, they just want to make a profit," he says. "But then the more you talk to those business owners...they care for Centralia."

Their CEO cohort includes students from Centralia, Odin, Sandoval, Salem, and Patoka—each community with its own culture and values. Ben likes the diversity of thought it creates. Grant notes that he and Ben are the only two guys in this year's group, surrounded by motivated young women who push them to think differently.

Both young men grew up in supportive families. Ben's father owns Fall Flight Taxidermy in Irvington and modeled business ownership for him. Grant's parents—his mom, a teacher at Jordan Elementary alongside Ben's mom, and his dad, a regional director in neuroscience and sleep studies for SSM Health—encouraged him to think big while staying grounded.

The cohort has already proven its entrepreneurial chops. Through their first project—the Badge Business—they raised $8,400 by offering tiered sponsorships: T-shirts with business logos, social media posts, and placements on CEO badges. That money funds their individual stimulus grants.

Grant's personal business venture for CEO is 40:31 Athletics, an athletic and streetwear brand inspired by his father's favorite Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31: "He will lift you up on wings like Eagles." He hopes to create apparel he would proudly wear—something that reflects his identity as both an athlete and a Christian. His dream is to one day have athletes represent his brand.

Both students are clear-eyed about the work ahead. They know that as they scale their ideas, new problems will emerge and old ones will return. But that cycle—solve, adapt, grow—is exactly what excites them. Whether it's sports representation or handmade mushrooms, they're learning to see entrepreneurship not as a profession, but as a mindset.