At the heart of our Silver Creek Area CEO program are incredible mentors.
People who said yes to early mornings.
Yes to showing up month after month.
But more importantly — yes to walking alongside our students through this entire journey.
Tim Boyce
Leslie Davis
Bob Fritz
Jon Greenstreet
Vernon Hamm
Jessica Michalke
Bill Millikin
Eric Riess
Shawn Scott
Stacy Stein
Cody Whitworth
Jonathan Welzbacher
David Hill
Mike Clark
Mike Radliff
Heather LoBue
Fiona Hershberger
Allyson Otey
Kim Burgess
Becky Bertram
These are the people who didn’t just sit across from our students once a month… they invested in them. They asked questions that made them think deeper. They celebrated the wins. They helped steady the nerves. They showed up eager to hear how Banker Day went, how 30-second pitches turned out, and many were there to support us for Fish Tank!
They didn’t just guide businesses. They helped shape confidence. They were totally vested in how each student was growing into their idea.
Over time, something beautiful happened.
Connections were built.
Relationships formed.
There was laughter, honesty, and moments that mattered far beyond business plans.
Last week we held our final meeting of the year. And the impact was impossible to miss.
Each student stood in front of the room with their mentor, and shared what that person has meant to them — the encouragement, the guidance, the belief they didn’t always have in themselves yet.
Then the mentors shared their side.
They talked about the growth they witnessed.
How much they genuinely loved being part of this program.
And so many said the same thing — they came in thinking they were giving back…
…but what they received in return was more than they ever expected.
That’s the kind of impact you can’t measure.
And even though that was our final official meeting, they’re still here — still cheering, still encouraging, still walking alongside our students as they head into their biggest moment yet.
In just one week, our students will launch their businesses at the Trade Show.
They’re ready… because they were never doing this alone.
To our mentors — thank you will never be enough. We are so deeply grateful for the time, heart, and belief you’ve poured into these students. ❤️
