The partners of Open Prairie Management, a private equity and venture capital investment firm based in Effingham, Illinois, established the Open Prairie CEO “Creating Entrepreneurship Opportunities” Scholarship in order to benefit a graduate of the Effingham County CEO Program.
The first recipient of the award is Ryan Ruholl of Teutopolis. Ryan will be attending Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in the fall to study management and marketing. During the CEO program, Ryan started Nothing But Details, an automobile detailing service in Teutopolis. Ryan’s essay to the scholarship committee was entitled “The Great Opportunities of Entrepreneurship.” In the essay, Ryan stated that the CEO class gave him the opportunity to “meet many great business people whose only motive was to make [him] a better person in all areas of [his] life.” Ryan will receive a $4,000 scholarship, payable over four-years.
The mission of the CEO program is that graduates demonstrate entrepreneurial thinking that sustains their thirst for life-long learning, are ready to compete in the global economy and are inspired to come-back and give-back to their hometown. According to Jim Schultz, CEO of Open Prairie, “Assisting with the education of CEO graduates is one of the best investments we can make in the economic future of our community.”
To qualify for the Open Prairie Scholarship, applicants must be admitted to a four-year college or university and be majoring in a business curriculum which may include finance, economics, general business, entrepreneurship, or marketing,
For more information about the Open Prairie CEO Scholarship visit contact Joedy Hightower, President/CEO of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, at 217-342-4988.
