On Saturday, Aug. 9, Madison-area community members will be able to get an exclusive look at the progress of CEOs of Tomorrow’s new office space on the third floor at the Black Business Hub in an event titled “Voices of Tomorrow.” DeAndre Martin, the new executive director of CEOs of Tomorrow, says that they will be moving in for good by the end of August.
“Our moving day is Aug. 29th, and it’s coming up on us fast. We thought that it would be cool to write on the walls right before they put the finishing touches on the building,” Martin tells Madison365. “Invitees will be allowed to create positive and inspirational messages for the youth who will be coming into the building and utilizing that space in the future. I think it will be a fun time for attendees and we’ll also have light refreshments and raffles for people who come to enter. We are able to offer gift cards from local businesses that support our organization.”
CEOs of Tomorrow, an entrepreneurial program that provides youth with the opportunity to drive positive social change while earning money, is establishing a home at The Black Business Hub on Madison’s South Side, known as the Dr. Roxie Hentz International Center for Youth Entrepreneurship. This center will honor the transformative legacy of its founding executive director.
“We love being in the Black Business Hub. I know that this has been in the works for a while now, so it’s just amazing that the date is getting closer,” Martin says. “We are excited that we will be able to create this kind of fourth grade through adulthood of entrepreneurship. I think it’s going to be something that not only the city of Madison hasn’t seen, but also in the United States. So we’re really excited.”
The Dr. Roxie Hentz International Center for Youth Entrepreneurship will serve as a global gateway, strengthening international partnerships and offering students opportunities to travel and engage with young entrepreneurs worldwide. Through the CEOs of Tomorrow’s International Academy and Global Excursions programs, students will gain critical exposure to diverse economic systems, broadening their perspectives, cultural awareness, and aspirations.
A social entrepreneur from Oklahoma City, OK, Martin took over the helm at CEOs of Tomorrow Inc. from Hentz, who founded the organization about 10 years ago and is now retired. Prior to joining CEOs of Tomorrow as executive director, Martin served as the community development director with Northeast Oklahoma City Renaissance (NEOKCR), a nonprofit created to catalyze economic development in Northeast Oklahoma City.
“When I moved here in February, everybody would tell me about the Wisconsin summers and how nice they are, and it has lived up to the hype. It’s been a beautiful summer. So I’ve been enjoying the city, getting to meet a bunch of people, and everybody’s been super welcoming and helpful,” Martin says. “It’s amazing now that I am going on six months here in Madison to see all of the support that Dr. Hentz has been able to garner and put around the organization so that we can really have a foundation to build off of … it is remarkable. Dr. Roxie Hentz definitely created an organization that will live past her legacy. I am grateful to her, and I’m grateful to Madison for welcoming me with open arms.”
CEOs of Tomorrow is in the middle of its Building a Brighter Tomorrow Campaign and the non-profit organization is hoping to garner more community support, whether or not people can attend Saturday’s “Voices of Tomorrow” event.
“This is our capital campaign to further build out the space. We are still accepting donations for that,” Martin says. “Anyone who is a $500 or above donor gets their name on our wall of gratitude, so it will be a permanent fixture in the hub that just honors all the people who have supported us. We’re always looking for supporters to help grow our mission to impact the students here in Madison.”
CEOs of Tomorrow Inc. offers numerous entrepreneurship programs for teens in grades 9-12 and a summer business camp for kids in grades 4-8. During CEOs of Tomorrow’s 9-week youth business incubator program, called These Teens Mean Busine$$ Incubator, teens test business ideas to earn revenue and promote positive change in their community.
“We have our fall programming coming up, so we’ll start our incubator program where students get to create their own businesses,” Martin says. “And then we have our Teen Ambassadors Program, an employment program where students work for us, and we teach them financial literacy, and then they teach it to their younger peers. So both of those programs we are currently taking applications for.
“You can find those applications on our website. We would love for the young people of Madison to come participate with us.”
Learn more about CEOs of Tomorrow’s many entrepreneurial programs for young people by clicking here.
