“𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍."

CEO had the opportunity to visit Spencer Homes and spend the morning with Founder, Mike Rathgeb, whose passion for people, purpose, and quality craftsmanship is evident in everything he builds.

From a delicious breakfast (Thank you, Sophia!) to meaningful conversation, Mike met our students at a very special site: Spencer Homes’ brick-and-mortar Edwardsville design center. It was the perfect setting to talk about what it truly takes to build something that lasts—both in business and in life.

Key takeaways our students walked away with:
🛠️ 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. In fact, we usually can only control up to 49% of what is happening in our personal and professional lives! Life is all about how you respond to all of the things that happen outside of your control.

🛠️ Don’t panic. 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. The ability to pause, think clearly, and seek trusted advice can change the outcome entirely.

🛠️ 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. Success requires effort, grit, and genuine care—there are no shortcuts worth taking.

These lessons align perfectly with Spencer Homes’ philosophy. As a custom home builder, Spencer Homes is committed to:
🏡 Designing and building homes that reflect each client’s unique style
🏡 Delivering exceptional craftsmanship and an outstanding customer experience
🏡 Providing strong value at a competitive price
🏡 Giving back and making a meaningful impact in the community

Mike is not only an investor, mentor, and repeat host for CEO—he is a living example of values-driven entrepreneurship. Thank you, Mike, for your continued generosity, leadership, and commitment to shaping both homes and future leaders.