Virtual Enterprise is coming off an incredible year last year, so successful, in fact, that it has made a major change.
Bearden now has Virtual Enterprise programs. Plural.
Enrollment in the class was so high this year that the program had to divide into two firms for the first time in school history.
“We didn’t want to deny any kids the opportunity to be a part of it,” VE teacher Mrs. Jami Aylor said.
With two firms comes the necessity for two CEOs, though at first glance it might just look like one CEO with double the work.
After a lengthy interview process, identical twin brothers Will and Henry Mead have taken on the roles of running well bee-ing and Zer0 Gum, respectively.
Fearing a sibling rivalry would form between the two firms, Mrs. Aylor asked fellow VE teacher Mrs. Tricia Leslie, “Are you sure we want to do this?”
The natural competition between siblings has actually proven to be a good thing for the firms, pushing them to be the best they can be.
“It’s a very friendly competition,” Henry said, “but it’s also, like, I would like to outperform him and his company.”
Though competing against each other may not be a huge deal for the CEOs, it is a big deal for the program as a whole.
“Because of the nature of the competition of Virtual Enterprise, we only have two spots for the state of Tennessee to go to the next level of nationals,” Will said.
This means that despite being from the same school, well bee-ing and Zer0 Gum are competing against each other for spots at every competition.
“I wish I could watch the judges’ faces when the two firms are in front of them and [they’re] like, ‘didn’t I just see?’” Mrs. Leslie said, referring to the identical CEOs. “That’ll probably totally weird them out.”
Both firms have been set up for success in every way possible, and no one group is particularly stronger than the other.
Personnel were split evenly between the two firms based on personality tests, not level of experience, to ensure that they worked as the most well-oiled machines possible.
“Henry and I have very different leadership styles, and the chiefs of the companies have different personalities,” Will said. “So [everyone] just took tests to figure out which one they would fit best under.”
To learn more about the firms’ missions and keep up with their progress, follow @well.bee.ing.ve and @zer0gum.ve on Instagram.