"This place is largely successful because the people who work here are the people who built it." - Zak Horn, founder Metro Communications

From a teenager mowing lawns and spraying weeds around cell towers, to buying a fledgling cellular company in Missouri, then building a successful fiber communications company in Sullivan, Zak Horn has followed an interesting path.

Metro Communications, based in Sullivan, started building an optical network in 2010. "Really, in many ways, what created this business was the iPhone," Horn says.

Metro has grown organically, with 220 people, 125 who work in the field running cable, directionally boring, locating services, etc..

Horn believes in giving people latitude to do their jobs. "We have an aggressive culture," he says, "They are not micro-managed."

We spent this morning talking with Horn not just about the business, but also what he looks for in employees. High emotional intelligence is important, he says. While work from home may be popular, at Metro, "We get so much done just being in close proximity to each other."

Horn looks for motivated, positive employees who want to grown and learn. He has found that people with high emotional intelligence often succeed over those with technical skills.

Horn is also active in the Sullivan community, as a member of boards, restoring downtown buildings, and helping the local economy by investing in housing.

What advice does Horn have for our CEO entrepreneurs?

"Don't do something you're just not into. If you're not excited by it, find something new. It's not worth it to not be valued or challenged... If you're almost broke and you're happy doing what you're doing, you're in a good place."

Thank you, Zak Horn, for the tour and the conversation this morning. Area business leaders and investors like you are why the Illini Prairie CEO program exists.