Local business leaders talk to students at Southeast - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

From our recent presidential election to concerns about the fiscal cliff, small businesses and their owners are in the Washington spotlight right now.

And that's not a bad thing according to the two business owners who shared their knowledge with students Thursday at Southeast Missouri State.

Southeast graduate Dan Mohorc and Cape Girardeau business owner Derek Cornelius talked about how they got their companies started, as part of Southeast's Global Entrepreneurship Week.

"The more focus you put on the small business owner, they are the ones who are going to be creating th jobs, and really have a lot of the passion," said Cornelius. "They are going to be local, instead of being part of a large international corporation. I think that's a benefit."

"I think the best thing I can do is, keep the politics out of our company," said Mohorc. "I try to encourage our employees to not talk politics out in the office. Let's do what we need to do. That's taking care of our customers and our client base."

Both men shared the importance of faith and family, along with the ability to share their philosophy with employees to keep their companies strong.

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