HANNIBAL (WGEM) - A local business owner who was just a teenager when she got her start is now paving the way for other aspiring teenage entrepreneurs.

For the first time ever, Kendel Locke be running the Hannibal Area CEO program , which gives high school students a chance to be their own bosses.

Locke was barely out of high school when she opened Hula Bowls in Hannibal.

“[There were only] three items on the menu,” Locke said. “In a shed. And it just grew!”

The 22-year-old has now transformed the drive-thru shed into a full-fledged brick-and-mortar establishment with indoor seating.

In 2024, she opened her second location in Quincy.

On top of running the two stores, Locke is now leading the Hannibal CEO class for the 2025-26 school year.

As the program’s newest facilitator, Locke

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