Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: Milwaukee-area students become CEOs for a day

MILWAUKEE-AREA STUDENTS BECOME CEOS FOR A DAY

During Junior Achievement’s 26th Annual JA Business Challenge

Milwaukee – Nearly 100 area students put their business skills to the test during Junior Achievement’s (JA) annual JA Business Challenge presented by Kohl’s Cares® and hosted at Briggs & Stratton Corporation on Thursday, February 12, 2015.

The winning student teams from Greenfield High School earned scholarships and prizes and will advance to compete in the Wisconsin JA Business Challenge on Thursday, April 23, 2015 in Sheboygan.

(Left to Right) 1st place winners from Greenfield High School and mentors: VP Call Center Operations at Kohl’s Jim Nagle, Matt Braatz, Hannan Mirza, Collin Kufahl, and Clarence Hayes, a JA volunteer mentor from Kohl’s Department Stores.

“The Junior Achievement Business Challenge provides a great opportunity for high school students to work as a team with their classmates, along with a local business professional volunteer, to gain the business acumen and leadership skills they will need to successfully participate in the global economy,” said Tim Greinert, president of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin.

A total of 28 teams from 14 area high schools tested their knowledge Thursday by making a fictional product and running a virtual business through JA Titan, a computer simulated business strategy program. Each team made their own business decisions regarding price, production, marketing, capital investment and research and development. The success or failure of the company depended on how well the students managed these key decisions.

In addition to gaining hands-on business experience through this competitive simulation, guest speakers taught students how business decisions are made, the importance of education and work experience, and the skills needed to succeed. Speakers included guests from Kohl’s Department Stores, Briggs & Stratton President

(Left to Right) 2nd place winners from Greenfield High School and mentors: Nick Kleszczynski, Mehmed Brdarevic, Sirajaldeen Shakir, Justin Krause, a JA volunteer mentor from Connected Technology Solutions and VP Call Center Operations at Kohl’s Jim Nagle.
and CEO Todd Teske, and Matt Cordio, co-founder of The Commons, Inc., Startup Milwaukee and Skills Pipeline.

The winners were as follows:

JA Business Challenge Team Champion and $750 Scholarship Winner:

Greenfield High School – Matt Braatz, Hannan Mirza and Collin Kufahl

2nd and 3rd place grand prize winners:

2nd – Greenfield High School – Nick Kleszczynski, Mehmed Brdarevic and Sirajaldeen Shakir

3rd – South Milwaukee High School

Honorable Mentions:

Catholic Memorial High School

Messmer High School

Franklin High School

Menomonee Falls High School

For high resolution images contact Jessica Levine. For more information about the Wisconsin JA Business Challenge on April 23 contact Laura Gainor.

About Junior Achievement of Wisconsin:

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. is dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The organization prepares young people for the real world, showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, create jobs which make their communities more robust, and apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Over 168,000 students in the state of Wisconsin put these lessons into action every year and learn the value of contributing to their communities. For more information about JA, visit http://Wisconsin.ja.org

About Kohl’s Department Stores:

Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading specialty department store with 1,163 stores in 49 states. With a commitment to inspiring and empowering families to lead fulfilled lives, the company offers amazing national and exclusive brands, incredible savings and inspiring shopping experiences in-store, online at Kohls.com and via mobile devices. Committed to its communities, Kohl’s has raised more than $257 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl’s Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. For additional information about Kohl’s philanthropic and environmental initiatives, visit www.Kohls.com/Cares. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com.