Team of Junior Achievement Teen Entrepreneurs from North Central Ohio, Named "JA Company of the Year"

Colorado Springs, Colo.—On Thursday, June 24, the teen entrepreneurs of finlit, a JA Student Company from North Central Ohio, representing Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio, were selected from among 15 JA student companies as the JA Company of the Year while participating in Junior Achievement's (JA) 2021 National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS). The competition took place virtually.

Finlit's mission is to instill financial literacy in every child and empower them with the skills they need for a successful future. Finlit's product is "Budget or Bust," a fun interactive, and engaging board game designed to teach kids financial literacy.

In addition to winning the JA Company of the Year title, the teens representing the first-place student company were each awarded a $3,000 JA Company of the Year Scholarship. To the five students representing the second-place team, all were awarded $1,500 scholarships, and $1,000 scholarships were awarded to each of the five students representing the third-place team. All scholarships were awarded by the Achievement Foundation.

Junior Achievement's National Student Leadership Summit is a contest of business skills, ingenuity, and innovation that focuses on the accomplishments of the U.S. JA Company Program^® students, ages 15-19, during the 2020-2021 academic year. JA Company Program students start and run a real business enterprise under the guidance of a volunteer from the local business community. They devise and market a product or service that fills an unmet consumer need and recruit investors for their company.

The student companies competing at the NSLS were assessed on both their business performance as well as the personal and professional development of individual team members. Scored elements of the competition include a self-produced annual report and commercial, a live virtual presentation to a panel of business leaders, and interviews with judges.

"Junior Achievement is empowering these teen entrepreneurs to own their economic success through business proprietorship. It is an exciting opportunity for Junior Achievement students to demonstrate the teamwork, leadership, and innovative thinking that will help them drive success in the business world," said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement USA.

The following awards were presented during virtual ceremonies by Junior Achievement USA. The 2021 JA National Student Leadership Summit awards that were presented include:

JA Company of the Year: Awarded to the student businesses that most effectively demonstrated their companies' achievements, as well as the personal development of each team member.
- First Place – Finlit, representing JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH, Area)

- Second Place – Inventor's Adventure, representing JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, Area)

- Third Place – Dulicious Co., representing JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX, Area)

Delta Social Impact Award: Awarded to the student team that created a solution to address a local, national, or global social concern.

- Dulicious Co., representing JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX, Area)

EY Innovation Award: Presented to the student team that effectively demonstrated how its product, service, strategy, or process is an innovative solution to an existing problem.

- Finlit, representing JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH, Area)

FedEx Global Possibilities Award: Awarded to the student company that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity.
- Finlit, representing JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH, Area)

ICE NYSE Foundation Best Financial Performance Award: Awarded to the student team that demonstrated the best financial results, including profitability, investor expectations, employee earnings, product quality, leadership, and operational efficiency.
- 13 Visionaries, representing JA of Central Upstate New York (Rochester, NY, Area)

The 15 finalist teams that participated were:

13 Visionaries, representing JA of Central Upstate New York (Rochester, NY, Area)
Baba Blankets, representing JA of Greater Washington (Washington, DC, Area)
ClippedNotes, representing JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL, Area)
Complete Comfort, representing JA of Greater Washington (Washington, DC, Area)
Dulicious Co., representing JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX, Area)
Finlit, representing JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH, Area)
Fulfilled, representing JA of North Central Ohio (Canton, OH, Area)
Inventor's Adventure, representing JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, Area)
Know Me Know You, representing JA of Northern New England (Boston, MA, Area)
RainDrop, representing JA of Northern New England (Boston, MA, Area)
Reloved Apparel, representing JA of San Diego County (San Diego, CA, Area)
Sani-Kit, representing JA of Northern California (Bay Area)
Simply Co., representing JA of Southeast Texas (Houston, TX, Area)
Smile Senders, representing JA of South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL, Area)
TÜB, representing JA of Northern New England (Boston, MA, Area)

About Junior Achievement USA^® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 3 million students annually in 105 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

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