Local Finalists Make National Competition

Junior Achievement of Oklahoma is proud to announce that a local team of young entrepreneurs has qualified for the finals of the 2010 North American JA Company of the Year Competition. Team F.A.B.  (Future Associates of Business) from Union High School will challenge the success, innovation and expertise of 23 other finalist companies vying for top honors at the highly anticipated event being held July 18-20 in Minneapolis. The event is co-presented by FedEx Corp. and Best Buy, with additional sponsorships from HP and Sam’s Club.

The competition is Junior Achievement’s annual celebration of the accomplishments of JA Company Program® students (ages 15-19) in the United States and Canada. The finalists showcase their entrepreneurial acumen before a panel of independent judges who evaluate company performance in light of competition criteria as compared with other JA student companies. The goal is to balance the business achievements of each team as a whole with members’ individual personal development and knowledge.

Eligibility for the 2010 North American JA Student Company of the Year Competition was limited to qualifying student teams that completed or are currently completing JA Company Program during the 2009-2010 academic year. Qualified teams had to advance through preliminary selection in their home markets to earn eligibility to compete in the finals.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our community’s JA student entrepreneurs, who demonstrate impressive business skills and innovative thinking,” said Shannan Beeler, president of Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. “They get to share ideas with other JA students, while learning the value of responsibility and the pursuit of excellence as they build business—and personal—success.”

“Through the North American JA Student Company of the Year Competition, Junior Achievement is working with its valued partners to empower young people to own their future economic success —and share these skills with the world,” Beeler added.

About Junior Achievement of Oklahoma
Junior Achievement serves Oklahoma students K-12 by introducing the business world into the classroom and empowering the students through exciting hands on learning experiences.  Established locally in 1966, JAOK serves 37 counties in Oklahoma, reaching more than 47,000 students in 76 school districts and 270 schools.  JA utilizes over 2,200 members of the community to implement their programs. Globally JA Worldwide is the leader in economic education programs serving over 9.7 million students. To learn more about the organization, go to http://oklahoma.ja.org or to make a donation, please call our office at 918-663-2150.

About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 126 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 5.7 million students served by operations in 122 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $33 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 280,000 employees and contractors to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.van.fedex.com.

About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Mexico and Turkey, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $49 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Best Buy Mobile; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2010, we donated a combined $25.2 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com