Tulsa teens compete nationally

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Junior Achievement of Oklahoma is sending a team of teen entrepreneurs to Washington, D.C., to compete for the title of 2011 North American JA Company of the Year. Team ABC – A Beautiful Creation from Union High School will challenge 14 other teen-run companies from the U.S. and Canada for top honors at the event, being held July 26-28 at The George Washington University. 

On-site, the teens will participate in a trade fair where they will promote and sell their products and pitch their companies to a panel of judges comprised of business leaders. The companies will be evaluated on their financial performance, their presentation to the judging panel and, in a new addition to this year’s event, on a commercial they will self-produce and post on Facebook. Junior Achievement students currently use JA Company Program Social—a Facebook application—to discuss and help run their student companies.

The event will culminate in meetings between the U.S. teen entrepreneurs and their Congressional Members and staff on Capitol Hill, and with an awards breakfast during which the winners will be announced.

The competition is Junior Achievement’s annual celebration of the accomplishments of JA Company Program® students ages 15-19. In JA Company Program, teens start and run a real enterprise under the guidance of a business leader from their community.  Eligibility for the 2011 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 2010-2011 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 how to network and compete in a business-oriented environment.”