Junior Achievement of Georgia to induct 2 business laureates Nov. 6

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Junior Achievement of Georgia will induct Lowell Kronowitz and Stratton Leopold into its Business Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Hyatt, said Craig Tootle, the organization’s director of development and volunteer partnerships.

The event is the organization’s 26th annual gala. Tootle said more than 400 people will attend.

Tickets are available here.

Gala details

A cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m. and includes dinner and awards. Dawn Baker will serve as emcee.

Tootle said two students from the organization’s 19 under 19 program will introduce Kronowitz and Leopold on stage. He said the students demonstrate business and leadership skills, and some of them own businesses.

Tootle called the inductees “pretty much household names in Savannah.” He said videos about the laureates, produced by WTOC, show why they are selected.

Memorial Health is the Diamond presenting sponsor. Leopold’s Ice Cream will be served at the event.

Programs at the Discovery Center

Tootle said nearly 12,000 students visit the Discovery Center in the Savannah area. The center has two programs, JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.

In JA BizTown, students run businesses, take out a business loan, pay back startup costs, sell a product, pay taxes and vote, Tootle said. Students return in seventh grade for JA Finance Park, where they receive a random life scenario that includes a salary. Tootle said some students may have debt or a family, depending on the scenario, and they balance wants and needs.

Tootle said entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness are the program’s three pillars.

The program starts in the classroom with 20 hours of teacher-led instruction, Tootle said. The Discovery Center visit is the capstone. Students arrive knowing which businesses they will work in, and they have applied for their jobs.

In Georgia, the program starts in sixth grade, Tootle said.

Volunteers and staff

Tootle said volunteers help run the program. The Delaney Waters Leadership Scholar Program hires Georgia Southern students as interns to help facilitate the simulation in the park, he said. Part-time staff also support the program.

Statewide impact

Tootle said the organization serves eight counties and nearly 48 schools in the coastal Georgia region. Junior Achievement of Georgia operates seven centers in the state, he said.

According to the organization’s impact report, nearly 123,000 Georgia students used Junior Achievement curriculum last year, Tootle said. He said over half of Georgia’s middle schoolers are reached by the programs through its facilities.

Tootle said Junior Achievement worldwide has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the fifth year in a row.