Our work at Junior Achievement is centered on three essential pillars: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. We offer a bridge between classrooms and the real world, preparing students for success in an evolving career landscape. Through programs catering to K-12 students, our adaptable curriculum provides valuable resources and lessons  that aren’t part of most schools’ required curriculum. 

Technology plays a huge role in our organization’s success. The decision to switch to Google Fiber‘s 2-Gig internet two years ago was partially driven by our desire to upgrade our internet, but more importantly, we wanted to elevate the experience of our students at the Youth Learning Lab, presented by the Mallouk Family Foundation.

One of the ways we’re elevating the experience is through our signature program: JA BizTown, presented by Community America Credit Union. This is an immersive experience where students step into the shoes of professionals. In the simulation, they learn how to run their own businesses, manage finances, and hone their ability to make decisions. JA BizTown challenges the next generation of employees to solve the nuanced, real-world issues that businesses face every day in a way that they connect with at their grade level. 

Our simulation relies on a cloud-based platform, and our GFiber’s 2-Gig service allows us to ensure the technology enabling JA BizTown runs smoothly, offering a disruption-free environment for our students. With up to 100 devices running simultaneously, reliability is key to the program’s success. 

Each year, Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City serves 20,000 students across the KC metro, nearly half of which experience capstone experiences onsite at the JA Youth Learning Lab. In addition, Junior Achievement welcomes 5,000 adult volunteers and community members onsite. We partner with more than 18 community organizations to execute our programs. In order to fulfill our mission and expand our impact, we need consistent, reliable connectivity so our programming and simulations don’t miss a beat. On a given day, we know that a dozen things could surprise us, but we have been able to count on the reliability of GFiber’s internet access.

Today, there’s so much pressure on young people to choose their career—and the options only continue to grow. Our programming, like JA BizTown or the 3DE model of education implemented at the high school level, opens their eyes to new opportunities they may not have previously considered. Our partnerships with Kansas City businesses inspire students by offering opportunities that align with their passions in unexpected ways. For instance, participants learn that they don’t have to be a center fielder to work for the Kansas City Royals. They can work in marketing, ticket sales, community outreach—the list goes on. Exposure to business mentors from the Kansas City business landscape further widens students’ perspectives, opening a world of possibilities for their choice-filled futures.

As we navigate the future of education, especially considering the challenges posed by the pandemic, community support is essential. Working with GFiber as a small business exemplifies the exact kind of collaboration needed to uplift our youth during a pivotal time in their lives. It takes all of us to collectively empower our future leaders and prepare them for success, and we’re so grateful for our supportive community.

If you’re interested in getting involved with Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City, there are many ways to support. Volunteer your time, share your expertise, and become a mentor to a future leader. Our range of volunteer opportunities give everyone a chance to impact the lives of these students. Together, we are shaping futures, one student at a time.

This post was originally written for and posted to GFiber’s blog “Connect.”

Chris and Angie Long, Palmer Square Capital Management and Kansas City Current 

Chase McAnulty, Charlie Hustle 

Oscar Monterroso and CiCi Rojas, Tico Productions and Tico Sports, LLC

The laureates will be recognized at the annual Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame event on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, at the JA Youth Learning Lab, presented by the Mallouk Family Foundation (2842 W 47^th Ave; Kansas City, KS 66103).  

Kansas City has been recognized by the nation and the world as a place synonymous with sports and athletic greatness, with events like the 2023 NFL Draft and the 2026 World Cup selecting Kansas City as host cities as well as two Super Bowl wins in three years. These laureates represent how a passion for sports and our hometown can translate into business and entrepreneurial success. 

“Youth served by Junior Achievement often have aspirations of playing professional sports, but we know the percentage who turn that dream into reality, on the field, is limited,” states Megan Sturges Stanfield, President and CEO of JA of Greater Kansas City. “These laureates illustrate how many opportunities exist for youth to achieve beyond the field while fulfilling their passion, and how key leadership skills like perseverance, dedication and innovation are vital for career and entrepreneurial success.” 

2023 marks the 23^rd year of the JA Business Hall of Fame, a signature event in recognizing the efforts and accomplishments of those leaders and changemakers that are vital in building the past, present and future of the Kansas City economic and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The 2023 inductees join familiar names of the Kansas City business landscape, including Peter Mallouk, Fred Pryor, Jeanette Prenger, Joyce Hall, and more.  

“When youth see the additions of Chris, Angie, Chase, CiCi and Oscar on the Hall of Fame wall in the JA Youth Learning Lab, they realize that they, too, possess the capability to harness their entrepreneurial spirit and turn their dreams into reality,” notes Sturges Stanfield.  

To celebrate these storied careers at the Hall of Fame event, you can contact Allison Chael (achael@jagkc.org) to sponsor or purchase tickets.  

About the 2023 Laureates  

(For full laureates bios and headshots, contact JA of Greater Kansas City) 

Chris and Angie Long 

Chris Long founded Palmer Square Capital Management, an approximately $26 billion AUM asset manager focused on corporate and structured credit with offices in Kansas City and London, England, in June 2009. Currently, he serves as Chairman, CEO and Portfolio Manager, and been successful in building one of the premier credit investment firms in the world.  

Angie Long serves as the Chief Investment Officer and one of two Principal Owners at Palmer Square Capital Management, where she has key responsibilities for all investment-related activities. She is widely regarded as a pioneer in credit and fixed income, with a history of innovation including pioneering aspects of the credit derivatives industry and creating the HYDI, the first liquid trading index and predecessor to all of today’s indices. 

The Longs are also Co-Owners of the Kansas City Current, the city’s National Women’s Soccer league franchise. With co-owners Brittany Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes, they have had a clear vision of establishing the best women’s soccer club in the world, but also having the Kansas City Current serve as a model for all of women’s sports. The team will soon complete a $120mm privately-financed stadium on the Riverfront, the first in the world to be built for a women’s professional sports team.  

Chase McAnulty 

Chase McAnulty believes that every shirt has a story; this belief was the driving motivator in creating Charlie Hustle Clothing Company. While at the Kansas City Art Institute, studying graphic design, Chase became enamored with the underground culture of those who value vintage t-shirts. These two passions soon joined to create Charlie Hustle.  

Starting with only 16 shirt designs in 2012, McAnulty has led the company to have more than 200 licenses, over 1,000 SKUs in inventory. The iconic ‘KC Heart’ design has become a beloved icon portraying Kansas City pride.  

McAnulty also created the Heart of KC Foundation, Charlie Hustle’s 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, of which has spearheaded the Parade of Hearts project in Kansas City.  

Oscar Monterroso and CiCi Rojas, Tico Productions and Tico Sports  

Oscar “El Tico” Monterroso is the Co-Owner and Founder of Tico Productions, LLC, a full-service, multi-cultural, multi-media production company located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Tico Productions, LLC, has produced a wide array of external messaging marketing videos, radio broadcasts, short films, graphic design, logo animation and photography for a diversity of clients locally, nationally and internationally.

CiCi Rojas is an accomplished C-suite executive turned entrepreneur, having built enterprises both in for-profit environments, and for economic, political and social change. She joined Tico Productions and Tico Sports, LLC, to co-lead the company that she co-founded with her husband three years prior.

Under Monterroso and Rojas’ leadership, Tico Sports developed a Spanish-language broadcast and community engagement platform for sports teams, establishing a third-party solution for sports teams seeking to build their Latino audiences. Tico has served as the official Spanish broadcaster for professional teams Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Jose Sharks, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and at the collegiate level, for the University of Kansas basketball and football, the University of Nebraska, and Kansas State University.

Our onsite options, like JA BizTown®, presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union, are an example of expanding education, but they’re not the only innovative way that JA is bridging education and real world for students outside the classroom. Enter JA Connect 

JA Connect is Junior Achievement’s first self-guided student experience, featuring a flexible, modular repository of activities related to work and career readiness. The online activities give students an opportunity to acquire knowledge and to apply and practice new skills and behaviors inside or outside the classroom.¹ 

JA Connect was developed in conjunction with Accenture, a leading global company dedicated to delivering on the promise of technology and human ingenuity.² After seeing the success of JA Connect and the natural partnership between Accenture and JA, we knew they were the right partner  to curate a new, inviting and interactive website – the “digital front door” to JA of Greater Kansas City. 

“Accenture understands innovation and forging a path, and that’s what we’re doing at JA of Greater Kansas City,” notes Megan Sturges Stanfield, President and CEO. “With our new facility and learning experiences paving a new way for education in KC, it was an easy decision to work with Accenture to develop the new website.” 

Accenture’s generous in-kind support for the setup and backend development of the new and improved jagkc.org, is allowing Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City to expand our reach beyond the four walls of our building in addition to the four walls of the schools we partner with.  

The need for a localized, customized, and engaging website was at the top of JA’s wish list. The team at Accenture provided best practices, backend and technical setup and assisted with the launch process. Check-ins and guidance were provided along the way to the in-house Junior Achievement staff that built and designed the content of the site. 

“Being able to have a sounding board when we hit a snag was vital to our success,” notes JA Director of Marketing and Communications, Torey Berndt. ”Knowing Accenture was just an email away really helped us to dream big and make our website shine the way we wanted it to.” 

Accenture committed a variety of resources and personnel to the project, expanding past traditional roles to develop the next generation of talent. On top of consulting resources and guidance, Accenture also utilized apprentices and interns, allowing them to gain experience and take ownership of the project. 

Team members who worked on the site included Tina Kucherovsky, John Qosimi, JR Cadwallader, Joe Muelleman, Howard Tempero, Tiauna Fanning and apprentice Andrew Dowd.

The results were exactly what Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City was hoping for. A fun and inviting website that’s easy to navigate with an updated look is now the entry point for educators, volunteers, supporters and more to participate in all that Junior Achievement has to offer. 

The website provides resources that invite visitors to learn about Junior Achievement’s mission and the various opportunities for educators, across the K-12 continuum, to engage JA in their lessons to, highlighting our community partners, those at-home tools (like JA Connect) and much more. To volunteer with Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City, visit our volunteer page. If you would like to contribute financial or in-kind support, learn about our investment opportunities. 

1 – From JA Connect program brief, 2020 

2 – Accenture, LLP, “About” webpage 

Daniel’s desire to get involved with JA led him to volunteer in a deeply personal and impactful way – serving as a Career Speaker at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). Daniel shared his personal experience of being at JDC when he was younger, and how for nearly a decade, he’s been looking for a way to go back to share lessons learned and “pay it forward.” JA created an opportunity for Daniel to serve as a mentor sharing a connection with the youth through a lived experience.  As a teenager, Daniel was seeking guidance to find a path forward, but the system didn’t offer that as part of the rehabilitation process. “When I was there, there wasn’t a sense of redemption. There wasn’t a sense of bettering yourself. But for these kids, it’s different. JA’s giving them an opportunity.”  

Regardless of their differences, Daniel knows that a sense of belonging is what young people are seeking. By sharing his personal story, he saw that sense of belonging click, that maybe there was a future for these young people they didn’t see before. “When youth get a chance to realize there’s something different to do, and someone different you can be, regardless of decisions you’ve made in the past, we’ll have a better society as a whole.”  

Daniel reflects on his gratitude for the impacts Junior Achievement has on young people, sharing that he feels that Junior Achievement provides a head start for them. “Within a couple of years, students who participate in Junior Achievement will be on a completely different playing field than their peers.” He continues, reflecting on how middle school Daniel would have been had he had JA: “Had JA been a thing when I was young, I would have known that what I’m interested in could be a career path, and been confident in making that happen sooner.”  

While we always appreciate donations of funds (click HERE to donate), there are multiple ways to give back to JA – not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. Check out the options below.

1. Charlie Hustle Communi-TEE: Need a perfect gift for the KC fan in your life? You can never have too many KC heart tees and we partnered with Charlie Hustle earlier this year to design an exclusive communi-TEE featuring elements of JA BizTown, presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union! Through the end of 2022, JA will receive 10% of all shirts purchased. Click HERE to get your communi-TEE!
2. Amazon Wishlist: Speaking of JA BizTown, we use many items every day in this simulated KC economy. We created an Amazon Wishlist to allow our supporters the opportunity to purchase an item that will help us in JA BizTown! Every item donated and not purchased with JA funds allows us to reach more students in this fun and immersive field trip experience. View the list HERE.
3. Play4JA: Does your company look for creative team-building experiences that give back? Consider hosting a Play4JA event! We’re now accepting hosts for 2023 Play4JA events. Engage your coworkers, clients and friends by coordinating an event benefitting Junior Achievement. Possibilities are endless, with previous Play4JA events including bowling, kickball, trivia, bingo and more! Email Kelsie Fell, Director of Development, at kfell@jagkc.org, to set up your Play4JA event today.
4. Donation Drives: We know this time of year, companies are looking for fun alternatives to gift exchanges that will give back to the community! Host a donation drive for JA and collect items from our wishlist. Hold onto your items and contact JA to present your items on a day in JA BizTown – PLUS, your employees can volunteer the same day in the space to bring the giving full circle. Check out our wishlist HERE and sign up for your JA BizTown volunteer day HERE.

This holiday season, we know you have many places to give back and JA of Greater Kansas City is honored by those that choose to give back to our students in some way. Together, we make a difference!

Carlos Antequera, Darcy Howe and Fred Pryor, represent the 22^nd class of entrepreneurs inducted into the KC Business Hall of Fame, joining fellow Kansas City leaders such as Barnett and Shirley Helzberg, Gary Fish, Jeanette Prenger, Ewing Kauffman, and many more. Chris Goode, Founder of Ruby Jean’s Juicery, was awarded the 2022 Innovator of the Year award. 

Rae Daniel, Morning Anchor and Reporter, KSHB 41, returned as emcee for the evening. Students from Olathe East High School and Northeast High School officially welcomed the laureates into the Business Hall of Fame. Guests experienced networking, cocktails and refreshments with a happy hour held in advance of the program.  

Carlos Antequera, Founder of Novel Capital, thanked his partners and collaborators and shared his experiences of entrepreneurship having deep roots when assisting his grandmother in her convenience store in Bolivia. Fred Pryor, Founder of Pryor Learning Services, challenged attendees to “look in plain sight,” for their next big opportunity and shared how his many accomplishments were often something he was looking at all along. Darcy Howe, Founder of KCRise Rund, spoke directly to Junior Achievement students, providing advice for success including finding a support system and to keep working through challenges. Chris Goode noted that his innovative spirit was a direct inspiration from his grandmother and his mother, both innovators in their own right.  

The event is the largest fundraiser for Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City each year. Funds raised are used in the metro area to inspire and prepare young people to succeed through real-world learning opportunities provided across the K-12 educational continuum.  

Images of the event can be downloaded from this link with photos credited to Chancellor’s Promise.