MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday
at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta
ahead of the PGA TOUR's TOUR Championship, which will crown the
2017 FedExCup Champion, teen entrepreneurs Lo-K8 from
southwest New England won the inaugural FedEx Junior Business
Challenge for their original business concept – receiving a
$75,000 donation from FedEx to
further support youth entrepreneurship.
Through its PGA TOUR sponsorship, FedEx teed off the FedEx
Junior Business Challenge earlier this year in conjunction with
JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide to help empower the next
generation of entrepreneurs. More than 15 JA student companies from
five PGA TOUR tournament cities – Houston, Jacksonville, Hartford, Akron and Atlanta – pitched original businesses at
qualifying events throughout the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season. Judging
panels comprised of business leaders and PGA TOUR players selected
one JA student company from each qualifying event to compete in the
FedEx Junior Business Challenge finals at East Lake Golf
Club in Atlanta for chance to
generate a $75,000 donation from
FedEx to their local JA chapter.
The judging panel for the FedEx Junior Business Challenge
finals included PGA TOUR player Patrick Reed,
two-time Super Bowl champion and Georgia resident Hines Ward, Director
of Citizenship and Reputation Management for FedEx Jenny Robertson, owner of Dream Beard and
FedEx Small Business Grant Recipient Ryan Lane, and Vice President of
Connections, Investments and Assets for The Coca-Cola Company
Peggy Loos. Each of the five
JA student companies pitched their business to the judging panel
and were evaluated on their presentation, content, visual aids and
connectivity to either innovation, sustainability, job creation or
trade.
Lo-K8 impressed the judges with their Bluetooth-enabled
device that helps track small, commonly lost items such as keys,
sunglasses and more.
"Small businesses and entrepreneurship are paramount to FedEx,
and the FedEx Junior Business Challenge has served as an incredible
platform to showcase some of the brilliant minds that will make up
the next generation of business leaders," said Jenny Robertson. "We're proud of our continued
collaboration with JA Worldwide through the FedEx Cares global
giving initiative to inspire an optimistic future for small
business and entrepreneurship. The JA students that participated in
the FedEx Junior Business Challenge reinforce we're heading in the
right direction."
Since 1996, FedEx has donated more than $13 million to JA Worldwide in support of small
business and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. The FedEx Junior
Business Challenge is part of the FedEx Cares global giving
initiative, in which FedEx is investing $200
million in over 200 global communities by 2020 to create
opportunities and deliver solutions for people around the
world.
"The FedEx Junior Business Challenge has provided JA students
with another opportunity to develop a product or service, create a
business plan, and produce and market their innovation, while also
continuing to develop their presentation skills," said Asheesh Advani, CEO, JA
Worldwide. "We're extremely proud of all of the student
teams that participated throughout the course of the year, and
congratulate Lo-K8 and JA of Southwest New England on winning the
FedEx Junior Business Challenge finals at the TOUR
Championship."
With more than 100 member countries, the JA Worldwide network of
over 470,000 volunteers serve more than 10 million young people
around the world every year.
FedEx has been an official sponsor of the PGA TOUR since 2002.
In 2007 the FedExCup – a season-long competitive and promotional
platform – was introduced, transforming the competitive landscape
of the PGA TOUR. The performance-based point structure culminates
with the FedExCup Playoffs, a four-tournament playoff at the end of
the season to determine the FedExCup Champion.
To learn more about the FedExCup, visit
PGATOUR.com/FedExCup or follow FedEx on
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter via @FedEx and Instagram via
@FedEx.
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 $60 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
400,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on
safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the
needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about
how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world,
please visit about.fedex.com.
About JA Worldwide
As one of the world's largest
youth-serving NGOs, JA Worldwide activates youth for the future of
jobs. Through the delivery of hands-on, blended learning in
financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, we
empower young people to grow their entrepreneurial ideas, hone
their work skills, manage their earnings, and secure better lives
for themselves, their families, and their communities. With more
than 100 member countries, the JA Worldwide network is powered by
over 470,000 volunteers and mentors, who serve more than 10 million
young people around the world each year. For additional
information, visit jaworldwide.org.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the leading global
platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of
excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR's mission is
to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its
partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate
significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in
which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR
players. The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the
PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica,
Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China. Its members
represent the world's best players, hailing from 24 countries (86
members are from outside the United
States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to
more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories
in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as
non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In
2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than
$166 million for local and national
charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to
$2.46 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf,
and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
CONTACT
Jonathan
Lyons, FedEx 901.434.4019
jonathanlyons@fedex.com
Ben Paradossi, Weber
Shandwick
314.552.6713
bparadossi@webershandwick.com
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SOURCE FedEx Corp.