Simsbury-Led Team Wins Junior Achievement Business Challenge

CROMWELL, CT — Four teams from Junior Achievement of Southwest New England competed in the FedEx Junior Business Challenge Tuesday at the Travelers Championship, and a team led by a pair of students from Simsbury High School took top honors from the panel of distinguished judges.

Junior Achievement provides high school students the opportunity to launch, develop and run an actual business with real money. They sell stock, report to and make presentations to a Board of Directors, are responsible for the day to day operations, and eventually liquidate the company, giving the stockholders their return on investment.

Simsbury students Jesse Harrington and Zach Calnan, CEO and Chief of Staff, respectively, of Team Simplex, purchased and sold a charging lanyard product. The team showed a simple way to hold keys, identification and cards around one's neck, as well as a portable device to charge a phone, all in one convenient place.

Simplex was able to donate $220 to Junior Achievement, provided bonuses to its top company performers and gave its investors a 260 percent return on their investment.

The teams faced a panel of four judges: three-time PGA TOUR winner Paul Casey, Stanley Cup champion Nick Bonino, entrepreneur and FedEx Small Business Grant winner David Zamarin, and Travelers Business Insurance field VP Sean Ramalho.

Team Simplex will join Team Our Story and one other (to be determined July 2 at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn.) at the PGA TOUR Championship for the FedEx Junior Business Challenge final on Aug. 21 in Atlanta, Ga. Teams will compete for $75,000 for their Junior Achievement location.