Woodbury Junior Achievement City Opens For Business In University Place
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Woodbury Corporation PR Junior Achievement of Utah
Amanda Butterfield Whitney Foley
A_butterfield@woodburycorp.com whitney@ja-utah.org
801-440-9837 617-721-4709
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WOODBURY JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT CITY OPENS FOR BUSINESS IN UNIVERSITY PLACE
May 4, 2023 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – A newly constructed Woodbury Junior Achievement City is bustling with business-savvy fifth graders at University Place in Orem. Built to resemble a real city center with banks, a town hall, restaurants and other businesses that contribute to the local economy, Woodbury JA City is an experiential learning facility that serves Utah’s fifth graders and eighth graders for JA BizTown & JA Finance Park respectively. Through Junior Achievement’s hands-on learning simulations, students assume the responsibilities of adults as they learn how to work together to create a vibrant community.
Junior Achievement has almost reached their goal of $8 million, which includes funding from the state of Utah, public and private donations, and the gift-in-kind 10,500 square foot space in University Place donated by the Woodbury Corporation. An on-going campaign is underway to ensure Woodbury JA City will operate to full capacity in the coming school years, which will allow Junior Achievement to reach two-thirds of Utah’s fifth graders.
State and business leaders attended the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony. Speakers included Randy Woodbury (Vice Chairman, Woodbury Corporation), First Lady Abby Cox, Curtis Blair (President, Utah Valley Chamber), Brandon & Kristen Fugal (Chairman, Colliers), Steve Daly (CEO, Instructure & JA Board Chair), Vance Checketts (COO, Built for Teams), Orem City Mayor David Young, and Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert.
“We’ve dreamed of this exciting day for years,” said Christy Tribe, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of Utah. “We believe that children can’t be what they can’t see, and there’s no better place to explore careers and sample life as an adult than JA City. With a waiting list of over 100 schools at our Salt Lake City location, we knew we needed a second location. We’re grateful to the Woodbury Corporation and many others who made this possible. Very soon, we’ll be able to reach two-thirds of Utah’s fifth graders each school year.”
As an advocate for Junior Achievement, Randy Woodbury leads an advisory committee between the Utah Valley Chamber and Junior Achievement of Utah.
“Speaking for the entire Woodbury Corporation family, we welcome JA City to University Place!,” said Randy Woodbury, vice chairman of Woodbury Corporation. “We can’t wait to see thousands of young students experience this amazing facility where they can engage, experience and learn about how communities and the business world works, and hopefully be inspired with possibilities for their own future career paths.”
Between 130 and 150 students will occupy Woodbury Junior Achievement City five days a week throughout the school year. During the weeks leading up to their visit, students have explored the various careers available, interviewed for their top choices and attained a specific job in the city. Once there, they work in teams to successfully operate their businesses for the day. They experience life as a professional, and most students consider this to be one of their favorite days. In a recent Junior Achievement survey to alumni, 56% of them grew up to work in the same field as one of their JA volunteers.
#####
Junior Achievement of Utah:
Junior Achievement believes that every child has promise. We give kids from all walks of life an opportunity to expand their vision and realize their potential through practical skills in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness. On average, Junior Achievement of Utah serves over 104,000 students across the state through 8,700 volunteers.
University Place:
Opening in the early 1970’s in Orem, Utah, University Place (formerly University Mall) is a 120-acre development in the midst of a $500 million revitalization. In addition to first class retail offerings, University Place is now home to upscale residential, Class-A office and high-quality green space. University Place was first developed and is still owned and operated by Woodbury Corporation, a 100-year-old, 4th generation family-run business, and one of the oldest and most respected full-service real estate development and management companies in the Intermountain West. For more information about University Place and updates on the project, visit https://www.universityplaceorem.com/. For more information about Woodbury Corporation, visit https://live-woodburycorp3.pantheonsite.io/.