It has been about a six-year dream in the making, but on Thursday the dream became a reality as the ribbon was cut to open the Woodbury Junior Achievement City at University Place in Orem.
The newly constructed Woodbury Junior Achievement City will be bustling with business-savvy students. 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 and eighth graders for JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, respectively, said Whitney Foley, with Junior Achievement of Utah.
“Seeing this come to fruition makes it easier for rural children to come,” Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox said Thursday.
Cox noted she has been a teacher for many years and the Woodbury JA City gives teachers an opportunities they wouldn’t have had, and lifts a little weight off teachers’ shoulders.
Gov. Spencer Cox and his wife have been longtime supporters of the Junior Achievement program, as is former Gov. Gary Herbert.
As part of the pre-ribbon cutting entertainment, the crowd sang happy birthday to Herbert, who turns 76 this weekend. He was handed the baton and directed the Lakeridge Junior High jazz band in a song or two.
“This is a game changer,” said Orem City Council member Jeff Lambson. “I’m excited to learn about it. It is a blessing to our community and students. I want to give thanks to our partners the Wooburys.”
Randy Woodbury, vice chairman of the Woodbury Corp., said he was thrilled to welcome JA City to University Place.
Woodbury saw what was happening at the JA City at the Gateway in Salt Lake City. He said he was intimidated being interviewed by a 10-year-old, but that lead to conversations about University Place. Contracts were signed but then the pandemic hit. A capital campaign was later started and that’s when things fell into place.
“We had the right thing happening, with the right place at the right time,” Woodbury said.
“This is the art of possibility,” added Curtis Blair, president and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.
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, Foley noted.
“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 Corp.,” Foley said.
An ongoing campaign is underway to ensure the 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. In addition to Woodbury, Abby Cox, Blair and Herbert, other speakers included Brandon Fugal (chairman of Colliers) and his wife, Kristen; Steve Daly (CEO of Instructure and JA board chair); Vance Checketts (chief operating officer at Built for Teams); and Orem Mayor David Young.
“We’ve dreamed of this exciting day for years,” said Christy Tribe, president and 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 Corp. 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, Woodbury leads an advisory committee between the Utah Valley Chamber and Junior Achievement of Utah.
“Speaking for the entire Woodbury Corp. family, we welcome JA City to University Place,” he said. “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 JA City five days a week throughout the school year. During the weeks leading up to their visit, students will explore the various careers available, interview for their top choices and attain a specific job in the city.
Once there, they work in teams to operate their businesses for the day, experiencing life as a professional. In a recent Junior Achievement survey of alumni, 56% of them grew up to work in the same field as one of their JA volunteers.
The Orem facility includes eating establishments like Chick-fil-A, the Kirton McConkie law firm, KSL-TV, two banks where actual deposits can be made plus several other sponsoring businesses and a board room.