La Jolla Teen Entrepreneurs to Vie for Company of the Year Title

Two San Diego student companies from Westview High School and La Jolla Country Day were selected to compete at the Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., June 16-19, 2014. 

The students will spend three days, in the nation’s capital, networking and competing with more than 100 other students from across the United States. 

Part of the JA Company Program—Junior Achievement’s flagship program that lets students start and manage their own businesses—the young entrepreneurs excelled at Junior Achievement of San Diego’s local competition on May 3.

• Nalu from La Jolla Country Day showcased their colored and scented surf wax, which won the students the Marketing Award for the best commercial and Ingenuity Award for the most creative idea.
• Food Friendzy from Westview High School—a company that connects San Diego food trucks to local events—took home second place and the Finance Award as the most likely to be invested in.

In addition to vying for JA Company of the Year title at the national competition, the teams will also compete for these prestigious awards:

• FedEx Access Award
• NYSE Best Financial Performance Award
• Microsoft Social Innovation Award

Teen entrepreneurs will also produce a commercial about their company, will be interviewed by—and make a presentation to—a judging panel of business leaders and sell their product or service in a trade fair on Capitol Hill.

The JA Company of the Year, along with the winners of several other awards, will be named at a gala awards dinner on the evening of June 18.

The JA Company of the Year competition is co-sponsored by FedEx, NYSE Euronext Foundation and Microsoft.

—Junior Achievement of San Diego