High school students come to campus for JA Titan Business Challenge

The Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University and Junior Achievement of the Mahoning Valley host the eighth annual JA Titan Business Challenge 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 9, in Williamson Hall at YSU.

Ninety high school students from Mahoning and Trumbull counties will participate to increase their understanding of running a business in a competitive, high-tech marketplace.

Thirty teams of students will use an interactive online business simulation called JA Titan that offers a way for local high school junior and senior students to learn what it takes to run a successful business. Each team acts as the senior management of their company and is responsible for developing business strategies and making decisions quarter by quarter.

Teams are paired with local business mentors for the first two rounds of the competition. They will compete for prizes — $500 for each student on the first place team, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.

Participating high schools include Austintown Fitch, Bloomfield, Cardinal Mooney, Champion, Chaney STEM, Columbiana Career and Technical Center, Howland, Pymatuning Valley, Southern Local, Valley Christian Schools and Victory Christian Schools.

Event sponsors include the Williamson College of Business Administration, William M. Neckerman Jr. Foundation, Denise and John York and the DeBartolo Corp., Home Savings Charitable Foundation, Factset Revere and the Cafaro Foundation.

Team sponsors include Associated School Employees Credit Union; Hill, Barth & King; Youngstown Lions Club; Cortland Bank; Hopestar LLC; Seven Seventeen Credit Union; Phantom Fireworks; Armstrong Cable; and Yurchyk & Davis.

For more information, call Christine Shelton, WCBA coordinator of external relations, at 330-941-3068.