Nordson Partners with Junior Achievement of Georgia

Nordson Corporation has partnered with Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia to enhance Gwinnett County students’ financial literacy and professional skills. Specifically, Nordson is providing a grant of $170,000 to support the development and implementation of JA BizTown®, one of two interactive venues within the Junior Achievement (JA) Discovery Center at Gwinnett. The center opened in August 2015 in time for the 2015-2016 school year and serves more than 25,000 sixth and eighth grade students.

“Nordson has had a significant presence in the state of Georgia for decades. The Nordson Corporation Foundation, Nordson Corporation’s giving arm, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the regions where we operate by improving educational outcomes that enable individuals to become self-sufficient, active participants in the community,” explains Nordson Corporation Foundation Executive Director Cecilia Render. “The JA BizTown curriculum fits well into that mission, so when the opportunity to be among the sponsors of this project was presented, we knew we wanted to participate.”

“JA’s Discovery Center is realitybased, experiential learning at its best,” explains Nordson Corporation Foundation Program Officer Cindy Baumgardner, who represented Nordson locally throughout the project. “When I heard about this comprehensive center coming to Gwinnett, I immediately knew Nordson had to be involved. Strategic investments in the futures of young scholars is what we are about. Our presence and participation in JA BizTown will open up a world of career possibilities and provide each student with skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.”

Jack Harris, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Georgia, says, “Thanks to partnerships with the corporate community and local school system, JA is primed to provide the curriculum, tools and experiential facility to prepare more students to excel at the business of life.”

Georgia’s first JA BizTown opened in August 2013 at Junior Achievement’s Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center. Since then thousands have benefited from the program. JA and its partners are proud to bring this program to the students of Gwinnett County.

In addition to Nordson’s threeyear sponsorship and donation for the storefront build, Nordson is thankful to some longstanding partners who helped in the production and building of Nordson’s storefront at JA BizTown, including:

• Expotechnik USA—Graphics/ design for the store
• iGad Productions—Monitors inside storefront
• Booker Promotions—BizTown Premium
• Scott Walker Photography—Photography
• Henkel Corporation—In kind donation and end products
• Suddath Relocation of Atlanta—Transportation