Canadians really clean-up at North American Youth Business Competition

- 50x ROI to Shareholders and Revenues of over $22,000 Earns First and Second Place Honours -

JA Company Program Profits Donated to Local and International Charities

TORONTO, July 27 /CNW/ - Junior Achievement of Canada (JA Canada(TM)) is pleased to announce that 16 teen entrepreneurs from Southern Alberta were crowned the winners of the 2010 North American JA Company of the Year Competition this month in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company "Healthy Hands" was comprised of high school students from Calgary. These students demonstrated superior performance and innovation above 24 other companies. A close second place was Pure Vita, a team of 17 high school students from Edmonton, Alberta and Canadian Company of the Year winners. Both teams innovated in the areas manufacturing, packaging and use of hand sanitizing products.

Healthy Hands was inspired by the flu pandemic in the fall of 2009. Knowing that poor hand washing was a major contributor to the spread of flu germs, they set out to create a product that would ensure adequate hand washing and sanitization. The kit that they sold included glo-germ gel that revealed bacteria on your hands when seen under the included UV light keychain. The kit also included a bar of soap, multi-purpose lotion to keep hands moist and clean, a pack of Kleenex, and hand sanitizer. They saw a 7x return on investment and revenue over $6000. Healthy Hands donated half of their profits to charity.

Pure Vita excelled in every aspect of the company from having 100% attendance and retention to selling over 6,000 units for a total revenue of more than $16,000. They produced and sold moisturizing hand sanitizer which consisted of aloe gel, various essential oils, distilled water, a minimal amount isopropyl alcohol and was packaged in post-consumer recycled 1oz. bottles. Personalized company labels were also available upon request. Pure Vita donated more than $7,500 to different local and international charities and volunteered for more than 500 hours. They achieved a return of investment of 43x in only 7 weeks and were named both Northern Alberta and Canadian Company of the Year.

JA Company Program students start and run their own companies with support of sponsorship and mentorship from the business community. Youth in local high schools come together to create a fully operational business from little more than an idea by securing the capital required to design and produce their products, market and sell their wares to realize a profit for shareholders. All the while gaining invaluable entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness skills.

Eligibility for the 2010 North American JA Student Company of the Year Competition was limited to qualifying student teams that completed JA Company Program(TM) during the 2009-2010 academic year.

"Recognition at this level highlights the potential of youth in our communities. The role of JA is to provide mentorship and guidance that inspires young people to achieve their dreams. Winning this competition for the second year in a row demonstrates the impact and relevance of JA programs to providing essential business and life skills." said Ross Maund, president and CEO of JA Canada.

JA plays an essential role in developing Canada's future leaders by providing the tools and resources that inspire and prepare youth to succeed in a global marketplace. JA Canada(TM) offers financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs that are delivered in local communities by experienced business mentors who bring the world of work to youth.

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About JA Canada(TM) (Junior Achievement of Canada)

For over 50 years, Junior Achievement learning experiences have helped young Canadians discover financial literacy, entrepreneurial and work readiness skills so they can achieve their highest potential as citizens of our global community. Across Canada, Junior Achievement reaches over 210,000 students annually with 10,000 dedicated business mentors in over 400 communities delivering a suite of eight national programs. Since 1955, over 3 million Canadian youth have participated in our business learning experiences free-of-charge.

About JA Worldwide(R) (Junior Achievement Worldwide)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 126 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 5.7 million students served by operations in 122 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

About FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $33 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 280,000 employees and contractors to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.van.fedex.com.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Mexico and Turkey, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $49 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Best Buy Mobile; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2010, we donated a combined $25.2 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

For further information: Rebecca Lucas, Cohn & Wolfe, [email protected], 647-259-3275; Melanie Cammalleri, Cohn & Wolfe, [email protected], 647-259-3287