The inductees at the 2011 Central Ohio Junior Achievement Hall of Fame luncheon on Nov. 2 all had a message for young entrepreneurs.
The first, George McCloy, told the audience of 530 about the various jobs he has held. However, his message wasn’t to brag about his experience. It was to make a point that for each job, there were ways to earn tips from customers, be it for delivering newspapers to earning a bonus if he sold a “prime merchandise” article of clothing.
“What I really learned when I was a young person was that if you worked ethically and were set at what you were told to do, you would have a good year,” he says.
Inductees this year included Sue A. Doody, president and founder of Lindey’s Restaurant and Bar; Robert C. White Sr., chairman and co-founder of The Daimler Group, a real estate developer and construction management company, and McCloy, president and founder of McCloy Financial Services. The event was co-sponsored by Smart Business, and was JA’s 25th such event.
Even Angela Pace, Columbus television community affairs director and emcee of the event, joked that Avalon Elementary School student Sascha Smoot was so adept at the podium welcoming the guests that Sascha might replace her.
Sascha was one of 16 classmates at the Columbus gifted and talented school who attended the event that not only lauded the three inductees into the hall of fame but showcased how Junior Achievement was giving young entrepreneurs a taste of the business world.
Doody took the stage and warmed the audience with her comments about starting her own restaurant business and nurturing it to success while raising four children.
“Junior Achievement teaches students work readiness and financial literacy,” she says. “If I had known all those things when I started a business, I probably would have started out much better.”
White wrapped up with his praise for the organization.
“Junior Achievement is needed more today than at any time in the history of this country,” he says. “The demands on our youth today are huge, the decisions they have to make earlier and earlier in life are increasing. Junior Achievement recognizes this and helps establish the means to make those good decisions. I am especially proud to be associated with Junior Achievement.”
