Enmarket storefront at the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center cuts ribbon

SAVANNAH, Ga. - March 17, 2022 - PRLog -- (SAVANNAH, Ga.) As Savannah's largest convenience store chain and one that continues to grow, ribbon-cuttings are not that unusual for Enmarket (https://enmarket.com/). But earlier this month, the store observed a ribbon-cutting unlike any other in its history. The facility the ceremony opened was not a regular store, but instead was a storefront inside the Junior Achievement Colonial Group Discovery Center (https://www.georgia.ja.org/) at the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University (https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/campuses/armstrong-campus/).

[caption id="attachment_11443" align="aligncenter" width="658"] Pictured at the ribbon-cutting for the Enmarket storefront at the center are Enmarket executives (left to right) Doug Carroll, director of real estate; Melody McCarthy, marketing manager; Brett Giesick, president; Emily Smith, coordinating manager; and Matt Clements, vice president, marketing.[/caption]

The new facility operates more as a classroom than a retail store, although it is a realistic facsimile of any one of Enmarket's 129 stores. Here, middle school students participating in the Junior Achievement programs JA Finance Park and JA BizTown will get hands-on experience in how the business world operates.

"Enmarket is excited to take part in this experiential education initiative with Junior Achievement," said Brett Giesick, president of Enmarket. "We especially like that the Discovery Center will serve students from multiple counties, just as our stores cover much of the region."

Enmarket is one of 29 business entities represented as part of the Discovery Center, reflecting the commitment of participating businesses to Junior Achievement's (https://www.georgia.ja.org/) particular brand of experience-based business education.

The opening of the center expands access to Junior Achievement programming to 15,000 middle school students in Coastal Georgia.

How does a Discovery Center work? Upon arrival, students become part of a simulated version of their hometown where they work with their peers and adult volunteers to develop a greater understanding of business and financial concepts and encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. With the opening of the Colonial Group (https://colonialgroupinc.com/) Discovery Center, the fifth such center in the state of Georgia, 44 percent of the middle schools in the state have access to these assets.

The Colonial Group Discovery Center and its participating businesses, like Enmarket, will serve students from Bethesda Academy (http://www.bethesdaacademy.org/), Bryan County Schools (https://www.bryan.k12.ga.us/), Bulloch Academy (https://www.bullochacademy.com/), Effingham County Schools (https://www.effinghamschools.com/), Evans County Schools (https://www.evans.k12.ga.us/), Hancock Day School (https://hancockdayschool.org/), Savannah Christian Preparatory School (https://savcps.com/), Savannah Classical Academy (https://savannahclassicalacademy.org/) and Savannah-Chatham public schools (https://www.sccpss.com/Pages/default.aspx).