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Powering a valuable learning experience
02/26/2025
At Entergy, we believe that educating future generations is key to building stronger communities. This commitment took a new and exciting form in January 2025, when we opened a dynamic storefront at JA BizTown, a simulated city operated by Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, or JAGNO. Designed by a dedicated team of our employees, this interactive space aims to spark curiosity and ambition among the thousands of students who will visit the site each year.
Although Entergy has been longtime supporter of JAGNO and its financial education programs, it's been a few years since we've had a physical presence in New Orleans JA BizTown. The beginning of this year marked our return to the hands-on learning facility, which features many different real-world businesses and industries, such as a utility company, a bank, non-profit organizations, a restaurant, an insurance agency, a construction company, a media outlet, a healthcare facility, city hall and many more.
JA BizTown bridges classroom learning with real-world experience. After weeks of in-class lessons, students in grades four through six visit the simulated city and step into the roles of CEOs, CFOs, and other employees. They run businesses, manage finances, and make decisions mirroring the professional world. Each year, about two dozen schools from across the region participate in this unique learning experience.
“Our team exhibited great enthusiasm and a genuine interest in JA BizTown from the start, applying their complementary skillsets to create an educational, engaging, and empowering environment for participating students,” said Reginald Jackson, chief accounting officer at Entergy. “They wanted to create something special—a site that would teach students about Entergy, our history and impact, and how our business and industry operate. And they succeeded.”
The team took great care in designing our storefront to showcase Entergy’s role in the community and impact in the energy sector. Leading this effort were four of our employees: Sumesh Arora, diversity and workforce strategies program manager; Chad Brumfield, manager of advertising and brand; Amanda Distefano, senior manager of facilities planning and operations; and Destinee Fralick, tech training specialist and senior leader of powergen training. Chief Accounting Officer Reggie Jackson, who serves on JAGNO’s board of governors, invited the team to take on this project after the Entergy Charitable Foundation approved a sponsorship request from JAGNO.
The Entergy storefront features several elements designed to educate and inspire:
- A historical milestones display introduces students to Entergy’s rich history and evolution.
- Solar panel signage draws attention to renewable energy, capturing students’ interest from the moment they arrive.
- A work and customer service area gives students hands-on experience running a utility company.
- A career opportunity exhibit highlights the diverse range of jobs available at Entergy.
We will be also adding a shadowbox display that will illustrate how electricity travels from generation plants to homes that helps students understand the science behind the services we provide.
In January 2025, the BizTown storefront welcomed its first group of students—fifth graders from Christ Episcopal School in Covington, Louisiana. Local Entergy volunteers, including Senior Supply Chain Advisor John Credeur, were on hand to guide the students through the simulation. John explained how electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed, discussed the growing importance of renewable energy, and introduced the students to different career paths at Entergy. He even became the first “customer” of the day by purchasing electricity from one of the student employees using pretend money.
Larry Washington, president of JAGNO, emphasized the significance of Entergy’s involvement with the BizTown project. “We try our best to make sure JA BizTown is representative of the community we serve,” he said. “It’s good for students to understand what Entergy is and does, and why it’s so important to our community.”
By sharing our story with the next generation, we hope to inspire young minds to see the energy industry as a place where they can make a difference—powering progress in their communities and beyond.
