Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 10, 2026 5 Deal Watch Future Ready With new downtown HQ, Junior Achievement plans $18M Hartford learning center for 10,000 students experience how an interconnected local economy functions. Students in grades eight through 12 will participate in JA Finance Park, where they will be assigned careers, salaries, credit scores and family situations before deciding where to live, how to commute, what insurance to buy and how to balance taxes, retirement savings and other household expenses. Race said the program gives older students a safe place to make financial mistakes while preparing them for real-life career and budgeting decisions. "This is like the game of 'Life' on steroids," he said. "It's OK. You are not failing, you are learning." Race said the Finance Park curriculum also aligns with Connecti- cut's recently adopted financial literacy graduation requirement, giving schools another reason to integrate the experience into their academic calendars. Private sector support For corporate sponsors, the project is both a workforce develop- ment investment and an education initiative. Company executives say exposing students to careers and personal finance will better prepare them to participate in Connecticut's workforce and economy. Each of the 17 storefronts will be sponsored and designed by a By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com B acked by some of Connecti- cut's largest employers, Junior Achievement of Southwestern New England is building an $18 million simulated town center in Hartford that will teach up to 10,000 students each year about careers, entrepreneurship and personal finance. Travelers Cos., The Hartford, Hart- ford HealthCare, Liberty Bank, Stanley Black & Decker and other major Connecticut employers will sponsor storefronts in the 16,000-square- foot simulated town center, part of a larger 26,000-square-foot space Junior Achievement recently began leasing at the State House Square office complex in downtown Hartford. Targeted to open in fall 2027, the simulated downtown will feature 17 businesses and a City Hall, where elementary and high school students will role-play careers, operate businesses and learn to manage personal finances. Roughly 10,000 square feet of the newly leased space will become the nonprofit's new headquarters, replacing offices it currently leases on Farmington Avenue. The center will host Junior Achieve- ment's JA BizTown and JA Finance Park programs, which are designed for different age groups and will operate in the same flexible space on different days. Up to 90 students daily will participate in sessions lasting up to five hours. Dozens of JA BizTown and JA Finance Park facilities operate around the country, but Hartford's will be the first in New England, said Jeremy Race, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwestern New England. "It's something that we've been dreaming about for over 20 years here," Race said. "And we're excited that we're finally able to bring it." Immersive experience Founded in 1919, Junior Achieve- ment is a national nonprofit that provides financial literacy, work readi- ness and entrepreneurship education to more than 4.8 million students each year. Its Southwestern New England chapter served nearly 45,000 students in 224 Connecticut schools across 98 school districts during the last fiscal year, according to Race. The Hartford center aims to bring those lessons to life through two immersive programs tailored to different grade levels. Students in grades four through six will operate a simulated economy. They'll work in one of the 17 store- fronts, earn paychecks, elect a mayor, shop, make business decisions and Continued on next page Junior Achievement of Southwestern New England President and CEO Jeremy Race. HBJ Photo | Michael Puffer Architectural renderings show concept designs for Junior Achievement of Southwestern New England's planned $18 million simulated town center in downtown Hartford, featuring employer- sponsored storefronts. Contributed Renderings

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