Junior Achievement celebrates Rising Stars and can help save Western civilization.

Susco was honored to be the presenting sponsor of Junior Achievement's 2023 City Stars Soiree. At this event, JA honors individuals under 40 years old who have displayed strong entrepreneurial skills with ethical standards, and is a founder, co-founder, owner, co-owner, or a key person of a growing entrepreneurial business.

Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans's mission is near and dear to my heart. They run programs to teach our youth (most of whom are Low-to-Moderate Income) about work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.

We need them now more than ever. I've included for you below a transcript of the speech I gave that explains why.

PS: Many thanks to my friends and teammates who attended. Special shout-out to my dear friends Thomas Neyhart , Stone Cantwell , and Denny Ebersole for crowd control!

JA City Stars Speech

Video: https://youtu.be/65cBaZE99NI

"Thank you, Larry Washington .? None of this would be possible without your leadership and the hard work of you and the wonderful JA team.

?So, my director of support, Kirk, told me that if I gave another presenting sponsor speech without talking a little bit about Susco, he would strangle me, so let me do that first:

Susco’s core purpose is to build systems that unleash human potential.? We do that in 3 ways.

• We develop business software and mobile workforce apps for enterprises across many sectors in Louisiana and we have a nationwide footprint in insurance. This unleashes the potential of our clients by accelerating revenue and profit growth.?This unleashes the human potential of their workforces as our solutions allow them to focus on meaningful high-value tasks instead of laborious data entry or analysis.
• Unleash the human potential of our teammates, with continuous personal and professional development.?
• Unleash the human potential of our community by investing in organizations that enable people to achieve the American Dream.

That course includes Junior Achievement.? I believe that the need for JA is greater now than ever.? Why?

Because I believe the West is at a crossroads.? I see two paths ahead of us.? On one path, we achieve Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek vision of abundance on Earth and dedication to the exploration of outer space and our own inner space.? On the other path, we’re a civilization in decline, living without a sense of meaning, purpose, or contribution.

?

Why do I believe this?? Between 1980 and 2020 in the US,

• Poverty fell by 50%
• 41% of the people in the lower middle class became middle-class

AND AT THE SAME TIME…

• 30% fewer people believe their life has purpose
• Anxiety & depression and obesity have doubled or tripled

?

I believe this is driven by many factors.?

• We’re bombarded with 9x more negative news than before,
• We are exposed to a constant stream of ads and social media posts that tell us we’re lacking.?
• The portion of fatherless homes has tripled.

Here’s the thing.? All parents and all teachers are doing their best but today’s world is more complicated than ever, and many children aren’t reaching adulthood with all the skills and mental resilience they need to unleash their full human potential.

Thankfully, many of us are taking matters into our own hands.

Firstly, as employers.?

?For example, at Susco, we don’t just train our teammates on traditional hard skills and soft skills,

• We help them create and reach goals for career, family, health, friendships, and community.
• We train them to understand their personality and the ways they meet their needs so they can better drive their decisions
• We provide resources to promote mindfulness, exercise, and a healthy relationship with food.

Secondly, as organizations like Junior Achievement.?

?JA teaches Work Readiness, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy.

• If you work ready, you’re going to believe in meritocracy again.
• If you’re financially literate, you’ll manage your cash instead of eating or drinking your financial stress away.
• If you understand entrepreneurship, it will ignite your belief in the American Dream.

?And remember, roughly 60% of the children JA of GNO serves are low-to-moderate income.? So, JA is truly changing the arc of the lives it touches, and the money we donate to them directly scales their ability to do so.

Let’s boldly go toward the Star Trek future, not the Mad Max one.?

And to the rising stars - A long long time ago, when my hair was naturally black, I was a rising star.

It was hard.? The 14-hour work days. The young kids.? Tight cashflow.? Project problems.? Workforce challenges.? Imposter Syndrome.? All of these things were a big part of my 30s.? But the entrepreneurial journey is worth it, as you are the engine that keeps this great nation working.

So to the rising stars, I salute you.? Congratulations.

• Sara Brennan
• Geordie Brower
• Pike Howard
• Gretchen Riedel
• Suma Maddox
• Patrick Schindler
• Townsend Underhill
• Kendall Winingder

I would now like to introduce my friends and your Chairs of the 2023 City Stars Soiree, Ryan Berger , Amanda Baxter Berger , Zach Kupperman , and Emily Kupperman .