WAUSAU, Wis.— Six Wausau area high school students will advance to a statewide business
competition May 7, 2026, in Milwaukee after winning top honors in the JA Titan® Business Challenge
held by Junior Achievement last month at Northcentral Technical College. The six teens from D.C.
Everest beat out 130 other competitors to secure their winning spots in the largest event of its kind
to date.
First place winners, Xavier May, Zach May, and Adam McKaig and second place winners, Devin
Alves, Luke Auner, and Owen Marquardt edged out 44 other area high school teams from D.C.
Everest, Marathon, Merrill, Mosinee, Newman Catholic, Stratford, and Wausau East to move on to
the state level competition. Honorable mention went to the third-place team from Wausau East.
$1,000 first-place scholarships and $500 second-place scholarships to Northcentral Technical
College were also awarded to each finisher. JA Titan is an online role-playing game in which high
school students compete as CEOs in the cell phone industry, experiencing first-hand how an
organization makes decisions, analyzes outcomes, evaluates alternatives, and strategizes against
competitors.
The competition teaches students how to navigate the decisions needed to develop a successful
company and provides the opportunity to practice life skills including critical thinking, strategic
development, and teamwork. Emmerich was the title sponsor for this year’s event, which also
received support from Cloverbelt Credit Union, The Macdonald Foundation, Arow Global, UMR,
Greenheck Group, BMO, the Wausau Breakfast Optimists, and Ruth Schuette.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the
knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make
smart academic and economic choices. JA learning experiences are delivered by corporate and
community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on lessons that give students from
kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and
entrepreneurship. Additionally, Junior Achievement is expanding its reach to 18-to-25-year-olds to
provide young adults with critical life skills. Since 2021, Junior Achievement volunteers have taught
life skills learning experiences for 64,798 students in the greater Wausau metropolitan area. For
more information, visit northcentralwisconsin.ja.org.
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