Coaching needed for business-savvey kids

Dozens of students in Washoe County will create companies to build Holo-Generators this spring, and they need experienced businesspeople to lead them.

Holo-Generators are entirely fictional products at the heart of JA Titan, a Web-based game provided by Junior Achievement to teach economics and management to high school students.

While they play the simulation, teams of students make decisions about pricing, production and capital investment.

They make those decisions with the advice of volunteer coaches from the business community, and Junior Achievement officials last week said they continue to look for volunteers.

The work involves about an hour a week for seven weeks from March through May, said Butch Lynn, administrator of Junior Achievement in the region.

The mentoring sessions are scheduled during daytime hours.

Michael Hemphill, chief executive officer of CSG Direct Inc.

in Reno and a veteran coach in the JA Titan program, has volunteered as director of coach recruitment and training.

Last year, Hemphill coached a team from McQueen High School that won the state championship in JA Titan competition.

Lynn said Junior Achievement hopes that two coaches will be available for each participating high school.

(To volunteer, contact Lynn at 323- 8084 or Blynn@RenoJA.org.) Teams from those schools will compete against each other.

Local winners will receive prizes, and top teams will continue to state and national championships.

Teams are scored on the basis of factors ranging from retained earnings (which account for half the final score) to growth and market share.

As the simulation progresses, students also get experience as consultants to struggling Holo-Generator companies and also learn about the effects of the business cycles on individual companies.

Intuit and SBC fund the program, allowing it to be offered without cost to participants.

JA Titan is offered to all 14- to 19-year-olds in high school classrooms or computer labs with community access in Washoe County.

And what are Holo-Generators? They're hand-held holographic displays for movies and news.

In case you're thinking about stealing the idea, Junior Achievement has trademarked the name.