New $20M McWane Economic Education Center development breaks ground in Birmingham

On Thursday, January 9, local leaders, developers and members of the community met in downtown Birmingham for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new McWane Economic Education Center—a new facility for local nonprofit Junior Achievement of Alabama and its programs.

A new state-of-the-art experiential learning facility coming to downtown Birmingham

It’s an exciting day for Birmingham—and for the thousands of schoolkids across Central Alabama who will soon visit the McWane Economic Education Center in the heart of downtown Birmingham.

“Today is an exciting new chapter for Junior Achievement of Alabama. For over 70 years, Junior Achievement has been helping our students prepare for their careers through financial literacy and entrepreneurialism through programming in schools across the country.

This project is an opportunity to take what we’ve done so successfully in the classroom and do it through experiential learning at this facility.”

David Walker, CEO of EBSCO Industries and Board Chair CEO of Junior Achievement of Alabama

It’s a project that Junior Achievement (JA) of Alabama—a nonprofit that aims to inspire and prepare young people for success—has been working on for over a decade.

Located at 2201 6th Ave N in what is now a surface parking lot, the McWane Economic Education Center will be home to JA of Alabama and a state-of-the-art learning facility where students can apply concepts they’ve learned in the classroom in an immersive, real-world experience.

“Close your eyes and imagine the sound of 200 kids a day—20,000 kids a year—in this very spot. You can almost hear their hearts beating in excitement at the chance to feel and experience a new future.

20,000 pairs of shoulders carrying a lighter load, because they can practice budgets, finance, jobs and careers—and all those scary things about adult life—before they actually have to be an adult.”

Chip Reed, President of Junior Achievement of Alabama

Inside the McWane Economic Education Center

Inside the 30,000-square-foot McWane Economic Education Center, students will find a simulated American city—complete with a bank, City Hall, restaurants, retail shops, utilities and more.

“This model is proven to work—you can see it in Georgia and Middle Tennessee. We’re going to bring that proven model and bring it to Birmingham, where people across the state can utilize it just as other states are.

People that come here and receive education from these programs will take it home to their families and teach it to their children, which will benefit communities for generations.”

Will McWane, Executive VP McWane Inc.

JA of Alabama will operate two capstone programs, designed to combine classroom learning with hands-on experience, helping students connect the dots between what they learn in class and real-world skills:

• Inside JA BizTown, sixth-grade students will interact within a simulated economy and take on the role of an employee, taxpayer and consumer.
• Designed for eighth-grade students, JA Finance Park is an immersive program where students learn to create and maintain a household budget.

“The city of Birmingham suffers from a tremendous amount of predatory lenders that prey on families. I have thought to myself; how do we put predatory lenders out of business? There is one way: to make sure that the next generation has the financial literacy to make better life decisions.

Of all the life skills that our young people need, financial literacy is at the top. JA of Alabama is about to embark on something that will be life-changing for the young people in our city.”

Mayor Randall Woodfin

To bring the project to life, JA of Alabama received support from:

• The State of Alabama
• The McWane Family
• Regions Bank
• EBSCO Industries and the Stephens Family
• Altec
• Brasfield & Corrie
• Carver Bank
• Alabama Community College System
• And more!

“Junior Achievement does a fabulous job of equipping students with the skills they need to better manage their finances, and this facility will be an important part of that.

Today is more than groundbreaking on a building; its the groundbreaking of a foundation that will ensure the financial future of Birmingham, students who are raised here and our state as a whole.”

John Turner, Chairman, President and CEO of Regions Financial Corporation

Currently, the project has raised $16.5M+ and is looking for additional support to reach its $20M goal. Visit the JA McWane Economic Education Center website to learn more about the project and how your support can change the lives of young students across Alabama.