WSWs attendance at the Jamba Juice annual shareholders meeting was monumental for many reasons. While many of our students have attended these types of meetings before, never before had this particular group experienced the rare occasion to interact with a CEO of a major corporation. Between CEO James White, and the students of WSW, there was a majority of people of color in attendance, which may have also been a first. No doubt it was an action packed learning experience both for the students, and for the Jamba staff and shareholders. Attendees were surprised and inspired to see so many young people demonstrating a keen interest and understanding of finance.
The event began with a brief shareholders meeting, and a review of the recent changes. Immediately following that, the CEO gave a speech about Jamba’s future vision and strategy, and then opened up the floor for a Q&A session. Attendees thought they were surprised to see the students in the room, but when the WSWs stood during the meeting to ask the CEO sharp and insightful questions, a feeling of awe set about the room. Some of the WSW highlights were the questions asked by Chris and Jasmine. Chris probed the executive team for insight about their lack of profitability and its causes, and Jasmine described the benefits of diversity within an executive team, and in light of this, asked how Jamba planned to recruit new board members to fill upcoming vacancies. Afterwards, CEO James White commented, “Wall Street Wizards has had great participation in Jamba Juice Shareholders meetings over the last several years, and it’s been great to have them here! Bravo WSWs!”
Following the fireside chat, students took a few minutes to network with employees, board members, shareholders, and staff before being taken on a private history tour of Jamba. Janice, the Head of Communications, and Kathy, the Head of HR led the students on a tour of the office. The tour concluded in the World History room, which is a museum housing all things Jamba.
Here, Janice and Kathy presented the complete history of the company, including how the company was formed, how the mission and vision have evolved over time, and Jamba’s most popular marketing campaigns. Next, students were taken into the presentation room, where the Head of Innovation Julie, and the Head of Product Development and Innovation Brian, lead a multimedia discussion about product development, and marketing at Jamba. The presentation was accompanied by delicious smoothies, and was complete with a discussion on the health benefits of natural foods.
Finally, the event concluded in the Jamba kitchen, where Jamba product developers made many smoothie samples giving students a demonstration of all that goes into a Jamba smoothie, and the inside scoop on the “secret” menu.
Our founder and teacher Bill Thomason made sure the WSWs got more than just a company tour, ensuring that information about internships, summer jobs, and mentorship opportunities were included. Also, each of the presenters were in leadership positions within the corporation, so Bill prompted them to give the students the play by play on how they got there; from choosing a college major, to managing their career progression.
