The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8 - The Canadien Champion, Tuesday, March 3, 1998 ampton Learning art of sell By STEVE LeBLANC Special to The Champion W hile most local students aim for good grades, a small but spirited group also strive to break sales records. They're members of Junior Achievement of Milton, which has been teaching teens about the dog-eat-dog world of business for more than a decade. "You've got such a short period of time to give your pitch and make a sale, it's really a challenge," explains E.C. Drury High's Peter Kroll. "You have to be perceptive to people's reactions and quickly elaborate on the product or products they show interest in." The 17-year-old ran the top sales company in JA of Canada last year. His group moved 506 roadside safety kits for a net profit of $7,000. Peter is hoping for similar success now with his 14-member business selling various types of kits - car, first aid, cat, dog and travel kits. He-credits Drury pal Michelle Preston, 17, with getting him involved in Junior Achievement. Goal in sight Heading up Wax'N'Wix, Michelle bas enjoyed ber fair share of business success as well. Now a fourth year JA participant, she and ber 13 employees are 62 per cent of the way towards their goal. "We sell wax and wood chip fire starters which take the place of kindling. We're hoping to move 304 units by our March dead- line," said Michelle. "After that we go into liquidation so as to get the whole business experience." The hardest part of running a JA business, she said, is having to give orders to group members who are the same age or older. Noted Michelle, "It's difficult for a 17-year-old to tell an 18- year-old what to do, but the fact is in the real world you may well bave a boss that's younger. "The sales end of the business was also harder than I thought it would be." Another veteran of JA, Tracy Johnson of Milton District High, will be hoping to cash in this weekend when her Bright Ideas company - comprising 16 employees - sets up shop at Milton Mall. The 18-year-old said the most challenging part of running ber business was choosing the right colour combinations for ber sand candles. Help is there "They're a one-of-a-kind product," said Tracy. Bright Ideas is half way towards their sales goal for this year, namely 130 large candles and 230 small ones. In addition to sales and production, JA participants elect a board of directors, sell shares in their company and focus on mar- keting and advertising strategies. Students receive guidance from experts in the banking, fast- food, high-tech, marking and retail industries. JA of Milton's in-house grade 8 program - Economics of Staying in School (ESIS) - bas also swelled to 700 students in just three years. The group bas started a similar project for grade 5's as well. To leam more about Junior Achievement, or to place an order for one of their products, call 878-5029. ing in Junior Achievement Some students don't just aim for good grades, but strive to break sales records through Milton's Junior Achievement. Among them are (above) Amanda Klip and Trevor Burke who're selling first aid and pet kits as well as wax candle salesmen (at left) Andrew Dogenhard and Mark Grimwood.