NILES, Ohio – The new Junior Achievement Discovery Center at Eastwood Mall reveals itself to visitors a little at a time.
Its circular layout makes the miniature streetscape appear to grow larger with each step a guest takes down the entrance ramp. Storefronts that initially seem modest suddenly open into fully realized business spaces. It is a design choice that creates a sense of discovery while allowing every corner of the simulated town to remain in view.
That experience is exactly what Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio hoped to create.
The JA Discovery Center will become home to JA BizTown and, beginning next year, JA Finance Park, bringing nationally recognized experiential learning programs to the Mahoning Valley for the first time. The facility is expected to serve thousands of students each year, exposing them to career opportunities, financial literacy and workplace skills long before they enter the workforce.
“There are 50 experiential learning centers across the United States, and the closest one is in Pittsburgh,” says Michele Merkel, president of Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio. “This will be the first one in eastern Ohio.”
Designed to serve students in grades four through six, JA BizTown features 15 storefronts, two kiosks and multiple interactive stations representing approximately 120 careers found throughout the region. Before visiting the center, students complete classroom lessons that introduce them to local employers, explore career paths and prepare them to apply and interview for jobs.
When they arrive, they spend an entire school day running a city.
Students become mayors, bankers, health care workers, construction professionals and business leaders while learning to communicate, solve problems and make decisions in real-world situations.
“They’re running the hospitals, they have the banks, they’re doing construction,” Merkel says. “The simulation comes to life by running the city and making decisions, communicating, understanding how to fix problems and solve problems.”
Finance Park
A year after BizTown opens, the Discovery Center will add JA Finance Park, a financial literacy simulation for middle and high school students. Working through realistic household budgets, students will make decisions about transportation, insurance, housing, retirement, food and other everyday expenses while working alongside volunteer mentors.
The program is designed to answer questions many young adults encounter only after graduating.
Students will learn why taxes are deducted from paychecks, how credit scores affect borrowing, what it takes to purchase a vehicle or home and how career choices influence long-term financial stability.
Merkel says exposing students to careers and financial concepts at younger ages is becoming increasingly important.
“What we know is younger exposure at an early age, mixed with parents being involved in the process, helps develop those pathways,” Merkel says. “Parents also become aware of companies they didn’t know existed and the opportunities those employers provide.”
Regional Destination
The Discovery Center is expected to become a regional destination.
Junior Achievement’s primary service area includes Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, but Merkel says the organization expects schools from Pennsylvania and the Akron-Canton area to participate as well.
“We’re going to reach out to a 90-mile radius,” she says.
The project also represents a significant evolution for Junior Achievement.
Historically, the organization delivered dozens of classroom programs throughout the region. The Discovery Center allows JA to focus on immersive experiences, future workforce initiatives and industry-recognized credentialing programs while incorporating emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, into future curriculum.
“We’re changing and evolving as an organization,” Merkel says. “Having this space allows us to go much deeper with the programs that are unique to Junior Achievement.”
The facility extends beyond student programming.
Adjacent meeting rooms can be divided into smaller spaces or opened into one large conference area. Businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations and community groups will be able to use the space for meetings, employee training and educational events while remaining separate from student activities.
Merkel describes the Discovery Center as a community resource as much as an educational facility.
“We wanted this to be a multipurpose space for our community,” she says. “Our businesses, schools and nonprofit organizations can all benefit from having a place like this.”
How It Started
The center itself is the product of nearly three years of planning that began after community leaders toured a JA BizTown facility near Pittsburgh. Following that visit, conversations quickly shifted from admiration to possibility.
Interest in bringing a JA Discovery Center to the Mahoning Valley began nearly three years ago after The Business Journal published a brief article about the opening of a JA BizTown in the Pittsburgh area.
“People contacted us and said, ‘Where’s this? What’s this BizTown? We would like to go see it,’” Merkel recalls.
Junior Achievement organized a charter bus trip for educators, board members and business representatives to tour the Pennsylvania facility.
Merkel says she expected one question to come up during the visit: “Why don’t we have one here in the Mahoning Valley?” That question sparked a collaborative effort involving Junior Achievement, educational service centers, business leaders and Eastwood Mall.
Together, they developed plans for the Discovery Center, while DeSalvo Construction converted former second-floor office space into the immersive learning environment.
One of the project’s defining features is its circular layout.
After visiting older BizTown facilities, project leaders asked what they would change if given another opportunity. The answer was consistent: make it round.
The design allows students, volunteers and staff to maintain sightlines across the entire town while giving every storefront equal visibility.
“We’ll be the first facility where you can come in and see all the businesses at once,” Merkel says.
Putting It Together
For DeSalvo Construction, translating that vision into reality required equal parts craftsmanship and creativity.
“This was probably one of the most exciting projects because it was so different,” says Jo-Lynn Campbell, estimator and project manager for DeSalvo Construction.
The renovation transformed former office space into a miniature downtown over approximately 22 weeks, beginning in November and wrapping up in early spring.
Crews demolished outdated offices, upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, renovated restrooms and installed a second set of facilities dedicated to students. Separate entrances, security systems and controlled access points were incorporated to keep student areas isolated from other mall tenants.
Nine subcontractors participated in the project, with carpenters constructing the detailed storefront facades that define the center.
Rather than using traditional masonry, the team installed specialty wall panels that replicate brick, stone and marble while providing surfaces durable enough to withstand years of student use.
Acoustical cloud panels suspended overhead resemble floating clouds while reducing noise generated by classroom groups of as many as 120 students.
Construction also presented logistical challenges.
Because the facility sits above Eastwood Mall’s food court, steel installation and other noisy work had to be carefully scheduled to avoid disrupting businesses below.
Despite those constraints, Campbell says the finished project exceeded expectations.
“We’re thrilled to be part of something that’s going to impact our community for generations to come,” she says. “It’s going to be such a treasure for the Valley.”
For Merkel, the Discovery Center represents more than a new building. It is an investment in the region’s future workforce.
Businesses will gain earlier access to students exploring careers. Families will become more aware of opportunities available close to home. Students will develop practical skills before making life-changing education and career decisions.
“It will take the entire community to make this successful,” Merkel says. “But we know the impact these centers have. They help change the conversation and show young people they can build a future right here in our region.”
Pictured at top: Michele Merkel, president of Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio, says the new JA Discovery Center will help students explore careers and build real-world skills.
