Student entrepreneurs from across Waterloo Region got to show their business savvy at the 2nd Annual Junior Achievement Company Program Trade Show at Sun Life Financial on March 14.
   Fifteen student-run companies displayed and sold their products. It gave the students real-life experience in product marketing and event execution, as well as using their sales pitches on the Sun Life employees during their lunch hours.
   Varun Krishnammagaru said his company, Record Time, “went through a lot of struggles” to make it to the trade show.
   Record Time uses old vinyl albums to make wall clocks.
   “Our clock mechanics were stuck at the (Canada/U.S.) border for three months,” he said.
   When they finally arrived, his team had to make 100 clocks in two weeks before the show.
   Junior Achievement Company Program students meet every Monday night at St. David Secondary School in Waterloo to come up with a product, design it, find investors, and then sell the product with hopes of repaying their investors - and maybe having a little left over for themselves.
   “It’s a 22 week program,” said Aubrey Walters, the president and CEO of Junior Achievement. “And we are always looking for volunteers to help the students.”
   Walters also praised Sun Life for its dedicated volunteers and for opening up its head office to host the trade show.
   During the show, the students were judged on their product, display, and total sales.
   The trade show winner was Petal Productions. The company sold $2 pens wrapped in colourful duct tape, finished with a duct tape flower at the top.