The date: Nov. 1; the place: Hotel del Coronado; the event: the Junior Achievement 2007 San Diego Business Hall of Fame Awards, whose honorees included J. Robert Beyster, Ph.D, founder of La Jolla-based Science Applications International Corp; Deborah Szekely, founder of Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door Fitness; La Jollan Charles Wax, president of Waxie Sanitary Supply.
“It felt great and I was surprised and very flattered, because if you look at the people who have won, they are an impressive group,” Wax said. “I felt honored to be held up to the same class of people ” I mean, you are talking about the real superstars of San Diego.”
The event hosted by the Junior Achievement of San Diego and Imperial Counties was designed to help students view what their potential future might hold, as well as honor community members for their efforts and motivating careers.
“I have been to Junior Achievement’s facility and it is fabulous, what they do for the kids and community of San Diego, and I would encourage anyone to go and see it,” Wax said. “They have a program set up that is in a building called BizTown, and they have created a small, almost like Main Street of Disneyland kind of atmosphere, where the kids go there and learn how the economy works and how to do business.”
Wax’s involvement began early as child when he participated in Junior Achievement locally and was taken to work in the family business at Waxie Sanitary Supply. He learned the business hands-on, from labeling products to the concept of what the company did as a whole.
Wax was honored for his commitment to students through creation of the San Diego Jewish Academy.
“I am so involved with the community because I think that it is part of our corporate responsibility to be good citizens and get involved locally,” he said. “Our family has been involved with the community since the ’40s and I have always felt we are blessed and fortunate enough to give back to the community.”
The event serves as one of the annual fund-raisers that benefits Junior Achievement programs for the organization, which was founded in the hopes of teaching students financial literacy, the free enterprise system and how to make a difference in the community.
“They had some of the students speak at the dinner and they are really talented, very enthusiastic about it,” Wax said. “I have a friend who is a school teacher in the community, and she told me that when her students come back from Junior Achievement they are so fired up and really enjoy being involved with it.”
For more information, see www.jasandiego.org.