Appeared in The Wholesaler - July 2004 Issue

Gustave Larson exec takes ethics message to high schools

Milwaukee, WI  – Under the auspices of the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. operation, local business leaders are taking the message of “Excellence through Ethics” to high school classrooms.  A poll by USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup revealed only 23% of Americans trust CEO’s of large corporations, and 38% of those surveyed see “big business” as an actual threat to the nation’s future. 

With corporate integrity, fairness and dependability on the national agenda, students across the country are speaking their minds on business ethics.  In the midst of on-going high-profile corporate scandals, Junior Achievement (JA) asked 1,449 students nationwide to share their thoughts on business ethics.  Poll results show that nearly nine out of 10 teenagers refuse to work for a company accused of wrongdoing, while three our of four teenagers say they would not even buy a product from a company accused of wrongdoing.

Andrew Larson, President of the Gustave A. Larson Company, and a member of the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. Board of Directors, is leading the effort to implement the Excellence through Ethics Day activities.  Mr. Larson and about 30 other CEO’s will visit over 1,000 students in Milwaukee area high school classrooms during the week of May 10, 2004.  Using Junior Achievement’s learn-by-doing methodology, these business leaders will share basic values and beliefs as well as engage students in discussion on the role of ethics in their school life and in their own personal business dealings.

“The time I spent at Brookfield Central was a very worthwhile and positive experience.  Mr. Larson said.  The students were very interested in not only my personal career track but in the Larson Company’s philosophy that ethics is a “top down” commitment.   Their understanding of how personal ethics are reflected in management styles and ultimate success in business was very encouraging to see in our business leaders of tomorrow.”

Junior Achievement has been implementing business and economic education programs in the Milwaukee area since 1941.  Today, over 55,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students participate in JA’s experiential learning programs in Metropolitan Milwaukee.

Critical to the success of JA’s approach is the use of community volunteers, usually from local businesses, who use their own job experience to bring the curriculum to life.  Ethics, as it relates to business, has always been taught as part of the Junior Achievement curriculum.

The Gustave A. Larson Company, an industry leader in the wholesale distribution of heating and air conditioning equipment and supplies, began as a small storefront in 1936 in Madison, Wis.  Each branch carries an extensive inventory of equipment and replacement parts to serve customer’s needs.  The Larson Company maintains a $25 million inventory and an in-house truck fleet that replenishes the branches nightly.  A state-of-the-art computer system links all 44 locations with the corporation offices and distribution center in Pewaukee, Wis. 

About Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc.

The purpose of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, understand business and economics and be better prepared for the workforce.  Today, JA reaches more than 114, 000 Wisconsin students annually, 4 million students nationwide and one million more students in nearly 100 countries worldwide.  Junior Achievement makes a difference for students by helping them to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to create opportunities and realize bright future goals.