FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp (NYSE: FDX), awarded its signature FedEx Access Award to student-run company Safe & Stable, from Latvia, at the JA Europe Company of the Year Competition, Belgrade, Serbia on 18 July 2018.
FedEx Express has supported not-for-profit organisation Junior Achievement (JA) Europe for over a decade. The support given to its Company Program allows increasing numbers of young people to access entrepreneurial education alongside formal academic schooling.
“FedEx connects companies to new markets as part of our everyday business. Through the FedEx Access Award, we are able to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to set ambitious targets for responsible international growth,” said Harald Schoenfelder, Vice President of Clearance Operations, FedEx Express Europe.
The signature award was designed to incorporate the notion of “access” into the core thinking of future entrepreneurs. It recognizes the student-run company that best demonstrates innovation, a readiness to access global markets, a contribution to socio-economic development, and a responsible approach to environmental sustainability.
Safe & Stable, a company established by three mechatronics students from Valmiera Vocational Training Centre, Latvia, took home the award having developed and manufactured a technologically advanced walking cane, aiming to improve ease of navigation and mobility for blind people.
“We’re so happy that FedEx Express recognised the innovation in our product and the social purpose that drove us during its development. Winning the FedEx Access Award reinforces that our product is applicable to all markets. We are proud to have combined our mechanical, technical and programming skills with the entrepreneurial learning we gained through this program, to develop a product that can really improve the safety and confidence of blind people,” said Ēriks Eduards Lapsa, technical developer of the Safe & Stable cane.
“As a global company, itself founded by an entrepreneur, FedEx Express brings a valuable perspective to the students in the JA Company Program. This is often their first entrepreneurial experience and the FedEx Access Award is a unique opportunity to recognise their achievements,” said Caroline Jenner, CEO, JA Europe.
Global Entrepreneurship is a core focus area of FedEx charitable giving strategy, FedEx Cares. In 2016, the company committed to invest $200 million in 200 communities by the year 2020.