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Nordson Supports Junior Achievement of Georgia’s JA BizTown® Simulation Center

Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq: NDSN) is partnering with Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia to enhance Gwinnett County students’ financial literacy and professional skills. Specifically, Nordson is providing a grant of $170,000 to support the development and implementation of JA BizTown®, one of two interactive venues within the Junior Achievement (JA) Discovery Center at Gwinnett. The center will open in August 2015 in time for the 2015-2016 school year and will serve more than 25,000 sixth and eighth grade students.

“Nordson has had a significant presence in the state of Georgia for decades. The Nordson Corporation Foundation, Nordson Corporation’s giving arm, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the regions where we operate by improving educational outcomes that enable individuals to become self-sufficient, active participants in the community,” explains Nordson Corporation Foundation Executive Director Cecilia Render. “The JA BizTown curriculum fits well into that mission, so when the opportunity to be among the sponsors of this project was presented, we knew we wanted to participate.”

The experience begins with in-class lessons of JA-provided curriculum, then culminates with a day of business simulation at JA BizTown presented by Cisco, where Nordson will sponsor a storefront. The simulation creates an opportunity where students interact within an economy and take on the role of employee, tax payer and consumer. Students receive job assignments and work in teams at their assigned business. By the end of the simulation each student completes a day’s work, develops a personal budget and makes purchasing decisions.

The interactive simulation provides students the opportunity to not only learn about finances and careers, but to transform into adults for one day, becoming the sole decision maker and taking ownership of their professional success.

“JA’s Discovery Center is reality-based, experiential learning at its best,” explains Nordson Corporation Foundation Program Officer Cindy Baumgardner, who represented Nordson Corporation locally throughout the project. “When I heard about this comprehensive center coming to Gwinnett, I immediately knew Nordson had to be involved! Strategic investments in the futures of young scholars is what we are about. Our presence and participation in JA BizTown will open up a world of career possibilities and provide each student with skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.”

“Today there is an increasing issue with businesses finding qualified entry-level employees. By giving students the opportunity to participate in a hands-on business simulation we are providing them with not only a frame of reference as to what it means to be an employee, but also giving them a glimpse into what their future can entail if they work hard to achieve their dream,” said Jack Harris, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Georgia. “Thanks to partnerships with the corporate community and local school system, JA is primed to provide the curriculum, tools and experiential facility to prepare more students to excel at the business of life.”

Georgia’s first JA BizTown opened in August 2013 at Junior Achievement’s Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center. Since then thousands have benefited from the program. JA and its partners are proud to bring this program to the students of Gwinnett County.

In addition to Nordson’s three-year sponsorship and donation for the storefront build, Nordson is thankful to some longstanding partners who helped in the production and building of Nordson’s storefront at JA BizTown, including:

• Expotechnik USA – Graphics/design for the store
• iGad Productions – Monitors inside storefront
• Booker Promotions – BizTown Premium
• Scott Walker Photography – Photography
• Henkel Corporation – In kind donation and end products
• Suddath Relocation of Atlanta – Transportation

About Nordson Corporation

Nordson Corporation delivers precision technology solutions that help customers succeed worldwide. The company engineers, manufactures and markets differentiated products and systems used for precision dispensing of adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, fluids and other materials, plastic extrusion and injection molding, electronics testing and inspecting, and surface preparation, all supported by application expertise and direct global sales and service. Nordson serves a wide variety of consumer non-durable, durable and technology end markets including packaging, nonwovens, electronics, medical, appliances, energy, transportation, construction, and general product assembly and finishing. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, the company has operations and support offices in more than 30 countries. Visit Nordson on the web at www.nordson.com, @Nordson_Corp, or www.facebook.com/nordson.

About Junior Achievement of Georgia

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make educated academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences to students from kindergarten through high school. JA of Georgia offers multiple programs, including in-class programs, JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, JA Fellows and JA-MBA, all of which focus on entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy and workforce readiness. During the 2014/2015 school year, JA of Georgia served more than 168,000 students statewide through five district offices located in Atlanta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville and Savannah. For more information, visit www.georgia.ja.org.