NILES — The Eastwood Mall has long been associated with shopping and socializing, but soon it also will be known for its foray into young enterpreneurship.

“The Junior Achievement Economic Education & Workforce Center is an exciting new initiative designed to deliver hands-on learning experiences to thousands of students each year,” Michele Merkel, Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio’s president, said.

The center, set to open in late spring 2026, will house the JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, the announcement of which was the centerpiece of a news conference and program Tuesday morning in the mall’s center court.

The multi-million dollar investment will bring the two Junior Achievement pieces together in a 16,000-square-foot facility on the mall’s second floor. Construction should begin this fall and finish in late spring, Jo-Lynn Campbell, project manager and estimator for Liberty-based DeSalvo Construction Co. Inc, said.

DeSalvo Construction is the project’s general contractor. Olsavsky Jaminet Architects Inc. of Youngstown is the architect.

Among other things, the new facility will represent a key step forward in offering innovative educational experiences for Mahoning Valley youth, along with classroom learning opportunities and hands-on simulations to teach work readiness, financial literacy and career exploration.

The JA BizTown portion will be for students in grades four to six. It will provide 12 classroom sessions to prepare the students to take part in a full-day simulation to handle real-world roles, such as working at jobs, earning paychecks, managing businesses, voting, creating laws and acting as engaged citizens.

The Finance Park, for students in grades seven to 12, will allow them, after classroom preparation, to build monthly budgets based on their income and family structure. In addition, they will make decisions regarding housing, transportation, insurance and other vital matters, Merkel noted.

Specifically, the center will have 15 branded storefronts, two interactive kiosks, a pet service station and a special device to add surprise expenses to test the young people’s financial decision making, she explained.

“Industries represented will include banking, media, health care, hospitality, engineering, higher education, transportation and many more,” Merkel added.

In the bigger picture, the JA center is more than a collection of business opportunities for young, budding potential business people. It’s part and parcel of efforts to keep more of them in the Mahoning Valley, and for the youngsters and their friends to know they can be successful and feel fulfilled here, Guy Coviello, the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s president and chief executive officer, said in his remarks Tuesday.

Creating and sustaining growth in the region has been a top priority for the chamber, especially in the last three years, he added.

“We’re proud to strengthen our partnership with Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio through the expansion of JA BizTown and Finance Park,” Coviello said. “This initiative aligns directly with one of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s top priorities — retaining our young talent.”

To bolster his remarks about the importance of continued growth and the need to “fill jobs we are rapidly growing,” Coviello alluded to Foxconn’s announcement Monday to use the former General Motors car assembly plant in Lordstown for its artificial intelligence operations, which points to the Taiwanese electronics company’s commitment to the Valley.

Coviello called the company’s decision “a defining moment for the Valley and our regional economy.”

The JA center also will welcome students from schools in Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties who are in a 90-mile radius of the facility, Merkel said.

“The center is more than a project; it’s a long-term investment in our students, our schools and our future workforce,” she said.