Benny H. Curl & William T. Daniel Jr. named 2025 JA Savannah Business Hall of Fame Laureates

Savannah, GA — Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA of Georgia) has named Benny H. Curl, Chairman Emeritus of Byrd Cookie Company, and William T. (Bill) Daniel Jr., Principal at Lassiter Investments, LLC and Retired Vice President and General Counsel of the Vaden Automotive Group, as their 2025 JA Savannah Business Hall of Fame Laureates.

Celebrating its silver anniversary, Junior Achievement of Georgia is proud to host the 25th annual gala and continue the tradition of honoring titans of the Savannah business community, presented with generous support from our Diamond Sponsor, Memorial Health. The black-tie event will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.

Benny H. Curl, a Savannah native and U.S. Army veteran, built a distinguished career in accounting and business leadership after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1968. In 1988, he and his late wife Kay purchased Byrd Cookie Company, transforming it into a nationally recognized family business celebrated for its award-winning flavors and innovative packaging. Under his leadership, the company earned honors including the Georgia Family Business of the Year, while Benny himself was inducted into the Specialty Food Association’s Hall of Fame and received its Lifetime Achievement Award. Beyond Byrd, Benny held leadership roles with the Georgia Specialty & Wine Association, the International Specialty Food Association, and First Chatham Bank, where he served as Chairman of the Board. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Benny’s legacy is defined by his entrepreneurial spirit, community leadership, and commitment to family.

William T. Daniel, Jr., a forty-five-year Savannah resident, is the owner of Lassiter Investments, LLC, and retired in 2020 as Vice President and General Counsel of the Vaden Automotive Group, where he helped expand the family business into a regional automotive leader. Prior to joining Vaden, he practiced law in Savannah and served in the Carter Administration as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Daniel has held numerous leadership roles in healthcare, education, and philanthropy across Savannah, serving boards at Memorial Health University Medical Center, Savannah Christian Preparatory School, and the Georgia Methodist Foundation. He has also been active in civic initiatives, including the Savannah Chamber of Commerce and the Savannah Compact, and has been recognized locally for his leadership, including Savannah’s Rotarian of the Year. Married to Linda Vaden, Daniel is a devoted father and grandfather, and he and his family remain actively engaged at Isle of Hope United Methodist Church.

In addition to the formal induction of Curl and Daniel Jr., the evening will welcome guests to a cocktail hour, where attendees are welcome to bid at the infamous Whiskey Wall, and enjoy some light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. The 25th JA Savannah Business Hall of Fame will start the program with a seated dinner, followed by a tribute to the ground-breaking programs JA of Georgia is bringing to the Savannah-Chatham County area, and concluding with a champagne toast to Savannah’s newest laureates.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Benny and Bill into our esteemed laureate society,” said Craig Tootle, Director of Development and Volunteer Partnerships for JA of Georgia in Savannah. “Both gentlemen’s contributions have never gone unnoticed within our community; however, we are fortunate to recognize them on such a special year- our 25th anniversary.”

Curl and Daniel Jr. will join the ranks of Savannah’s most distinguished leaders, alongside names such as Sam McCachern, Dale Critz Sr. and Jr., Paula Deen, and so many others. To learn more about the JA Savannah Business Hall of Fame, our laureates, or to purchase a ticket, please visit Georgia.ja.org/hall-of-fame-savannah. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event, please email Craig Tootle at ctootle@georgia.ja.org.

About Junior Achievement of Georgia

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is a business- integrated education partner with expertise in experiential learning that successfully develops key mindsets and skills for students to lead meaningful and successful lives. JA’s high-impact programs drive long-term outcomes in areas of financial literacy, career readiness, and fostering the entrepreneurial spirit, and are delivered by corporate and community volunteers. JA of Georgia offers multiple programs, with a focus on middle and high school students, including JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, 3DE by Junior Achievement, and will soon be offering the JA Dream Accelerator. JA of Georgia has locations in Atlanta, Cumming, Dalton, Evans, Morrow, and Savannah. For more information, visit georgia.ja.org

The Skills Economy: Careers Without College

Redefining Career Readiness

According to job search site Indeed, career readiness is defined as “the process of preparing yourself to enter the workforce, and you may undergo this process as a high school or college student who is preparing to graduate. This involves learning new skills, creating goals, and preparing for a career.” 

For countless years, a high school diploma or college degree was sufficient preparation to enter the world of work. But in recent decades, and especially over the past several years, the emergence of the “skills economy” has called into question the value of traditional credentials like diplomas and degrees when it comes to being truly work and career ready.

Succeeding in the Skills Economy

The World Economic Forum defines the skills economy as “a transformational shift in how businesses and individuals think about professional value and success, placing individual skills – the skills we have and need, and our ability to acquire new ones – at the forefront of decision-making, while challenging the significance of traditional credentials and job titles.”

While there had been a growing disconnect between the alignment of education and employment going back to the 1990s, fueled by leaps in technological advancement and the expansion of the global economy, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) notes it was the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis that brought the skills economy to the forefront. During the Great Recession, it became apparent that many college graduates were taking on more student loan debt than they could pay off given their chosen professions. Employers began looking for other metrics to evaluate candidates, especially since not every career requires a college degree. HBR cites several large employers who have dropped degree requirements for many jobs.

Under the skills economy, employers seek skills that don’t necessarily require a college education. These include cognitive skills, such as strategic thinking, creative problem solving, teamwork, and communication. Leadership and team building are also valued, as are technical skills, such as digital literacy, data analysis, and programming. These skills can often be built up through experience via apprenticeships, internships, and on-the-job training, as well as through alternative pathways, like certifications and technical training programs. Employers have also begun using different means of assessing a candidate’s readiness for a job, including task-based tests, personality and aptitude assessments, as well as more traditional measures, such as work samples and references. Good-paying professions that don’t require a college degree include web developers, IT support specialists, medical and dental assistants, skilled trades, mechanics, and sales positions.

Education in the Skills Age

Despite the shift to the skills economy, a large portion of high-paying occupations still require a college degree. However, not all degrees are created equal, and college isn’t right for everyone. For instance, research by The Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education Foundation finds that 52 percent of college graduates in the United States are “underemployed,” meaning they are working at jobs not associated with their college majors and earning less than they could be.

One of the advantages of a traditional college education is that there was a clear end goal: a degree. Today, however, pathways to acquiring the necessary skills for fulfilling and rewarding careers aren’t as clearly defined as they once were. This is why coaching, mentoring, networking, and informed insights are so important for today’s young people as they begin to navigate education and future employability.

Our Response

Work and Career Readiness is a major focus of Junior Achievement learning experiences. By better aligning education with employment opportunities, with or without college, Junior Achievement is committed to helping the young people we serve achieve economic mobility.

What the Research Says

Junior Achievement’s approach gives students the tools to increase their chances of finding career success and satisfaction as adults. Findings from recent research of Millennial and Gen Z JA Alumni by Ipsos show that:

• Nine in ten JA Alumni report that the program played an important role in shaping their belief that they can achieve goals (89%), their personal development (88%), their career path (88%), and professional development (86%).

• Over half of JA Alumni say Junior Achievement positively influenced their work ethic (57%), career choices (56%), and money management (54%).

• Top career fields JA Alumni report working in include those with well-paying professions that don’t require degrees, including computers/IT, healthcare/medicine, financial services, and business ownership. 

• 83 percent of JA Alumni agree they have an extremely fulfilling career.

• 66 percent of JA Alumni describe themselves as “thriving”.

• 73 percent of Millennial and Generation Z JA Alumni describe themselves as middle class or as higher income. Research by Gallup shows that only 47 percent of Americans in those generations identify as middle or upper-middle class.