Access Generation

"The world has changed significantly in my lifetime, giving rise to a new generation of individuals who believe they can have the goods, services and information they want and need anytime, anywhere and in any way they want. Our society today is not defined so much by age or geography or culture, but by the belief that almost anything is possible. At FedEx, we understand these expectations because we helped create them. Our networks provide unprecedented access to the modern world.

As a parent, I see this “power of possibility” through the eyes of my children. As a business executive, I see how it is transforming our customers. Through either lens, it’s clear to me this access generation will continue to set the agenda for today’s global economy, seeking even greater access to everything they need and desire without regard to time or place. FedEx is in a great position to meet such expectations, creating opportunities across all business lines."

— Fred Smith, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx Corporation

In This Section

The Business of Sustainability Meets the Business of Marketing

When a small marketing class at Beachwood High in Ohio creates a Junior Achievement Youth Enterprise company to link sustainable businesses with potential customers, they learn their commitment to the environment isn’t at odds with entrepreneurship. In fact, they’re deeply connected.

One Company’s Waste Is Another’s Global Business Plan

A group of teenagers from Sweden turn a flooring company’s waste into trendy travel bags sold on two continents. How? By developing a business plan that incorporates international trade, environmental sustainability and global market expansion.

Young Entrepreneur Jumps Headfirst Into the Global Marketplace

Junior Achievement veteran Doug Wallbank hatched a plan to build a safety net around the world’s fast-growing access to the Internet. There was just one problem: finding manufacturers that could make his business viable.

FedEx Access Awards Go to Kids Who Think Differently

What does a 3-year-old trade-show company in Beachwood, Ohio, have in common with a Swedish travel bag business? They’re both led by teenage CEOs who understand the power of Access in the global marketplace.

Opening the Global Economy to Students

You could call today’s students the Access Generation, because they have lived their whole lives with the ability to connect with people all over the world.

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Access Defines Our Time
Gen-Y is the first generation to grow up in a world where people, organizations and nations have the ability to connect and interact so rapidly and widely around the globe, accessing the goods, information and ideas they want when they want them.
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Voice of the Next Generation Student Essay Contest
Students from as far away as China and Nigeria responded to the FedEx and Net Impact Access: Voice of the Next Generation essay contest. We asked college undergrad and graduate level students to tell us where Access will take us next, and the variety of responses was surprising.
The Business of Sustainability Meets the Business of Marketing

When a small marketing class at Beachwood High in Ohio creates a Junior Achievement Youth Enterprise company to link sustainable businesses with potential customers, they learn their commitment to the environment isn’t at odds with entrepreneurship. In fact, they’re deeply connected.

Student Essay Contest

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First Place
First place winner Edgar Bounds IV, from the University of Mississippi, takes a look back across his family’s generations to discover the personal importance of Access.
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Second Place
Second place winner Balakrishnan Rangan, from the University of Notre Dame, talks about how Access sheds light on ideas around the world, allowing us to connect and help each other in new ways.
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Third Place
Third place winner Nicholle Bittlingmeyer, from The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, discovers how Access has shaped modern communication and become a seamless part of her everyday life.
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First Place
First place winner Edgar Bounds IV, from the University of Mississippi, takes a look back across his family’s generations to discover the personal importance of Access.