Featured Profile

The well-being of the environment, society and business are core focal points for Lianne Foti when communicating the mission of ‘my world, my choice!’. Lianne Foti is an Assistant Professor and Faculty Advisor for Marketing and Consumer Studies who shares CME’s value of sustainability through her role as co-founder and executive director of ‘my world, my choice!’, an educational program that teaches students about sustainability and challenges them to grow as leaders in their schools and communities.  

When Rob Henderson decided to go back to school at the age of 35, he knew he was going to be one of the oldest students in his class, but that didn’t stop him from enrolling as a mature student at the University of Guelph. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” says Henderson, who received his B.Comm. at winter convocation 2012. “Growing up, I had to leave school early and go to work, so I’ve always tried to upgrade.”

The Governing Board of the Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET) together with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) have jointly awarded Department of Economics Prof. Ross McKitrick a $107,250 grant for his 3-year project “State-Contingent Environmental Policy”.

The CIGI-INET Program on New Economic Theory, Practice and Governance serves to advance research on issues of critical importance to economics and international governance.

Adam Machan is the poster child for posters. Chances are you’ve seen his work on bulletin boards around campus. As the founder of Adhelp, a U of G organization that offers free graphic design services, he has designed posters and logos for various student groups.

When Kristin Hohenadel takes photos of newborn babies, she doesn’t dress them up in costumes or put them in flowerpots, like some photographers do. “I try to dial down the cheesy factor and put a more modern spin on it,” says Hohenadel, a fourth-year psychology student.

Josh Leyte-Jammu is proof that you’re never too old to have a piggy bank. It’s just one of the ways the fourth-year economics and finance student saves money.

“My parents got me a bank account when I was four and they’ve been teaching me everything there is to know about money since,” he says.

Lee Piccoli couldn’t wait to graduate from U of G and start his own business. While his fellow classmates were applying for jobs, he left a few credits shy of graduation in 1997 to follow his dream. It was a risky decision, but it paid off for Piccoli, who is now the president of Fusion Homes, a house-building company that topped $50 million in sales this year.

What you buy is just as important as how and where it was made, says Lena Lam, one of the co-founders of Ethical Ocean (www.ethicalocean.com), an online marketplace that sells more than 4,500 ethical products from food and clothing to cosmetics and electronics. “I think it’s important to know that our purchasing decisions have an effect on society and the planet,” says Lam, B.Comm. ’05 and M.Sc. ’08.

At first glance, the Bottle Bin looks like any other recycling bin, but it’s not a blue box; it’s a black box designed for collecting empty beer, wine and liquor bottles. Fill it with ice, and it also doubles as a cooler. If you’ve ever struggled with carrying a cardboard box full of empties to the liquor store, only to have the box fall apart in the parking lot, you’re not alone. Trevor Williams, B.Comm. ’09, and his brother, Chris, conducted their “market research” for the Bottle Bin in Beer Store parking lots.

CME recognizes the value of entrepreneurship, and the Nicol Entrepreneurial Competition is designed to promote and reward the entrepreneurial spirit of students at the University.  Participants are required to develop complete business plans for their innovative products and services.  The 2012 winning team, LIVE, went above and beyond and presented an impressive business plan.  Kent Santin and Benjamin Bond, two recent Marketing Management graduates, have been instrumental in the development of LIVE.