While most kids grew up watching cartoons on TV, Adrian Niman, B.Comm ’07 (HAFA), was watching cooking shows like the Urban Peasant. His childhood fascination with food was more than just a passing phase. An apprenticeship at Mark McEwan’s North 44 restaurant in Toronto whetted Niman’s appetite for a culinary career at the age of 16. “That’s when I really started to appreciate food and everything that went into it,” he says.
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.
Julian Brass, a notable B. Comm. graduate of Hotel and Food Administration in 2006 founded Notable.ca, Canada’s first digital publication that provides relevant and engaging content for young, ambitious and trendy professionals. Julian launched Notable.ca in 2008 which has become the leading source and lifestyle guide for young professionals (aka: YPs) across Canada. Julian and his professional teams definitely live by the website’s tagline, “Young. Professional. Connected.”
CME strives to develop Leaders for a Sustainable World, and Bruce Sargent is one student who epitomizes this vision. Bruce is a fourth year Marketing Management major and a seventh generation dairy farmer. Bruce has taken his educational experience far beyond the classroom through co-operative experiences, professional competitions and the formation of his personal business, Farm Boy Productions. Although he’s only starting his fourth year this fall, Bruce states, “Accepting my offer to study at UofG has been the best decision of my life. I have est
As co-founder of ON Communication Inc., based in London, Ont., Robert Boyer, MBA ’00, uses a simple tagline to describe his role in the company: “I connect the dots.” With a background in farming, a math degree and his current work with international clients in a variety of industries, Boyer has learned to link dots many people wouldn’t think to connect.
The Co-operators Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship (CBaSE), housed within CME, recently celebrated the fifth annual Nicol Venture Creation Competition, which aims to promote student creativity at the University of Guelph. The Competition encourages students to develop business plans for innovative products and services, and consists of a pitch round and a final round. Judges of the Nicol Pitch Competition were quite impressed with Basket, a mobile application created by four Marketing Management students.
Michelle Chan has planned a pumpkin sale for United Way, raised funds for Think Pink and joined committees for Relay for Life. Not to mention, she’s also organized a fundraiser and she’s only completed two years at University. Michelle is one of many students who embraces student organizations in the College of Management and Economics. Michelle is a Hotel and Food Administration Co-Op student in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
While many Canadian business schools have begun to appreciate the importance of environmental issues, environmental concerns and issues of sustainability have always been central to the College of Management and Economics. Students interested in these areas have the opportunity to take courses focused on corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Zakiya Pirani is a Human Resource Management major who recently completed an Applied Business Project course focused on corporate social responsibility.
Ron Ting continually asks himself, “Why not?” before making decisions in life. Ron is a recent graduate of the Real Estate and Housing program who won third place for his website idea, LeoBold, in the 2012 Nicol Entrepreneurial Competition.