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SIFE NIAGARA COLLEGE CLAIMS FIRST-EVER NATIONAL TITLE
| Submitted: May 25th, 2010
By: |
Niagara College’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team claimed the 2010 TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge National Championship at the 2010 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) National Exposition, which took place recently in Calgary.
The SIFE Niagara College team was represented by graduating fourth-year Bachelor of Applied Business-International Commerce and Global Development student, Kari Spry (Cobourg, ON), past President of SIFE Niagara, presenter and team leader on the presentation team; graduating second-year Business-Sales and Marketing students, Yusuf Serag el-din (Sudbury, ON), Ethics Manager of SIFE Niagara and presenter, and Tarig Serag el-din (Sudbury, ON), VP Marketing of SIFE Niagara and presenter; and graduating third-year Business Administration-Marketing student, Akwasi Nti Bonsu (Welland, ON), Program Manager of SIFE Niagara and technology operator. Business professor Robert Greene serves as SIFE Niagara College Faculty Advisor.
“This is the first time Niagara College has brought home the National Championship title,” said Greene, who was recognized with the John Dobson ACE Fellow of the Year Award for his commitment and support of the Niagara College team. “We are very proud of the hard work and dedication put forth by our students, while supporting many local Niagara businesses.”
The SIFE Niagara College team claimed the national title with dedication to underprivileged cooperatives in developing countries, aspiring student entrepreneurs and current business owners. All projects in operation are at no cost to the participants.
Through the Fair Trade Niagara project, SIFE Niagara College helps create economic opportunities for underprivileged cooperatives in developing countries, while creating international and local jobs.
Currently, the team is working with over 300 entrepreneurs from countries such as South Africa, Peru and Brazil. The project provides training to Niagara College co-op students before they depart overseas to work one-on-one with the entrepreneurs. To date, the project has generated over $123,000 in economic opportunity in these countries.
The team’s "Ready. Set. Succeed." project educates and assists entrepreneurs in the Niagara Region in creating a sustainable business through one-on-one mentorship. Currently, this project supports 11 local businesses, with a collective economic impact of over $500,000.
Nearly 1,000 of Canada’s brightest university and college students, as well as academic professionals and top Canadian CEOs, participated at the annual exhibition. The event attempts to actively engage future generations of leaders around a shared cause of creating a stronger country. The exhibition features six competitions, including the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Prior to winning the national title, the SIFE Niagara College team claimed the 2010 TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge Regional Championship at the 2010 ACE Central Canada Regional Exposition, which took place March 8, in Toronto.
Founded in the mid-1980s, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) is a national, charitable organization that is teaching and igniting young Canadians to create brighter futures for themselves and their communities. ACE delivers a team-based program called Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and an individual-based program, the Student Entrepreneur National Competition. These programs provide university and college students access to real world experience, through the implementation of outreach projects and business ventures that complement in-class studies. Students involved in ACE make a meaningful contribution to their communities today, and discover their potential to achieve an even greater impact as the leaders of tomorrow. Last year, ACE students created 600 jobs, logged 260,000 volunteer hours, impacted 63,000 people, and generated over $40 million in economic activity. ACE is currently established on over 50 post-secondary campuses across Canada.
Niagara College is one of Ontario’s 24 publicly-funded Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. With 8,000 full-time students, Niagara College offers more than 90 diploma, baccalaureate degrees and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, and the College is home to the globally-recognized Niagara Culinary Institute and Niagara College Teaching Winery. In 2008, Niagara College launched an unprecedented $90 million campus redevelopment project, which is scheduled for completion in 2011. For more information, visit www.NiagaraCollege.ca.
For more information, contact:
Robert Greene
Professor, Business and Entrepreneurship Niagara College
905-641-2252, ext. 4132
rgreene@niagaracollege.ca
Kari Spry
SIFE Niagara College
905-969-0342
karispry@hotmail.com
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