Alumni & Friends Network

ACCE 10th Anniversary: Algonquin Alumni Says Ottawa Offers Endless Possibilities for Skilled Trades Grads

In honour of the tenth anniversary of the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE), we caught up with a few ACCE alumni to see what they’re up to now.

When Jeff McCoy decided to get out of a job he didn’t like, and into the trades, he chose Algonquin for his training mainly because it was convenient.

Now working as a licensed plumber, and having completed two trade programs at the College, McCoy believes he couldn’t have chosen better even if his education options had been far wider.

He was impressed by the flexibility of the instructors in his courses who readily adapted to different learning styles. “With the trades, one person is not always going to learn in the same way as the next person,” says McCoy. “I found (the Algonquin instructors) were really good in accommodating.”

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Women’s Entrepreneurship Day: Entrepreneur Thrives Serving up Sweet Treats to her Capital Customers

In honour of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19, 2021, we are profiling a few Algonquin students past and present who are entrepreneurs.

The Cupcake Lounge has been an Ottawa success story from the day the first outlet opened in the ByWard Market in 2011. Not even a pandemic could diminish the consistent appeal of this haven for dessert lovers established by entrepreneur and life-long baker Claudia Arizmendi.

“We have a very strong business,” says Arizmendi, President and CEO of The Cupcake Lounge and a graduate of Algonquin College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program (Class of 2007). “At some point, people began to worry that we were too focused, that cupcakes were a trend that might fade. But we held firm because we felt that a cupcake is like a slice of a really good-quality cake, baked fresh and in a perfect single portion.

“That’s what I wanted to give to my customers right from the start and that’s what they keep coming back to enjoy.”

Arizmendi moved to Canada from Mexico in 1994 and started a family shortly thereafter. At this stage, the prospect of one day launching her own business was little more than a dream.

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Four AC grads compete in Search Engine Optimization contest.

Wix SEO BattleThe SEO battle is on!

A company which includes four Algonquin College graduates has been invited to compete in the Wix SEO Battle, a competition that pits two teams against each other to see who can get their website ranked highest on search engines.

Marie Haynes Consulting, the company that employs the four graduates, is an online consultation start-up focusing on helping clients improve their online presence by making their webpage more search engine friendly. Continue reading →