News

Very early last Thursday morning on November 20, the 16 student members of the 2014 OCMC team awaited in the lobby of C building, ready to board a bus to make the long journey to Collingwood, Ontario to compete in a province-wide Marketing competition OCMC. Before leaving, the students received greetings and well wishes from Cheryl Jensen, President of Algonquin College, and Dave Donaldson, Dean of the School of Business. This provided the students great inspiration.

The journey to Collingwood, was much slower than planned as a result of the wind and heavy snow but, once the students arrived, the whirlwind competition began. On Thursday night, the four members of the Quizbowl team (Aaron Quinn, Benjamin Valente, Hailey Hamilton and Samantha Guyan) battled on stage within their different teams, while the rest of the Algonquin team – students and faculty – raised signs, cheered, chanted and brought on the Algonquin thunder with a BOOM!!! Thank you to the Varsity Athletic department for the thunder sticks! In the end, after almost three hours, the team with Aaron Quinn finished in fourth place and had earned Algonquin their first point of the event.

The Case competitions were scheduled to begin early Friday morning but, after a few technical difficulties, and a 60 minute and then a 90 minute delay, the event was underway. The students and coaches adjusted schedules and handled all obstacles as professionals. After almost nine hours, all students had presented and had a chance to debrief with their Algonquin coaches. It was now just a waiting game to hear the results of the day at the ceremonies in the evening.

The coaches and the staff at Algonquin College are so pleased with the 2014 OCMC team and their performance. This team produced some of the best results of the past four years.

Here is a summary of the teams that placed in the top five: (At this time, we only have the results for the teams in the top five out of the 13 participating colleges)

1) Direct Marketing – Aaron Quinn and Morgan Devries (5^th place)

2) Retail Marketing – Cait Cutts and Kaitlin Hay (4^th place)

3) Marketing – Faith Pickles and Joey House (3^rd place)

4) Prospect Pitching – Samantha Guyan and Ian Lockhart (2^nd place)

5) Quizbowl – Aaron Quinn (On a team that finished in 4^th)

The entire OCMC team, coaches, Alumni and faculty are so proud of the 2014 OCMC student team. Every week since September, they have been working with their coaches for more than four hours every week training for this event. In the end, they are more knowledgeable, more confident and have developed skills that will be used next week, next month and for the rest of the careers. Thank-you team for all your hard-work and dedication.

Please also join me in recognizing and thanking our sponsors. Without their generous support and contributions none of this would be possible.

–Jim Neubauer and Erin Sparks

Co-coaches of OCMC 2014

OCMC Team: (Overall Team Leaders – Erin Sparks and Jim Neubauer)

Quizbowl Team: (Each member is placed on a different team comprised of four different Colleges)

Aaron Quinn (Finished in 4^th place)
Benjamin Valente
Hailey Hamilton
Samantha Guyan

(Coaches: Renay Dixon and Charmaine Akiwenzie)

Case Competitions:

Direct Marketing: Aaron Quinn, Morgan Devries (Coach: Jill Baker) (Finished in 5^th place)
Entrepreneurship: Kristy Fortin, Miranda Moffatt (Coaches: Harpreet Singh, Charmaine Akiwenzie, Jim Neubauer)
Integrated Marketing Communications: Madeha Irshad, Huda Syed (Coaches: Noni Stukel, Erin Sparks)
International Marketing: Hailey Hamilton, Kaitlin Hay (Coaches: John Hennessy and Norm Hotchkiss)
Marketing: Faith Pickles, Joey House (Coaches: Jeremy McQuigge, Erin Sparks) (Finished in 3^rd place)
Marketing Research: Emily Robinson, Benjamin Valente (Coach: Marg O’Brien)
Retail: Cait Cutts, Kaitlin Hay (Coaches: Cheryl Dowell, Nick Mele) (Finished in 4^th place)
Prospect Pitching: Ian Lockhart, Samantha Guyan (Coaches: Bill Garbarino, Jim Neubauer) (Finished in 2^nd place)

Individual Events:

Job Interview: Huda Syed (Coach: Ian Anderson)
Sales Presentation: Scott Fawcett (Coach: Wendy Threader)

When Algonquin College launched plans to replace more than a thousand beds at its student residence, a Waste Management employee in Ottawa helped turn the effort into a zero waste success.

The project took place while students were away for the summer break but the residence was still in use as a seasonal hotel, posing logistical challenges. Led by Sherry Stevenson, area manager, public affairs, Waste Management provided daily project management to ensure the college met its tight timelines and its zero waste goal, completing the project only a week after its July 14 start.

“This was a very big undertaking and we could not have done it without the help of Waste Management,” said Bryan Boudreau, Algonquin College facilities supervisor. “Sherry was proactive and thought of things that we would not have. Her professionalism and dedication to the college were outstanding.”
To achieve zero waste status, Stevenson and the college took a two-pronged approach to salvaging the 1,050 used mattresses, 1,050 box springs and associated metal frames.

First, they partnered with GRRO International, an organization that finds charities to accept donations of used furniture and hospital supplies. GRRO International shipped most of the college’s beds to the Dominican Republic for distribution to families living in poverty, many of whom previously slept on the floor.

“Our search for sustainable solutions for the college ended up boosting the quality of life for individuals in great need,” said Stevenson. “That’s the kind of win-win that becomes possible when we make a commitment to look beyond the landfill.”

Next, Stevenson arranged to recycle any remaining items unsuitable for re-use. Unusable metal frames went to a scrap metal facility and 518 mattresses and box springs in poor condition went to a mattress recycling facility in Laval, Quebec. Crews also placed plastic bags from the college’s new replacement mattresses into a designated compactor and sent them to Ottawa recycler Cascades Recovery Inc. This action diverted 570 kg (approximately 1,257 pounds) of plastic bagging from the landfill.

“Diversion is very important to Algonquin College,” said Boudreau. “Without the recommendations from Waste Management, all these mattresses would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.”

PHOTO (l-r) Mike Pershaw, Andreas Alvarez, Bryan Boudreau, all from Algonguin College, WM’s Sherry Stevenson, and the college’s Doug Batten and Charles McMillan.

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This story originally appeared in Waste Management’s employee newsletter.

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at Algonquin College, students will compete in an entrepreneurship tournament to either get “rich” or have fun trying.

Date of event: Thursday, November 20 in the AC Hub, Ottawa campus (Registration)

What:

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) at Algonquin College, the Algonquin Students’ Association and Office of Applied Research & Innovation invite you to our GEW 2014 feature event – a one-day Entrepreneurial Simulation Tournament.

Students, faculty, community partners and the general public are invited to experience TRACTION, an entrepreneurship simulation game recently featured in Forbes magazine.

The game, developed at and through a collaboration with Algonquin College Applied Research & Innovation, enables participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills in creating a start up company through two phases of pre- and post-revenue.

Students will have the opportunity to compete with and against successful real world serial entrepreneurs. Participants will have a chance to win great prizes, including a dinner and consultation with leading serial entrepreneurs, Starbucks gift cards and more!

Over the course of Global Entrepreneurship Week, students will get to:

• Check out the Algonquin College 2014 GEW launch video featuring the story of Algonquin College student Dmitry Klisch
• Visit the Students’ Association’s new Entrepreneurship site
• Learn more about on campus resources, such as the College’s Campus Linked Accelerator program and Applied Research opportunities
• Play the TRACTION entrepreneurial simulator
• Hear from Ottawa entrepreneur Pablo Srugo, owner of Gymtrack – a client of Algonquin College’s Office of Applied Research & Innovation

“We are thrilled to support Global Entrepreneurship Week and the many entrepreneurial activities going on across the College, ” says Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “We believe exposing students – across all of our programs and faculties – to the skills and knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs and graduates will enhance the economic prosperity of our community.”

There will also be GEW 2014 events going on at Carleton University and University of Ottawa.

Where and when:

Entrepreneurial Simulation Tournament

AC Hub, Student Commons Building, Ottawa campus

1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, ON

Thursday, November 20 from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Register

“We gather today at Algonquin College to honour the memory of our parents, grandparents, friends and relatives who gave of themselves in wartime, so that we could live in peace. It is thanks to their courage that we are able to live freely and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of living in Canada.”

With these words, Students’ Association President Christina Miller began the Woodroffe campus Remembrance Day ceremony. Joined by hundreds of students and employees, along with Canadian Forces veterans Mr. Maurice Lavoie and Mr. Ted Lawson, numerous members of the School of Military Mapping, and many others, the College came together for a solemn moment of silence recognizing the sacrifices of thousands of Canadians in conflicts around the world and close to home.

“This year, we are especially mindful of the bravery of our fallen soldiers as we reflect on the tragic events of the past few weeks,” added Miller. “Today we honor the memories of Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, as well as pay tribute to the heroic actions of our first responders and front line staff who continually work to keep us safe.”

Following the introductory remarks, there were four wreaths laid – one was laid by President Cheryl Jensen, on behalf of College employees. The second was laid by nursing students on behalf of Canadian nurses in wartime. The third was placed by Geomatics student Sapper Sebastien Renaud, on behalf of Algonquin College students. Finally, Jason Kicknosway, a Chippewa-Ojibway from Walpole Island and a current College student, laid a wreath in honour of all Aboriginal veterans, past and present.

Rewatch the ceremony at algonquincollege.com/live. View photos.

Watch the Pembroke campus ceremony here.

The Algonquin Thunder are once again champions of Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s soccer, defeating the four-time defending provincial champion Humber Hawks by a score of 1-0 at the 2014 belairdirect OCAA Men’s Soccer Championship hosted by Niagara College. With the win, Algonquin claimed its first OCAA championship since 2009.

The game served as a rematch of the 2013 gold medal game. It also served as a match-up between the 2014 OCAA goalkeepers of the year Alex Pothemont (Mississauga, Ont.) of Humber and Simon Brown (Ottawa) of Algonquin.

The two standouts gave up just combined six goals during 16 total regular season matches. Both keepers proved up to the task in the contest, as neither side was able to break the 0-0 tie during the first 90 minutes.

Finally, during the 105th minute, Kishoyian Kipusi (Kenya) found an opening and recorded the only goal of the game.

During the final 15 minutes of the game, Humber’s sense of urgency took over. The Hawks directed numerous quality scoring chances on goal, but were unable to beat Brown. He turned aside all seven shots he faced in the contest, and for his efforts was named to the tournament all-star team and overall championship MVP.

Congratulations also go out to the Thunder’s Stephane Emard (Ottawa), the 2014 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) men’s soccer player of the year. The third-year player appeared in all seven regular season matches and was a work horse in the middle of the pitch. Although he didn’t appear on the score sheet, Emard was integral to the Algonquin offensive attack, being credited with eight assists throughout the season.

The Algonquin co-captain is also an OCAA all-star and a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) all-Canadian.

For more updates from your Algonquin Thunder teams, visit algonquinsa.com/athletics. Go Thunder!

Woodroffe campus’ Remembrance Day service will be held in the Marketplace Food Court at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11. All are welcome to attend. A live stream link will be available at www.algonquincollege.com/live and a monitor and chairs will be set up in the ACCE foyer for additional seating – thank you to the Police Foundations program for organizing.

A Remembrance Day service will be held at the Pembroke Campus, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Pembroke Commons. During the service the cafeteria will be closed. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend this service of remembrance.

Perth employees are invited to join in the Town of Perth’s Remembrance Day ceremony at 10:45 a.m. at the War Memorial Hospital.

Congratulations to the Child and Youth Worker students! Their campaign through the month of October raised $835.39 for the Children’s Aid Foundation. The funds were the ‘bonus’ outcome of a month long, campus-wide, public awareness campaign hosted by CYW students to give voice to the importance and relevance of child abuse prevention. The cheque was presented Thursday October 30.

Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College are collaborating to support entrepreneurial youth

A $2-million investment by the Province of Ontario’s Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLA) program will support a new Capital Entrepreneurs program that will strengthen the capacity of local post-secondary institutions to support entrepreneurial youth.

Capital Entrepreneurs is a partnership among Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College dedicated to making Ottawa the best place to start and grow a business in Canada. The program, which is supported by Invest Ottawa, builds on the strengths of each institution, their alumni and their experienced entrepreneurs working in the community.

The collaboration is one of 10 approved CLAs in Ontario to support entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.

“Helping young entrepreneurs is another example of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy at work,” said the Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation . “These programs will help harness their ideas, their vision and their enthusiasm and turn them into jobs for today and for tomorrow. Their innovative spirit will build Ontario’s future.

A goal of the program is to provide youth aged 19-29 with broader and better access to entrepreneurial supports in the community. The educational outcomes will focus on mentorship and moving youths’ concepts from acceleration and incubation to creating institution-based, youth driven and community based startups in Ottawa.

The CLA program is an initiative of the Government of Ontario under the Youth Jobs Strategy and is being managed by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). CLAs are partnerships between universities and colleges and the province’s Regional Innovation Centres. OCE is a member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE).

“With these resources, we can engage more students and youth in hands-on entrepreneurial opportunities.” says Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen. “Algonquin is proud of the way we open our doors to the Ottawa community and we thank the government for supporting our efforts. We look forward to working with Carleton University and the University of Ottawa through Capital Entrepreneurs to grow the innovative spirit and mindset within our community.”

“The $2 million dollar grant to Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and Algonquin College places students first. It will provide support to launch and grow youth-led businesses, strengthen Ontario’s ecosystem for young entrepreneurs, and enhance the educational and training experiences of our students. We expect the main outcomes to be more jobs for youth and a more competitive Ontario,” said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte.

“The support of the CLA program to the Capital Entrepreneurs program enhances the uOttawa investment in our Entrepreneurship Hub programs. This regional partnership complements the entrepreneurship strengths of three post-secondary institutions and, together with Invest Ottawa, we are committed to driving creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement for our youth, our students and for our region” said University of Ottawa President Allan Rock.

Ontario is investing $295 million over two years in the Youth Jobs Strategy to help 30,000 more young people from across the province connect with the tools, experience and entrepreneurial support they need to find employment or start their own businesses. More than 20,000 job opportunities have already been created to date under the Youth Jobs Strategy.

“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario. I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success,” said Dr. Tom Corr, president and CEO of OCE.

Funded by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs is Ontario’s innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies and create jobs. For more information visit oneinnovation.ca.