Outstanding students, professors and staff recognized

Kingston, ON – April 5, 2013 – The Commerce graduating class was out in full force to celebrate the end of their four-year journey. The Dean’s Scene — an evening of presentations, a few speeches and a reception in the Bio-Sciences building — brought together the Commerce Class of 2013, faculty and staff for the festivities.

Class Valedictorian Ben Jain gave a thoughtful and rousing speech, and the following awards were presented by Dean David Saunders.

* Comm’74 Award — for contribution to the class during their four years in non-academic, non-athletic matters, to Nicola Plummer.

* Comm’96 Award —for contribution to the spirit of the graduating class in its final year, to Katherine Moraca.

* Outstanding Contribution to Student Success — to the IT Help Desk.

* Comm’89 Award —the Professor-Student Life Award, to Professor David McConomy.

*Commerce Society Teaching Excellence Award — to Professor Peter Kissick.

Jeffrey Ralphs, Comm’14, KRG Racing

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 29, 2013 – Jeffrey Ralphs, Comm’14, took top honours at the annual Paul and Tom Kinnear Business Plan Competition held March 28 at Goodes Hall. His venture, KRG Racing, is a paddling equipment company that engineers, manufactures, and markets high performance products to help flat-water paddlers of all levels excel in their sport.

Says Jeffrey, “The competition served as the impetus for me to develop and write a comprehensive business plan with a clearly defined strategy and execution plan. I was able to bring to life the skills and knowledge I gained through my Commerce studies in the process.”

Jeffrey faced some challenges in competing. He is on exchange in Australia, studying at the University of Adelaide.

“Being on exchange on the other side of the world and delivering my presentation at 1:00 a.m. over Skype wasn’t easy, but it all came together,” he says.

Established in 2008 by Dr. Tom Kinnear, BCom’66, LLD’02, the competition awards the winning team $5,000 to launch or further the ongoing operations of its venture. Each year, teams that comprise at least one QSB Commerce student submit their business plans. After a preliminary round, the final four teams present to a panel of judges that selects the winning team.

This year, the judges were: Jane Wu, BCom’12, a past winner and co-founder of Penyo Pal, a mobile application that teaches English, French and Mandarin language skills; Dr. Shyam Ramchandani, a Queen’s adjunct professor in Opthamology and CEO of Lab-2-Clinic Solutions Inc.; and Elspeth Murray, BSc’85, MBA’87, Associate Dean, Queen’s School of Business and Director of the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing.

Nick Pateras and Carolyn Saunders

TORONTO, ON – Mar. 26, 2013 – Two QSB Commerce students captured second place honours at the seventh annual Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec (CNTAE) competition. Carolyn Saunders and Nick Pateras shared $5,000 in scholarship funding from Chevrolet Canada as well as a Microsoft prize package.

This nationwide case-study competition drew 200 entries from students at 30 universities, so the competition was fierce. Contestants were tasked with developing a marketing plan for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox in Canada.  Two students from the University of Guelph won the grand prize of two 2013 Chevrolet Cruz LTZ RS.

The CNTAE competition is dedicated to providing experiential learning opportunities for students interested in the marketing and advertising industry. The top ten finalists had the opportunity to interview for internships offered by GM, PepsiCo and Canadian Tire.

The competition is entirely student-run with the support of sponsors and advisors. For more information, visit http://www.topadexec.com, http://www.facebook.com/cntae, or follow the competition on Twitter at @TopAdExec.

Natalie Fisher and Gary Tam compete at the NCSC in Atlanta

KENNESAW, GA – Mar. 4, 2013 – Commerce students Natalie Fisher and Gary Tam made quite an impression on judges at the US National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) at Kennesaw State University, outside Atlanta, GA.

Gary placed fourth overall while Natalie placed 7th in a field that comprised 134 competitors representing 67 universities across the US (QSB was the only international  team that competed at the undergraduate level.) Based on a points system, QSB placed second overall in this prestigious annual competition, now in its 15th year. The pair were coached by QSB sales and marketing faculty member Jim Hamilton.

The NCSC is the largest and oldest role-play sales competition in North America.  The format of this year’s competition required students to become subject matter experts on corporate sponsor ADP’s first free mobile payroll app and then role-play closing the deal with a potential client, all the while facing numerous objections and distractions.

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 25, 2013 – Throughout much of the month of March, Commerce students exercised their entrepreneurial chops in support of a good cause. The annual Queen’s Micro-Credit Challenge is a student-run micro-financing initiative that gives budding entrepreneurs experience in running their own businesses, with profits from these ventures benefitting Kiva, which offers micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing nations. 

Teams create and operate their businesses for one week, using $100 provided by the Commerce Society as start-up capital. More than 25 students from various faculties participated, fielding eight teams who had access to QSB faculty mentors to help guide their efforts. 

This year’s winning enterprise is Knots for Kiva, led by Kathy Sihavong (ArtSci’16), Jenna Ellis (ArtSci’16), and Sarah Chin (Con-ed’16), mentored by Jean Paul de Silva, MBA’10, Founder and Managing Director of Social Focus Consulting.

They produced hand-made charm bracelets from string and common items provided by sponsor Canadian Tire.  By integrating social entrepreneurship and sustainable practices into their business project, Knots For Kiva successfully raised more than $650 in profits.

KINGSTON, ON  – Mar. 20, 2013 – Student volunteers descended on local Kingston charities to volunteer their time, talents and creativity at the annual Commerce Has Heart event on March 20. This year’s efforts benefited non-for-profit partners Martha’s Table, Dawn House Women’s Shelter, the Boys and Girls Club, Canadian Cancer Society, and Habitat for Humanity.

Organized by the Commerce Society, this year’s event attracted 80 Commerce students who rolled up their sleeves and helped with renovation efforts at Dawn House Women’s Shelter and Martha’s Table by painting many of the rooms. Students at Canadian Cancer Society also helped in making donation boxes and rolled over 20,000 pennies.

A lot of juice and cola was consumed in the 54 hours students had to develop a business from scratch.

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 3, 2013 - Students from across Ontario and Quebec descended on Queen’s to attend the inaugural Queen’s Startup Summit, March 1 to 3. In the space of 54 intense and exhilarating hours, delegates pitched and fleshed out their business ideas in the hopes of snagging cash prizes totalling $8,000.

The Summit was organized by 3rd-year commerce students Richelle Ji and Jordan Han along with a team of engineering, computer science, arts and science, and commerce students at Queen’s. It was modelled on the world-wide phenomenon Startup Weekend that has been offered in 100 countries since its 2007 inception. Queen’s Startup Summit is an outlet for students to collaborate, innovate, and try their hand at starting a business, all in a risk-free environment.

Attending the Queen’s Summit were 81 delegates from Queen’s, McGill, Waterloo and U of T representing a mix of disciplines and backgrounds. The weekend kicked off with Listn co-founders Matt Rabinovitch and Mike Schmidt’s highly motivating presentation before delegates pitched their initial ideas to the full group. Ideas were then voted on and delegates joined teams which sparked their interest, with each team comprising a mix of generalists (with business, marketing, PR or other expertise), graphic designers, and web developers. Teams worked throughout the weekend to develop their concepts with the help of roving mentors who offered their feedback.

Following the final pitches on Sunday afternoon, the judges delivered their verdict:

* $5,000 was awarded to “Drip,” a social application that tracks users’ blood donations, books future donation appointments, and offers a friends leaderboard that “gamifies” and promotes blood donations.

* $2,000 prize went to “Nightlife,” a social application that shows events taking place at local bars and clubs and also tracks whether the user’s friends are in the vicinity.

* $1,000 was awarded to “Backtrack,” an application that compiles information from multiple sources, features and social media on the user’s smart phone to document the user’s activities over a specific period of time.

Visit startupqueens.org for more information.

Feb. 28, 2013 – Queen’s Commerce students descended on Cochabamba, Bolivia, during Reading Week in late February to volunteer their services at C.A.T.D, a local government-run orphanage for children with disabilities. During their 10-day trip, the students helped build a new water restoration/filtration system, painted murals and relished the opportunity to interact with the children through games and other activities.

Can’t see the video? View it on youtube

The 23 Commerce students were chosen as part of the Queen’s Commerce Initiative Abroad (Q’CIA), an annual international volunteer initiative that targets a different country in the developing world.

Q’CIA, established in 2007, operates under the auspices of the Queen’s Commerce Society, the undergraduate student government for Queen’s Commerce. This year, Q’CIA worked with Projects Aboard, a philanthropic organization with over 20 years’ experience in sending volunteers overseas.

The students raised funds to cover their expenses and were also supported by sponsors IAMGOLD, Tridel, and the Kolias Family Boardwalk Charitable Trust Fund.

Recent Commerce graduates celebrate with Prof. David McConomy at the School’s reception recognizing their ICAO Convocation.

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2013 – Queen’s School of Business (QSB) graduates gathered at the Westin Harbour Castle to celebrate their success on the annual Chartered Accountants’ Uniform Evaluation (UFE) exam at a special reception hosted by the School. The country’s newest CAs were also in town for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Annual Convocation ceremony.

Over the last nine years, Queen’s graduates have achieved a 90 per cent or higher pass rate on the exam — which is unprecedented in Canada. This year, Queen’s Bachelor of Commerce graduates achieved a pass rate average in excess of 95 per cent for first time examination writers.

The reception was hosted by accounting professors George Boland and David McConomy. A highlight of the evening was the announcement that $760 had been raised by these appreciative Commerce grads. Their donation to the Canadian Cancer Society was made in honour of Prof. McConomy.

QEC top prize presented by David Warshafsky, QEC Co-chair (left) and judge Bob Shoniker, BCom’69, MBA’70, (right) to the MouseHouse winning team from the University of Chicago. Bob’s MBA’70 class has directed their class gift to support QEC.

Feb. 12, 2013 – Kingston Goodes Hall was often filled to capacity with delegates and competitors attending Commerce Society-run conferences and competitions at the start of the winter term. These events attracted business students from across Canada and around the world. They also provide invaluable leadership experience for undergraduate students responsible for all aspects of these major events, including marketing, financial management, sponsor solicitation, communications and logistics.

Impressive attendance numbers and the enthusiasm of the participants made for a highly successful slate of events, summarized below.

• ICBC—The Inter-Collegiate Business Competition’s 35th anniversary took place Jan. 3-5. See Jan. 16 News Blog item. icbconline.ca

• Q3C—At the Queen’s Commerce Corporate Challenge on Jan. 10-12, competitors tackled cases on topics ranging from marketing summer blockbusters like the Harry Potter and Transformer films to online strategic decision-making for the New York Times. Speakers included Miscia Zhang from Oliver Wyman; Erin Flemming and Albert Altinonante from Chubb Insurance; and Matthew McWhirter and Chris Ho from Deloitte Consulting. q3c2013.ca

• QMAC—Queen’s Marketing Association Conference (Jan. 10-13) marked its 28th anniversary with the theme, “Transforming Consumer Value: Transcending Expectations Across Synergized Marketing Platforms.” Speakers included Michael Samoszewski, Director of Coca-Cola; Michael Yue, Account Executive at Google Canada; Annie Young-Scrivner, President and EVP of Starbucks; and Kevin Banderk, CEO of Koodo Mobile. Other highlights were the Colgate-Palmolive & Unilever mini-case challenge and the final round of the Labatt QMAC Challenge. The conference attracted 86 delegates across several Queen’s faculties as well as 44 external delegates from 16 other Canadian universities. qmac.ca

• QCIB—Queen’s Conference on International Business welcomed 84 delegates from 14 Canadian and international universities at its 6th annual event held in Toronto Jan. 17-20. The theme, “Seizing Opportunities in a Global Marketplace,” attracted students from UBC to Newfoundland’s Memorial University, Japan’s Rikkyo University and the University of Western Australia. The Chubb Insurance Case Simulation, held at St. Lawrence Market, used real-time market data to facilitate time-sensitive decision-making. Other highlights included a case competition hosted by KPMG and presentations by such industry leaders as Pat Bolland (Sun News Network host), Ali Velshi (Chief Business Correspondent, CNN), Phillip Crawley (CEO and Publisher, The Globe and Mail) and Aron Gampel (Vice-President and Deputy Chief Economist, Scotiabank.) qcib.ca

• QEC—Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition celebrated its 25th anniversary Jan. 17-19, by welcoming back its founder, Meredith Van Binsbergen, and the inaugural winner, Gerald Risk, BCom’90 graduates. Both spoke at the gala, sharing their memories of QEC’s somewhat humble beginnings and congratulating organizers on having expanded the competition’s reach to 18 teams from around the world, including Australia, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. More than 20 judges, many with strong ties to QSB, sat in judgment of 20-minute venture capital pitches by competitors vying for a share of $25,000 in prizes. The top prize of $15,000 was won by MouseHouse, a team from the University of Chicago. Their application enables researchers to track experimental data, health and complex breeding schemes of laboratory mice. theqec.com

• QSIC—Queen’s Sports Industry Conference brought together student delegates from across North America at its Jan. 24-26 event in Kingston. Standout speakers included Terry Evanshen, CFL Hall of Famer and motivational speaker; Mark Ditmars, VP Corporate Partnerships, Toronto Blue Jays/Rogers Sports and Entertainment; and Jonathan Savage, VP Product, Score Media Ventures. qsic.ca