Okanagan College Media Release - May 6, 2008

Communication is a critical skill in business and Okanagan School of Business students are demonstrating they are among the best.

For the fourth time in the last five years, a team of Okanagan College business students has departed the prestigious international business strategy competition in San Diego with the award for Best Reports.

The Okanagan College team of Janta Quigley [CEO], Sarah Duthie [VP Human Resources], Trevor McAleese [VP Operations], and Danny Robert [VP Finance] were participating in the 45th Annual Inter-Collegiate Strategy Competition, hosted by the University of San Diego. The team was managing a simulated LED light manufacturing firm, Cassiopeia Lighting Solutions.

Okanagan College business students started competing in this international competition for undergraduate and graduate business students in 2004, and each year they have brought home an award for their performance in writing their Strategic Plan and Annual Report. This year they beat competitors from major US and international university schools of business in the category.

Their reporting efforts not only earned them the prize, it also earned the attention and praise of Pamela Stambaugh, one of the judges. Stambaugh (the owner of Accountability Pays and a Chair at Vistage, which describes itself as The World’s Leading Chief Executive Organization) asked for copies of the students’ reports so she could show her corporate clients examples of what their own reports should be like.

“We had an outstanding team that worked hard over the 5-6 months of their preparation and competition,” said Okanagan College Professor Norm Letnick, who coached the team. While the January-March stage of the competition is on-line each week, the real test comes with the team submitting their reports to the judges and then defending their strategic decisions in those reports during the three day intensive stage down in San Diego.

“Communications was a key part of the students’ preparation for this competition,” explained Letnick. “It reflects the importance of that critical skill in running and sustaining a successful business.”

“This went beyond just learning business for us, as it directly related to life,” said Quigley. “It has tremendous future applications.”

Quigley and Duthie are among 203 Okanagan College students who will graduate with their Bachelor of Business Administration degree this year. Quigley is planning to go on to post-graduate education at the University of London (Queen Mary College) to become a lawyer, while Duthie is going to a human resources job.

Robert and McAleese will complete their BBA next year before pursuing their careers. Finding work after finishing their degrees isn’t likely to be difficult - each of the team members was approached with job offers from companies present at the competition.

That’s something that has happened every year that students from Okanagan College have participated, said Letnick.