Okanagan College Media Release

A team of Okanagan College business students has set a new record; they are the only Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team in Western Canada to have won first place in two categories at the regional SIFE competition in back-to-back years.

The College students competed in two events at the regional competition, which was held in Calgary on Feb. 27. Teams of four and five presenters competed with support from the entire SIFE Okanagan team as well as that of faculty advisors, Dr. Kyleen Myrah and Garth Maguire, both of the Okanagan School of Business.

After making compelling presentations, both of Okanagan College's teams won first place in their respective categories: Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy. There were 11 teams from four western provinces that competed.

"This is an incredible accomplishment for the SIFE team at Okanagan College to win the Regional Round of Competition for two years in a row in the HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge and the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge,” said Amy Harder, President, Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE). “This is a testament to the exemplary work this student team is doing and the incredible economic impact they are having in their community."
 
The Entrepreneurship team consisted of Mike Blonde, Travis Fleming, Deepak Garch (all from Kelowna) and Rob Fulthorpe (Vernon). They competed against: the University of Calgary, Thompson Rivers University, the University of Alberta, Brandon University and Simon Fraser University.
 
Okanagan College's Financial Literacy team, consisted of Andrew Malashewsky, Mark Wilms, Wes Wright, Melisa Veregin (all from Kelowna) and Brant Jackson (from Vernon). According to Myrah, the team faced a tough group of judges, delivered an amazing presentation and answered the questions with poise and confidence to take first place. They competed against: the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta, Brandon University and Mount Royal College.

The teams have now qualified to compete at the national competition in Toronto in May. The SIFE Okanagan team won $3,000 ($1,500 each team), met key contacts at the event’s career fair and several students were approached by industry leaders for positions within their companies.

"Our team's successes in the 2008/2009 season can be attributed to tremendous work ethic, passion to make real-world differences and the rising support throughout Okanagan," said Michael Blondé, 2009 President of SIFE Okanagan. “The judges were impressed with how entrenching our projects are on a grassroots level; they could sense the community spirit and backbone of entrepreneurial strength.

“We would like to thank our key partners and sponsors whose support is critical to our success: Okanagan School of Business; School District Career Programs; EDC; HSBC; Grant Thornton, BDO Dunwoody, Hotel Eldorado, Lakebreeze Winery, and BDC.”

Examples of some of the projects SIFE Okanagan has been running this year and which they presented on were the young entrepreneurs Dragon’s Den competition, fraud prevention seminars, a high-risk youth financial literacy program and solutions small business consulting, explained Myrah.

"The work the students are doing is outstanding,” said Myrah. “Their leadership skills and professionalism was recognized at the recent competition. Their projects are impactful and are making a true difference in our community. It is an honour to be part of such an inspiring group of students - they are truly our leaders of the future."

“I believe the team’s collaborative approach, their discipline, knowledge of the subject matter, and their affinity for successfully meeting challenges are at the core of their success,” said Maguire.