International and National wins for Business Students’ Bright Ideas

The SIFE Ryerson team won big at the 2009 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship National Competition.

Creating innovative business ideas comes naturally to Ted Rogers School of Management students.

That’s why it’s no surprise that the student group DECA Ryerson took home gold at the 2009 DECA U International Career Development Conference, a networking and competition event for business students.

On Canadian soil, the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Ryerson group won seven awards at the 2009 Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) National Competition, where teams develop economic and learning opportunities for chosen target audiences in their community.

Forty teams participated from universities across Canada. The SIFE Ryerson team took several top spots at the competition, winning first place in the HSBC SIFE Financial Education Challenge, second place in the TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Challenge, second in the Walmart SIFE for the Greener Good Challenge and second in the overall competition.

“The ACE National Competition is unlike all other competitions. In most competitions, students work hard for a couple days during the actual competition. In contrast, the SIFE team is reporting on all their hard work achieved during the prior year,” said Professor Steve Gedeon, faculty advisor for the SIFE Ryerson.

The first place win in the Financial Education category was for Start Smart, a program SIFE Ryerson created that gives secondary school students the necessary tools to save money for their future. Members of SIFE Ryerson teach students about the importance and value of financial planning and encourage them to open savings accounts rather than use pay-day institutions.

Andrea Belvedere, president of SIFE Ryerson, says that SIFE wouldn’t be as successful without the support of the faculty and staff at the Ted Rogers School of Management.

“Ryerson University was awarded by ACE Canada for having ‘The Most Supportive Campus Administration.’ This national award truly reflects the commitment that Ryerson faculty and administration have towards furthering SIFE Ryerson and empowering us to make a real difference,” Belvedere said.

Click Here for the Article