The Lazaridis Review - Issue One

Lazaridis Business Review

Entrepreneurs Wanted The Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship & Social Innovations aims to help to build your business

Alumni Corner

Say cheers with noteable Laurier alumni, co-founder and CEO of Steamwhistle Cam Heaps

ISSUE

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Meet your Lazsoc Clubs With 19 clubs and 4 committees, LazSoc wants to make sure you find your home

Editor’s Note

Hayley McGoldrick

There’s a lot that makes the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics special; the faculty, the drive, the passion, the involvement, the alumni, and most importantly the current students. So many people put their heart, soul and time into this school to make it what is is, and the Lazaridis Review is a monthly curation of the happening around Lazaridis that aims to showcase these hard working individuals to give them the recognition they deserve.

Between dedicated faculty, 19 clubs and associations, 4 committees, over 6000 current students and countless alumni, Lazaridis is one of the top schools in Canada and adds to the value of Laurier being the #1 school in student satisfaction. The Lazaridis Review is by students, for students. You put in the work to make a name for yourself, and we want the world to know it.

Hayley McGoldrick Lazaridis Review Editor-in-Chief

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Business News eSports With over 300 million participants worldwide, the latest boom in the sports industry may not seem like it requires any athletics at all - welcome eSports. The phenomena of games like FIFA, NBA 2K and MADDEN have become so popular that the acquisition of the eSports league came at a price point of $87 million. The NBA has launched their own league, the NBA 2K League, and many teams in the MLS have signed professional eSports athletes to compete in FIFA tournaments like the eMLS Cup.

Dating Every couple on the planet now seems to be a pair who met on a dating site, and thanks to ones like Tinder and Bumble, the online dating industry has now created a worth of about $12 billion.

Not only do these sites have premium features members can pay for to increase their chances of finding their soulmate, but even stocks for these sites can be sold at almost $70 per share. Research shows that over half the people on the internet are single, and dating apps will have over 300 million users by 2020.

Tinder’s revenue is estimated to reach $815 million this year, so whoever said money can’t buy happiness must have never swiped right.

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Smart Speakers Though it may look like Jeff Bezos seems to be buying out everyone and running the world, it’s because Amazon has become the standard for new products. The Amazon Alexa devices, which are smart speakers, have been copied by companies like Google with their Google Home, and Apple with their HomePod, with Samsung to follow suit shortly. Unfortunately for Google and Apple, with all full sizes of the devices sitting at around $300 a piece, Amazon sets the standard among consumers.

Amazon however has surpassed the surface level AI device that can tell the time, temperature and play your favourite song; the Alexa device has become a powerful tool for Amazon consumers to be able to repurchase items right from the comfort of speaking to their own inanimate object.

Cannabis With cannabis becoming legalized on October 17th across Canada, and with $9.7 billion in legal sales happening in North America in 2017, a 33% increase since the year prior, they jumped into the market at the perfect time. Sales are projected to increase at a compound rate of 28% by 2021 and raise the total sales of legal marijuana to over $20 billion. Currently in Ontario sales are all done online, but as of April 2019 stores will be licensed to sell the product to anyone over the age of 19.

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Deca Laurier

DECA Laurier is a renowned chapter of DECA University - an international organization that promotes professional development through case competitions, delegate training, and networking opportunities. With a presence at Laurier spanning over a decade, DECA Laurier has proven monumental in providing students with real world, challenging, and exciting opportunities to improve and showcase their success in various competition style events. As the largest business case competition club on campus, DECA Laurier strives to serve nearly 300 delegates through multiple conferences and mentorship opportunities throughout the year.

Our C

Enactus Laurier

Enactus Laurier provides a platform for teams of outstanding university and college students to create community development projects that put people’s own ingenuity and talents at the centre of their livelihoods, such as projects like EarthSuds, Mighty Hawks and others. An annual series of Regional and National Competitions provide a forum for teams to showcase the impact of their outreach efforts and to be evaluated by executives serving as judges.

Golden Speakers Club

The Golden Speakers Club allows members of the Laurier community to share their stories while improving their public speaking skills. Throughout the year, the Club hosts a variety of impactful and often life-changing events, such as a Speaker Showcase and a Public Speaking Boot Camp. This year, our goal is to introduce students to different corporate fields through our alumni network and assist them in recognizing the how skills developed through these events are transferable for careers in the business industry.

Human Resources Laurier

Human Resources Laurier (HRL), a new addition to the LazSoc portfolio of clubs, aims to provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in the diverse field of Human Resources. Our goal is to shed a light on the many fields within HR such as consulting, compensation and recruitment. Through events like Careers in HR, that include panelists to help answer questions and network with, HRL is the club to join for all things human resources.

Laurier Accounting Association

The Laurier Accounting Association (LAA) boasts the largest member base of any club at Laurier, reaching over 650 Laurier students in the 2015/2016 academic year. Through working closely with leading national accounting firms as well as organizing a wide variety of events such as their Co-op Dinner and Business Leadership Conference, LAA provides resources that allow students to create connections with leading industry professionals.

The Lazaridis Stud student-led organ of 6,000 undergr Business & Eco at Wilfrid Laurier Lazaridis Students a link between s and members of business and econo Besides supportin each of the 19 Laza economics clubs and 4 committee puts on events incoming first yea Lazaridis Network formal and Year En

Laurier Consulting Club

The Laurier Consulting (LCC) operates with the intention of improving the knowledge and technical skills of Lazaridis students through our two dynamic portfolios. The Engagement portfolio offers workshops, networking events, information sessions, and large-scale case competitions. The Consulting portfolio allows students to apply what they have learned at the Engagement events to real consulting engagements setup with local startups and managed by the executive team.

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Laurier Economics Club

Clubs

Laurier Economics Club (LEC) allows students to explore their passion for economics and meet like minded individuals. They are unique in that they are the only economics focused club at Laurier. LEC’s goals are to foster an interest in the field of economics throughout the Laurier community, as well as provide educational assistance in a variety of economic courses. LEC offers a diverse range of events including conferences, networking events, info sessions, and mock midterms.

Laurier Investment & Finance Association

Laurier Investment and Finance Association (LIFA) is the largest finance related club on campus that strives to help position members for a career in finance.

LIFA holds weekly meetings, competitions and network- ing events and a highly anticipated Capital Markets Mixer.

Laurier Insurance & Risk Association

dents’ Society is a nization comprised raduate Lazaridis onomics students r University. The s’ Society acts as students, faculty, the surrounding omics community. ng the events that aridis business and and associations s put on, LazSoc like O-Day for ars, as well as the king Gala, LazSoc nd Gala.

The Laurier Insurance & Risk Association (LIRA) has been established to connect our student body to many evolving areas within insurance and their professionals. As companies look to hire young talent, we are committed to developing a network to foster valuable mentorship and enable recruitment from Laurier.

Laurier Marketing Association

The Laurier Marketing Association (LMA) is dedicated to undergraduates interested in marketing. LMA’s flagship event is the Inter-University Case Conference, partnering with SML to host marketing associations from other universities across Ontario to compete in a weekend-long case competition written by the Platinum Sponsor of the event.

Laurier Sales Association

As the only club focused entirely on sales, the Laurier Sales Association (LSA) provides a unique opportunity where students can develop and improve their soft skills, all while being presented with real life networking and hiring opportunities. Whether it is through workshops, training from industry professionals, sales competitions, or even trips like touring the SalesForce offices, LSA is the perfect place for anyone interested in sales.

Real Estate Laurier

Got an interest in marketing, sales, finance, economics, or investments? Real Estate Laurier is a club dedicated to providing opportunities to apply your relevant business skills in the oldest and most misunderstood asset in the business world. With events like Intro to Real Estate and getting to tour real estate offices like Slate Asset Management, Real Estate Laurier is the perfect club on campus for any interested in the industry.

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Sports Management Laurier

SML makes it possible for individuals to pursue their dream career in all facets of the sports management industry, highlighted by our three core pillars: the Brand, Agency, and Broadcast sectors of the sports management industry. With events ranging from charity golf tournaments to trivia night to MLSE case competitions, SML believes that if you work hard, you can play hard too.

SOS Laurier

Students Offering Support (SOS) is a national network of student volunteers who offer comprehensive Exam-Aid review sessions right before midterms and finals for classes like BU 111 and BU 121 to raise money for sustainable education projects in Latin America.

Startup Laurier

Startup Laurier brings Waterloo’s entrepreneurial culture to Laurier’s campus.

We strive to bring like-minded students together to pursue their passions and ambitions by facilitating programs that engage students with the local entrepreneurial community. Specific programs that the club hosts that caters to these interests are Startup Chats, their Winternship program, and Startup’s flagship event: Entrepreneur’s Exchange.

Sustainability in Business

Sustainability in Business Laurier exists to foster the future leaders of our environment. We empower students to learn about corporate sustainability, volunteer at local organizations, and implement projects that create tangible impact with events like Sustainability in Fashion, to find out how to reduce waste in the fashion industry.

The Advertising Project

The Advertising Project is dedicated to providing eye-catching, dynamic advertising for local enterprises and not-for-profits through digital and print media to help businesses soar above the competition. The Advertising Project provides student initiatives in the form of case competitions, agency tours and workshops to help cultivate the love of advertising for young professionals.

The Link

The Link’s mission is connecting past, present, and future students within the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, the community, and internationally by promoting leadership and networking opportunities in a professional manner. The Link’s flagship events include the Leadership in Business Conference, the International Student Leadership Conference, and the Steer Your Career networking event.

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Women in Leadership Laurier

Women in Leadership Laurier (WILL) focuses on promoting equal opportunity and continuous learning. WILL strives to provide leadership skills, resources, information and support needed to succeed in today’s professional environment.

We aim to empower young women to pursue success through bringing together like-minded students and business leaders from across the country. WILL’s flagship event is the WILL to Succeed Conference which includes keynote speeches, workshops, and a networking session.

Committees JDC Central JDC Central is a team-based, academic case study competition where students participate in the most prestigious event of its kind. JDC competitors participate in rigorous academic case simulations, a debate competition, athletic, social, and spirit events throughout a fast-paced and competitive weekend. JDC Laurier’s pride, dedication, and wealth of superior talent has resulted in seven straight championships in seven years of competition.

Leaders of Lazaridis

Leaders of Lazaridis is a Lazaridis Students’ Society committee that integrates natural born student leaders into career building opportunities with current innovative leaders of today. Whether you’re developing skills or career interests, Leaders of Lazaridis will provide you with insight on how to become a leader in your industry through workshops, guest speaker events, and networking opportunities with professionals who started in the same classrooms as you.

Out in Business

OUT in Business is dedicated to engaging with the LGBT+ and Allied community here at Laurier. We aim to create a diverse and proud community on campus, while also connecting students with personal and professional development opportunities, which help to expand career horizons. Through engaging and connecting with industry officials and successful role models we strive to help foster the tenacious leaders of tomorrow.

XLerate Lazaridis

XLerate is a commitee run exclusively for first year Laurier Business and Economics students to help ease the transition from high school to university. We aim to help each student maintain a balance of academic success, community involvement and social development; all needed to help you survive and thrive in your first year at Laurier.

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The Schlegel Centre Ranked the #2 university for future entrepreneurs, students at Laurier are blessed with multiple options to enhance their experience, and the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation is the place for creative young minds to find their passions with some of the most advanced tools available. We sat down with executive director Laura Allan to discuss the three pillars that the Schlegel Centre runs on: Learn, Try, and Do.

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Learn

With courses, options and specializations available for young entrepreneurs to learn about the academic fundamentals of entrepreneurship, this is a great first step to being able to gain knowledge in the world of entrepreneurship. “These courses

Try

The Schlegel Centre aims to prepare students for the future in every way possible; not just giving them a concept and expecting them to suddenly have a business. Programs like the Science Maker Lab and the Library Maker Space encourage students to learn new software and create in every sense of the word, whereas Schlegel’s newest program, Sandbox, aims to give students the intermediate step between having a

Do

Laura, who is the faculty advisor of Enactus, encourages students to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to the table, regardless of whether it’s a way to enhance their student experience or is a full-on business idea. Enactus and Startup Laurier are two entrepreneurial focussed LazSoc clubs that aim to bring students closer to their goals, whereas the Communitech Hub and LaunchPad are incubators to take a minimum viable product and turn it into a

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are where you learn about your basics of entrepreneurship, they offer the background fundamentals; they are a gateway into the next step of taking that knowledge and applying it to the real world,” Allan said.

business idea and having their minimum viable product. “With programs like Sandbox, it’s exactly what it says; it’s like playing in the sandbox. We want people to play around with their ideas before they take them to Launchpad,” explains Allan. “A lot of times people have an idea but they don’t have a final product to go to Launchpad with, so we want this to be an opportunity to try, and fail, and try again with their ideas.”

fully functioning business. Recently, Schlegel has also partnered with RBC’s Future Launch Program where 5 students per term are given co-op level wages to work on their startups, something they would not have time to do being a full-time student on top of supporting themselves financially. Schlegel has always pushed for students to be able to reach their goals, and with RBC’s financial help, they can take the next step into building the future of entrepreneurship.

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Calendar of Events November Sunday

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Monday

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Thursday WILL 1 Unilever Mentorship

Friday

Saturday

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Lazsoc’s Movember Kickoff

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6 LSA TEKSystems Sales Workshop

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DECA Discover Presented by DCM

Leaders 18 of Lazaridis Lift of Leadership The Link x JDCC Case Analysis & Career Skills

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LAA’s Co-op Dinner

SML 8 MLSE Case Introduction Lazaridis Networking Gala

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9 LMA Marketing Case Competition

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Out in Business Free Linkedin Headshots

19 HRL Table Top Networking

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Real 10 Estate Laurier Career Fair DECA Discover Presented by DCM

17 SML x Movember x The Link Ball Hockey Tournament

LCC x 21 LSA Mackenzie Investment Case Competition WILL Networks

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SML 24 MLSE Case Competition LIFA x PRISM Stock Pitch Competition

Photo: Laurier News Communications

The Winner’s Circle The Lazaridis School of Business & Economics is thrilled that 4 of our own, Matthew Donovan, Ruslan Nikolaev, Mike Ross and Samantha Sells travelled to Budapest, for the Solvers’ Cup – an international case competition, and have brought home the first place trophy.

The competition had both 4-hour and 10-hour case competition, and 12 international teams were present in Budapest, as well as additional

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teams competing online for the skill showcase.

The team worked with alumni partner Srin Sridharan, partner at Waypoint Investment, as well Sofy Carayannopoulos, associate professor at Lazaridis.

The Lazaridis School is always proud of the hard work, accomplishments and efforts students make within the school, and is excited for them to be recognized on an international stage.

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Interview with Steamwhistle If you had any advice for young entrepreneurs, what would your best piece of advice be?

“I guess I have a few opinions on this; a lot of people have ideas, ideas, ideas, and they don’t have the force to start a business. I think one of them is fears or insecurities of not having a job, and they don’t want to leave the financial security of that and take on a startup, which is a non-paying job and also requires money. My advice there is nobody has to quit their job to write a business plan, to research an industry, to get a few bucks to sample a product.

You can eliminate a lot of the risks before you make that huge leap.”

If small risks are eliminated, what is holding people back?

“People often think they need a lot of money to start their own business. You don’t need a lot of money; you just need an incredibly good idea that’s very well articulated surrounded by a bunch of passion and is able to come through in a business presentation. There’s lots of people who have money who don’t want to start a business but would love to invest behind a young exciting person who could be a good financial client.

So for your product, what makes you different from everybody else?

“We put all our energy into what we do, the quality of the product, we have a secret ingredient called passion. We will not sacrifice that for anything.

We’re one of 10% of breweries globally who still make beer the true, natural way, as it was always intended.”

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Cam Heaps (right) with co-founder Greg Taylor/Contributed Image

When it comes to entrepreneurial minds, Laurier has no shortage of intelligent students who go on to successfully develop themselves, develop products, and develop ideas.

Laurier alumni and Steamwhistle co-founder and coCEO Cam Heaps (BA ‘95) is proof that a great idea and a driven mindset can get you to where you want to be.

After working in the beer industry for many summers and upon leaving university, Heaps worked for Upper Canada Brewing Company until the company was sold to Sleeman and Heaps lost his job due to the company no longer existing. On a canoe trip in northern Ontario, Heaps along with other ex-coworkers, decided they would quit their jobs in other industries and get back into brewing, and started Three Fired Guys Brewing, which ultimately went on to become Steamwhistle.

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The Lazaridis Review is a collaborative effort of many of the bright, talented students the school has to offer. Each of them put countless hours into this publication, and are forever grateful for those of you who choose to put your interest into what we create. Each month, we will continue to showcase the diverse talents that exist within this community, and we hope you’ll continue to join us for the journey.

Love, The Lazaridis Students’ Society & The Lazaridis Review Team

Want to contribute to The Lazaridis Review? Email hayley.mcgoldrick@lazsoc.ca or mahad.aamir@lazsoc.ca to inquire about getting involved.

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