Business

Their decision to ignore the obvious and search for the unexpected paid off for Lakeland College’s entry in the Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition.

The team of Natasha Zeitz, David Dahl, Jenna Dudding and Jaclyn Paslawski placed third in the 11 team competition that ended Saturday in Lethbridge. In addition to the recognition the business students at the Lloydminster campus received, they also pocketed an award of $1,500. First place and $4,000 went to Medicine Hat College’s entry while NAIT’s team earned $2,500 for finishing in second place.

The challenge for the teams in the case competition was to develop a business strategy for Bridge View Custom Cabinets, a fictional cabinet-making company. After ten hours in the “war room” on Friday where the students have no contact with faculty advisors or the public, Lakeland’s team of second-year students emerged with a PowerPoint presentation outlining a strategy to solve the company’s marketing and growth issues. One problem was that the company only accepted cash or cheque for payment. Lakeland’s team suggested using Square, an electronic payment service that accepts credit cards through mobile phones.

Friday night was spent finalizing the team’s 12-minute presentation which was delivered to judges Saturday morning.

“The first solution we discussed seemed too obvious. We thought everyone would use that solution so we decided to go another direction and find something different, which was using smart phone technology as a way to take payment,” says Zeitz, the team’s captain.

“The team really stepped out of the box with their solution and their presentation,” says Doreen Der, the team’s faculty advisor. “Their presentation was excellent and they handled the judges’ questions very well.”

Zeitz admitted that the competition was stressful but because of their preparation and great teamwork, it didn’t take long to determine a plan of action. In fact, they were the first team done on Friday.

“This was one of the best weekends of my entire school year. Yes, it was nerve-wracking but it was a great learning experience and it was fun. It allows you to take what you’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to a real-life situation,” she says.

Lakeland’s team was sponsored by Servus Credit Union, Hawkings Epp Dumont LLP/Smith and Roby, Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Carol Davison, and Lakeland College Business Department.

“We appreciate the support we received from our sponsors and also the guidance we received from Doreen. We definitely couldn’t have done it without her. She didn’t let us quit – she kept pushing us to get better and it paid off,” says Zeitz.

In photo: With Doreen Der are students David Dahl, Jaclyn Paslawski, Natasha Zeitz and Jenna Dudding.