Four business students proudly represented Prince George at the 2019 Western Canadian Business Awards Competition (WCBC).
Luke Veeken, Katrina Rosche, Chad Whyte, and Alyssa Boyce took home the award for the best strategic plan at the competition, which took place from March 8 to 10 in Kelowna.
The WCBC is an annual business competition where students develop strategies to beat the competition in a simulated business scenario.
The students competed in the action camera and drone industry coming up with the best strategic plan for their company Edge Initiative and coming in second overall in the simulation.
“We are all in the same market and competing for the most profits,” explains Veeken. “So when someone gets more market share they are taking from the competition just like in the real world.”
During the competition, the students also took on the roles of CEO, chief financial officer, human resource manager, operations manager, or marketing manager.
“Within the simulation, you choose design aspects of the cameras and the drones as well as marketing aspects across four regions,” says Rosche, who served as the group's human resource manager.
“It was quite intense,” adds Rosche. “When we were down there we only took breaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Veeken says the group put in about 40 to 50 hours each to develop the business plan, which they started working on in February.
“I think it’s great Prince George has a team to compete in something like this and it’s a really great experience for all of the students that have done it,” says Veeken. “You’re having conversations on a business level which is something you don’t really get in a school setting.”
“It was definitely more of a professional business setting than an academic setting which was interesting to have a chance to dive into,” adds Rosche.
WCBC has been hosted by Okanagan College since 2016 and includes a junior division, which the group from CNC competed in, as well as a senior division.
