Retail innovation focus of new Saint Mary’s University partnership

Vince Kennedy and Ryan Jackson, co-founders of BluShll

Innovation and the future of the retail sector were the focus of an event at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market. 

“Encouraging innovation is fundamental to the change our province needs,” said Labi Kousoulis, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. “It is important for our entrepreneurs to have the supports in place to help take their ideas to the next level, and that we celebrate these successes.”

The event, held during National Retail Week, celebrates some of the early results of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Saint Mary’s University and the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market. The agreement established a retail space at the market called The Shelf, representing the first outpost of the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services’ Retail Imagination Lab.

“We established The Shelf to support our local producers and artisans,” said Julie Chaisson, executive director of the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market. “This partnership will allow us to extend our support into new areas of innovation and technology that may not otherwise have been possible.”

Retail innovations range widely, from data-informed store layouts to video shelf talkers and robot sales associates, to virtual reality online and interactive digital environments. The Shelf will provide a setting to carry out pilot projects in a controlled space, with researchers there to observe, record and analyze the results.

“Studying consumer behavior in a real retail setting is a daunting task, but our professors and students embrace this challenge,” said Saint Mary’s University president Robert Summerby-Murray. “Through our partnership with the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, we combine exceptional researchers with experts on local businesses in the retail sector to create an environment where innovation can take shape.”

BluShll, a student-led business from Saint Mary’s that helps shoppers quickly and easily learn more about the products they buy, recently tested their product at The Shelf.  BluShll helps to satisfy the desire of the socially-conscious consumer for more information about where products are sourced and to learn more about the company that sells them.

“The Shelf was an amazing venue for us to test our product and hear directly from consumers,” said Ryan Jackson, co-founder of BluShll. “We received some great feedback from people visiting the market that will be instrumental in taking our product to the next level as we prepare to develop it to enter the market.”

Saint Mary’s launches new Innovative, Creative and Entrepreneurial Mindsets Fund, calls for proposals

Saint Mary’s University invites faculty, students and staff to develop activities, events, research and teaching to enhance creative, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking.

Successful proposals will be supported through the new Innovative, Creative and Entrepreneurial Mindsets Fund.

The learning outcomes that we aspire to have all students graduate with and that this fund will help develop are:

1. Development of critical thinking skills and good judgement/discernment
2. Ability to identify problems and seek opportunities through discovery and design thinking
3. Capacity to cultivate new ideas and solve problems
4. Courage to take a risk and resilience to deal with failure
5. Aptitude to move to action and take advantage of opportunities/create social and economic value
6. Self-reflection and ability to learn from both mistakes and successes
7. Understanding of alternative ways of organizing (e.g. cooperatives, collectives, nonprofits, social enterprises, for-profits, start-ups)

Call for Proposals

Proposals are invited from individual Saint Mary's faculty, students and staff as well as from Departments, Programs, Societies and groups of individuals. The primary applicant must be a member of the Saint Mary’s University community. Applicants will provide a detailed plan including a budget (normally expected to be in the range of $1,000 to $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000/per application) with expected outcomes and agree to share what they learned in a seminar, published article and/or workshop. Applicants are encouraged to be creative in their approach and to wisely use the money they apply for. The budget is not to be used for course releases or for curriculum development activities that are a normal part of faculty teaching responsibilities.

Possible projects include everything from design thinking workshops for staff and students across the university to pitch competitions for IP that can be commercialized or a community of practice using critical thinking to address wicked problems. Note that this not funding for a start-up.

Submission of Applications for Funding and Deadline

Applications for funding are to be submitted electronically to donna.filek@smu.ca and must be received by 4 p.m. on October 31, 2017.

More information and application form (PDF)

Enactus Saint Mary’s expand Square Roots Token Program before departure to Enactus World Cup

(Left to Right) King of Donair co-owner Nicholas Nahas; Basha Lebanese co-owner Chico Rashaydeh and his father, Khalas Rashaydeh; the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab; Saint Mary's University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray; Ray's Lebanese Cuisine owner Hady Bahliss; and Enactus Saint Mary's co-presidents Meredith Drost and Valerie Caswell. 

Enactus Saint Mary’s students are proving that business and social good can be one in the same. Enactus Saint Mary’s students created the Square Roots Token Program, which aims to help address food insecurity and reduce food waste in the province.

On Tuesday, September 19th, the newest restaurant to take part in their Square Roots Token Program was announced. King of Donair’s four locations on Quinpool Road, Lacewood Drive, Windmill Road and Sackville Drive, join pioneer restaurants Basha Lebanese on Inglis Street, Rys Mediterranean on Spring Garden Road, and Ray’s Lebanese Cuisine in Bayer’s Lake.

“I hate waste, especially when it comes to food which is why I was more than excited to join the Square Roots Token Program,” says Nicholas Nahas, co-owner of King of Donair. “I would love to see greater accessibility for the tokens and more businesses join so that food waste is not even a concern in the city. I believe in this the program and hope it succeeds not only as a business owner but as a graduate of Saint Mary's University.”

Two students holding the Square Roots tokens.

The program works by offering tokens for $5 which can be purchased and given to someone who is known or seen to be in need. The tokens are then redeemable by the recipient for a meal made from surplus food ingredients from partnering restaurants.

The announcement comes just ahead of the team’s departure for London, England, where they will pitch the Square Roots Token Program at the Enactus World Cup. The Enactus World Cup takes place from September 26-28, and will mark Enactus Saint Mary’s first time on the international stage.

“This is what we mean when we say Saint Mary’s students are citizens of the world,” says Saint Mary’s University President, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “It’s thinking how your day-to-day work and activities, even while you’re a student, can have a beneficial impact on others outside the university, community and indeed around the world.”

Enactus is the largest student leadership organization in the world, striving to solve environmental, social and economic issues through entrepreneurial action. With over 150 students involved on campus, Enactus Saint Mary’s is one of the chapters leading the charge on the national, and soon to be, international scale.

“Our Square Roots Token Program began in April 2017 and we are so excited about the amazing response and support that we have received from our partnering restaurants in Nova Scotia,” says Meredith Drost, Co-President of Enactus. “It is truly inspiring to see the passion to reduce food waste in our own community from our customers and partners. Our team is also thrilled to have the opportunity share our program with the world when we travel to the Enactus World Exposition next week in London, England. We would not be here today without the amazing support of Saint Mary's University, the Sobey School of Business and the Business Development Centre.”

The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab attended the event today on behalf of Labour and Advanced Education Minister Labi Kousoulis to celebrate the program’s latest achievements.

"We all know that government alone does not have all the answers to the challenges we face. We have to look to the community and the private sector to find solutions. When this happens, we witness a powerful force for change,” says Ms. Metlege Diab.  "This new formula for success combines business acumen with social consciousness. It teaches us how human capital can be directed and best used. This will benefit our economy as a whole - and help us build a stronger Nova Scotia.”

As a show of support for the program, President Summerby-Murray said the University purchased 100 tokens to be delivered by the students to those in need. 

New Sobey School program helps entrepreneurs and companies expand to international markets

See the original story at http://www.smu.ca/academics/sobey/sell-beyond-borders-launches.html.

Retail Innovation Centre and Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market look to the future

Sobey School of Business student Drew Blair at The Shelf in the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

What will retail look like in 25 years?

By this fall, a new partnership aims to have a retail space in the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market offer a glimpse into that innovative future.

“Saint Mary’s University is committed to lifelong learning, supporting innovation and engaging with community, and this project, I am pleased to say, reflects all these commitments.”

— Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice President Academic and Research, Saint Mary’s University

This morning, representatives of the Market and Saint Mary’s University signed an MoU establishing the Seaport Market’s retail space called The Shelf as the first outpost of the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services’ Retail Imagination Lab.

Overlooking the harbour from the Galley on the second floor of the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, Executive Director Julie Chaisson pointed out that this event was steeped in history: Canada’s oldest continuously operating farmers’ market partnering with one of the country’s oldest universities, along with a research centre and business school named for one of Canada’s outstanding historic retail families, the Sobeys. “But this is not about the past—today, we look to the future.”

Retail innovations range widely, from data-informed store layouts, to video shelf talkers and robot sales associates, to virtual reality online and interactive digital environments. Which technology innovation should a retailer invest in? And how can the ROI be measured?

“This partnership will allow us to extend our support into new areas of innovation and technology that may not otherwise have been possible.”

— Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market Executive Director Julie Chaisson

These are the kind of questions that fires the imagination of researchers and retail analysts alike, and the Retail Imagination Lab will provide a setting to carry out pilot projects in a controlled space, with researchers there to observe, record and analyse results.

The David Sobey Centre will provide the experiments and innovation, and the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market will provide space, data access and other support through The Shelf. Students from Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business have been hired to establish the first set of innovations later this summer.

Julie Chaisson, Executive Director of the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, Executive Director and Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice President Academic and Research, Saint Mary’s University

13 Inuit leaders graduate with Sobey School Advanced Management Diploma

Advanced Placement students get a taste of university life at SMU conference

Saint Mary's President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray addresses AP students

Hundreds of top high school students descended on the Saint Mary's campus to get a taste of life at university.

The one-day Provincial Advanced Placement Conference was for students enrolled in AP courses in Nova Scotia high schools.

Students were introduced to the three faculties at Saint Mary's: Arts, Commerce (Sobey School of Business) and Science. Afterwards, students attended workshops focused on learning, curiosity and student leadership. Other sessions included introductions to university-level courses such as Astronomy, Biology, Criminology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Geology and Computer Programming.

Students reactions

Audio clips

Related information

• The benefits of Advanced Placement at Saint Mary's
• Why choose Saint Mary's?

Everyday Heroes: Sobey School of Business Convocation 2017

Saint Mary’s University student awarded the 2017 3M National Student Fellowship

Naina Garg

This week, Saint Mary’s University Economics and Finance student Naina Garg was one of ten students from across the country to be awarded the 2017 3M National Student Fellowship. 

“This fellowship provides me with an opportunity that I have been seeking since childhood,” said Garg. “I plan to use this national platform and the associated fellowship money to start my social enterprise project that addresses child labour and illiteracy in my home city, New Delhi. I have invested months of research and resources in developing my plan, and now I finally have the ability to address an issue that is quite close to my heart.”

Presented by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), Garg was one of over 90 highly accomplished contenders from various universities and colleges across Canada to apply for this prestigious fellowship.

“This award highlights the leadership role that Saint Mary’s students demonstrate throughout the world,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.  “Naina has worked for years with underprivileged children and children with disabilities in her home city of New Delhi. She has also been involved in research publications, coaching, tutoring and peer mentoring work through Saint Mary’s LEAP program, as well as a lead role with Enactus Saint Mary’s first women empowerment project based in South America called Options International.”

“Naina is an important part of our community at Saint Mary’s and I know I speak for all of us when I say it is incredibly fitting that her dedication to helping others is being recognized on a national stage.”  

The 3M National Student Fellowship Award was introduced in 2012 to honour undergraduate students in Canada who have demonstrated qualities of outstanding leadership and who embrace a vision where the quality of their educational experience can be enhanced in academia and beyond.

“Upon meeting Naina, you are immediately impressed by her intense desire to immerse herself in activities that help those in need regardless of if there are fiscal or academic benefits to her,” said Tom Brophy, Senior Director, Student Services at Saint Mary’s. “By focusing on others, she was instrumental in building one of the core Enactus projects to empower women in Peru. It now serves as an impactful platform for future generations of students.”

Each of the ten winners receives a $5,000 award as well as registration at this summer’s STLHE conference, which will be hosted in Halifax by five post-secondary institutions including Saint Mary’s University. 

Garg is quick to acknowledge the many team members involved in the award nomination process including Dr. Eric Lee, Dr. Mohammad Rahaman, Dr. Shayama Chona, Mr. Thomas Storring, Dr. Colin Dodds, Dr. Patricia Bradshaw, Mr. Tom Brophy and Mr. Alex Krimer.

“It is my honour to represent my alma mater on a national scale,” said Garg. “This award is a powerful recognition of the support and encouragement that Saint Mary’s University unconditionally offers to all its students, domestic or international. The incredible faculty and staff recognize potential in ordinary students and work with us to bring out our very best.”

Big win for Saint Mary’s students at international stock picking competition

Far left: George Athanassakos, Professor of Finance & Director of Ben Graham Centre for Value Investing @ Ivey Business School, Western University
Middle:  The Winners  Bill MacGregor, Dev Jyoty Nath, Morris MacLeod
Far right: Doug Winslow of Burgundy Asset Management one of the judges for the event. Burgundy is one of the sponsors for the event.

A team of MBA students from the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax has won an international stock picking competition, beating teams from prestigious universities around the world such as Columbia Business School, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and the Ivey Business School.  Bill MacGregor, Morris MacLeod and Dev Jyoty Nath competed last week in the Ben Graham Centre For Value Investing Competition at the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario.

This stock picking competition is different from others in that it focuses on the value investing approach to stock analysis. Value investing is the strategy used by high profile investor Warren Buffett, among others. The investor chooses stocks they believe to be undervalued, and buy for the long term. The team will split the $10,000 prize money – decent earnings for a few weeks of intense research.

From a field of 27 top-ranked business schools (see below), the Sobey team advanced to the final round in Toronto along with Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), Columbia Business School, and Ivey Business School. After presenting to a distinguished panel of value investors, the team was awarded 1st place and received a prize of $10,000!

The team greatly appreciated the opportunity to represent the school and would like to thank Ross Hallett, Thomas Storring, Mohammed Rahaman, Jeff Young, James O’Brien, Chantal Hervieux, Wendy Carroll, Colin Dodds, and the research resource team at the Patrick Power library for their invaluable support. The team advisor was Saint Mary’s marketing professor, Dr. Ethan Pancer.

Participating teams included:

• Carnegie Mellon (Tepper School of Business)
• CEIBS
• Columbia Business School
• Cornell University
• Fordham University (The Gabelli School of Business)
• IESE Business School
• Indiana University (Kelley School of Business)
• INSEAD
• London Business School
• McGill (Desautels Faculty of Management)
• Nanyang Business School
• Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management)
• NYU (Stern School of Business)
• Queen's University (Smith School of Business)
• Saint Mary's University (Sobey School of Business)
• SDA Bocconi School of Management
• The University of Manchester (Alliance Manchester Business School)
• UCLA (Anderson School of Management)
• University of California Berkeley (Haas School of Business)
• University of Cambridge (Judge Business School)
• University of Chicago (Booth School of Business)
• University of Notre Dame (Mendoza College of Business)
• University of Stirling
• University of Toronto (Rotman School of Management)
• University of Waterloo
• USC (Marshall School of Business)
• Western University (Ivey Business School)

Saint Mary's Students Win Atlantic CFA Competition

Sobey School of Business’ IMPACT Fund Managers Mitchell Norrie, Jorge Gonzalez, Mengqing Chen & Alex Fowler, winners of the Atlantic CFA Competition.

Congratulations to Sobey School of Business’ IMPACT Fund Managers Alex Fowler, Mengqing Chen, Jorge Gonzalez and Mitchell Norrie for winning the Atlantic Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Competition this past weekend.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition where university students work in teams to analyze and value a publicly traded company. Each team writes a research report on their assigned company with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation and is then asked to present and defend their analysis to a panel of industry professionals.

“We’re happy to see all our hard work has paid off after all the hours we’ve put into the competition since we started back in October,” said IMPACT Fund Manager Alex Fowler. “I feel confident in saying this is the most time any of us have committed to a single project and we certainly couldn’t have done it alone. We’d particularly like to thank our advisors for the competition, Ross Hallett and Mike Mills.”

The team represented Saint Mary’s University at the Atlantic Canada Local Level Competition. Cumulatively, the team put in over 500 hours of work to prepare their report and presentation. With this victory, the team will be advancing to the Americas Regional Competition in Seattle, Washington at the start of April, where they will compete against universities from across North and South America.

There are nearly 100 local level challenges across the world. The winner of each local competition advances to one of three regional competitions, with the winner of each regional event going to the global final.

The performance of the IMPACT Team in the Local CFA Challenge (i.e. Atlantic Region) has been consistently outstanding, as evidenced by their unprecedented streak of three wins.

 The IMPACT Program is unique credit program where students gain firsthand experience in finance, wealth management and portfolio management. Students on the IMPACT team are responsible for managing close to $500,000 in financial investments (mostly equity). They are in charge of portfolio rebalancing, asset allocation, security selection and stock valuation. In addition, the IMPACT program offers unique networking opportunities (a series of high caliber guest speakers from the industry, national and international competitions) and for community engagement and volunteering (e.g. Finance-Focused Career Fair & High School Trading Competition).