Ft. McMurray, Alberta — This past weekend, five Portage College Business Program students from the Lac La Biche and Cold Lake campus locations made an impressive mark at the annual Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition in Fort McMurray.

Going up against teams from 10 other Alberta institutions, the Portage students competed in a live case scenario, analyzing complex problems, developing strategic solutions, and presenting their findings to a panel of judges. Their hard work and determination paid off as they proudly claimed first place.

The team, consisting of Nicole McIntosh, Monique Gutierrez, Melanie Bouchard, Stacey Webber, and Sheldon Close, demonstrated exceptional teamwork and analytical skills under pressure. They spent all of Friday isolated in a room analyzing the case, followed by a Saturday morning presentation to the judges where their performance stood out above the competition.

“I’m grateful to be part of such a strong and inspiring school,” said McIntosh, a 4^th year Business Student in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Program. “Winning this competition is an amazing way to close out my time in the BBA program. I’ve been fortunate to compete four times, and this year we had an incredible team. Our success came from trust, hard work, and collaboration.”

McIntosh also praised the program’s instructors and administration who coached the team to their win.

That praise flows back to the students from program staff.

“I am so proud of our students and the work they have done to prepare for this competition and how well they competed,” stated Allan Robertson, the Business Program Coordinator at Portage College. “Their motivation, ability to critically think and present solutions is a key to their success. They put a lot of time into preparation and take their craft very seriously, but also made sure the journey was fun.”

The team received invaluable support from instructor Brian Thorne and guest coach Dylan Craig, a former student and previous competition winner. Their guidance and expertise were key in shaping a strategic approach and enhancing their ability to tackle complex business challenges with confidence, stated Robertson.

“All the students truly represented Portage College and our Vision so well. A big thank you to the coaches and everyone involved in their preparation,” he continued. “They are an outstanding group of students and deserve congratulations.”

Gilbert Perras, the Dean of Career Programs at Portage College, said the win shows the high-calibre of students and instruction offered at Portage College.

“I am so proud of our students who competed against 10 other post-secondary institutions in the province, some that are much larger than Portage. Also, thank you to the coaches who did a great job of preparing our students for the competition. Portage students continue to impress." he said.

About the Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition

The Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition brings together Business students from post-secondary institutions across Alberta to compete in a real-world business case scenario. Teams are challenged to analyze and solve business problems within a limited timeframe and present their solutions to a panel of judges.

For more information on the Portage College Business Programs, please visit our website here.

From Back Left: Allan Robertson, Jessica Lipton, Mark Dunn, Michael Sieger, Brian Thorne, Sheldon Close.

From Front Left: Dylan Craig, Melanie Bouchard, Nicole McIntosh, Stacey Webber, and Monique Gutierrez.

Program Inquiries:

Portage College

780-623-5551 or email

Media Inquiries:

Corporate Communications Department

780-623-6671 or email