SUNY Canton Business Students Advise Local Business Owner

CANTON, NY (03/03/2017) (readMedia)-- Students from the SUNY Canton School of Business and Liberal Arts recently entered in a competition to help boost business at Gamer Craze in downtown Canton.

"I always like to see our students applying their education for the greater good of the community," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "Extra achievements will set them apart from the competition as they look to start their careers."

Four teams consisting of one to four students submitted marketing ideas to Aaron M. Reardon, the owner of the area's premiere game store, as part of an annual entrepreneurial challenge. Professor Charles R. Fenner, who teaches in the Management program, orchestrates the competition through the SUNY Canton College Foundation and issued the challenge to students in Nicholas C. Kocher's marketing class.

"Gamer Craze is an exceptionally popular store frequented by many of our students," said Fenner. "College students know how to best market to their peers. Each team submitted ideas to advertise and drive engagement with the shop."

Three classmates who play for the women's hockey team provided the winning suggestions. Noelle M. Niemiec of Staten Island, Grace L. Page of Hamburg and Amanda L. Ballestero of Gumee, Ill., said the small business owner should integrate video, launch an Instagram and Twitter campaign to reach a wider audience of customers.

Other suggestions included a marketing campaign redesign, integrating email marketing and live streaming content on Twitch, a large video platform designed for the gaming community.

Fenner noted that competitions such as this one serve as a practical application of marketing theory and meet SUNY's goal of ensuring every student has access to an applied learning opportunity.

Other students in the class to participate in the entrepreneurial challenge, include:

• Akinola T. Ajayi of the Bronx

• Jeffery Bonbrake of Star Lake

• Michael A. Collins of Potsdam

• Connor Campbell of East Kilbride, Scotland

• Liam Rice of Potsdam

• Keanu J. Sterling of Laurelton

• Elizabeth A. Stowe of Ogdensburg

The college will be looking to expand relations with the local business as a tie to its new Game Design and Development program.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Continuing its established tradition of academic innovation, SUNY Canton recently unveiled new four-year degrees in Agribusiness and Game Design and Development. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 13 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and are conference members of the newly formed American Collegiate Athletic Association.

-www.canton.edu-