Beedie School of Business shows appreciation for Ryan Beedie

Beedie School of Business students, faculty and staff showed their appreciation for Ryan Beedie’s $22 million donation to the school at the Ryan Beedie Appreciation Night.

Beedie School of Business students, faculty and staff banded together to pay homage to Ryan Beedie and family, as they showed their appreciation for the $22 million donation the family made to the school in February 2011.

The Ryan Beedie appreciation night allowed the students and faculty the chance to network with Ryan, and demonstrate some of the opportunities made possible by the Beedie family’s generous gift. The evening featured speeches from Daniel Shapiro, Dean of the Beedie School of Business, and a number of students who have directly benefited from the initiatives the Beedie endowment has funded.

The students also presented Ryan with a video made by some of the current Beedie Ambassadors, thanking him for the opportunities his family’s donation has made possible in the subsequent years.

“It was really inspiring and energizing to meet the students and hear all the amazing things they are doing at the school,” said Ryan Beedie. “There is not a day goes by that I am not grateful to have the opportunity for our family name to be affiliated with this amazing school that continues to improve, and I am very touched by the amazing show of appreciation from everyone tonight.”

The Beedie family’s donation, the largest gift Simon Fraser University has ever received, established the Beedie School of Business. It was used as an endowment for students, professorships and research chairs with the goal of making the Beedie School of Business a global thought leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, Asia Pacific business studies, risk management, and sustainability.

Among the many initiatives to have been established by the Beedie endowment is the Beedie Endowment Asset Management (BEAM) program. The largest undergraduate student-run investment fund in Canada, with $5 million invested in Canadian equities, fixed income, and cash, BEAM provides undergraduate students interested in a career in finance with real-world experience as they manage SFU’s portfolio.

Connor Buss, portfolio manager at BEAM, spoke at the event about the impact the Beedie family had made on BEAM students.

“BEAM has been tremendously beneficial to me, and has really set me apart from students at other universities when competing for jobs,” said Buss. “It’s the experience that has afforded me the most opportunities and opened the most doors for me. The amount I have learned through it is invaluable. It is the highlight of my undergraduate career, and I have Ryan Beedie to thank for that.”

The Beedie family also heard how the Beedie School of Business has used the endowment to prioritize training for its students to compete at global case competitions. The school established a case competition-training program last year, which has since yielded impressive results, including the school being named Academic School of the Year at the prestigious 2013 JDC West competition.

“Having the opportunity to compete at JDC West last year was an indescribable experience – one so positive, that I am returning this year as team captain,” said BBA student and 2014 Beedie School of Business JDC West captain Simone Foreman. “Competing in case competitions like JDC West teaches things that you can not learn in the classroom. The overall experience and the level of coaching ensure that you learn a huge amount, and it has been the highlight of my undergraduate career.”

Photos from the event can be viewed on Flickr.