When asked what they want to be when they grow up, the average five year old will give you a typical answer like a firefighter, doctor or athlete. Irene Jeremic was no typical five year old – she was already busy planting the seeds that would become her successful business career.

“I was less than six years old when I asked my parents to purchase my first sewing machine for me. I was about 11 when I realized that what seemed to be a little girl’s hobby could be turned into a profitable fashion merchandizing business. As it turned out, fate had it that fashion merchandizing did not become my career, although I have worked with some of the greatest retailers who trade fashion merchandise,” said Jeremic, who today runs a successful market research and consulting business at TheTableau Inc., and teaches law and international business at Vancouver Career College.

On strong academic background, earned at reputable Canadian universities, Jeremic has built a robust career in international business. She spent two years as the VP of Business and Customer Relations for eLearning Solutions Inc., a spin-off company of Simon Fraser University, offering online courses and related customized tools and services. While there, she worked on the eTechnologies project, which was sponsored by Industry Canada and involved over 200 different institutions.

Breaking new ground with an award-winning business revamp

In 2005, Jeremic was hired as a C-level executive by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., a baby furniture company, to lead and complete a “Stork Craft makeover.” The company had enjoyed domestic success, but found they wanted to expand their operations and take their company to a new level.

Though the initiative to complete a makeover was ambitious and grand in scope, Jeremic was confident in her abilities to execute it. She offers the following advice to those in a similar position in their careers:

“Clearly, talent must be combined with hard-work, but the only two barriers that we all place before us are fear and complacency. One of these barriers can be enough to block our progress and achievements. When combined, they can be paralyzing.”

Over the next four years, Jeremic spearheaded the revamp of Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. in exciting directions. She totally transformed the company’s IT, inside sales and e-commerce capabilities. In 2005, Jeremic’s new business architecture project for Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. won Dell’s ‘Top 10’ award.

Using this new business architecture, along with a new drop-shipping model that Jeremic also developed with her teams, the company shortened their delivery time from 3-4 weeks to 2-3 days. Within a few short years, e-commerce had jumped from about 5% of the company’s total sales to about 50%.

One of the biggest reasons for such exponential increase was the effort to integrate the company’s order processing systems with major retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, enabling a much higher volume of orders that could be automatically processed. In addition to her turnaround initiatives, that resulted in about 20 new business and technology solutions instituted for Stork Craft, Jeremic also created a novel web-solution for Wal-Mart Canada.

“I was able to innovate by architecting the first eCommerce engine for Wal-Mart Canada, which gave customers an option to purchase Stork Craft products on Wal-Mart Canada’s website and have them shipped directly to customer’s home. In 2008, this was a standard for Wal-Mart in the U.S., but Wal-Mart Canada website was still catalogue-based, with no real eCommerce engine.”

“The innovation was, that my team, working for a furniture manufacturer and distributor, developed the first eCommerce engine for Wal-Mart Canada, to be used by Wal-Mart Canada customers visiting their website, where that engine was actually owned by Stork Craft.”

This innovation was awarded with the CIO 100 Honoree award, as one of the most successful business technology solutions in North America in 2009.

For her efforts, in 2009, Jeremic was named Stork Craft’s honoree. Jeremic admits that among many challenges she had to overcome, some that she will remember included contract negotiations and satisfying the project’s legal requirements.

Going back to school – on both sides of the classroom

After facing the challenge of managing the contract and legal requirements of her project for Wal-Mart Canada and Stork Craft, Jeremic realized that going back to school and earning a law degree would help her improve her expertise in the area of business law. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in law at the esteemed Osgoode Law School in Toronto.

Wanting to see more young people in eCommerce and entrepreneur roles in Canada, Jeremic went on to look for opportunities to pass her knowledge to younger generations. She soon began teaching law and international business at Vancouver Career College—an experience that she continues to find incredibly rewarding.

“There is nothing more gratifying than to be able to touch the lives of young professionals who are building their careers and are eager to learn. Some of my favorite lessons marry business and law, including those about corporate social responsibility, ethical business practices, and lawful professional conduct.”

Jeremic’s work on transferring her knowledge to her students is well recognized within her organization. Notably, she taught one of the 2016 FITT Education Award winners, Russell Leith Yearwood, who just won the International Marketing Plan Award for his work.

Combining business expertise and a desire to give back to her community

In 2010, Jeremic started The Tableau Inc., and continues to serve as the company’s President and CEO. Focusing on international market research, data analytics, digital technology, and business turnarounds, Jeremic and her company help other businesses gather and understand data. This helps businesses with the end goal of customizing their business strategies and building competitive advantages. She also offers customized consulting to improve organizational efficiency and overall business strategies.

Over the course of her work, Jeremic came to know FITT and gained a deep appreciation for the organization and its members.

“I’ve collaborated with FITT for years now. It is clearly a hub for ethical international business, that gathers some of the greatest business minds. When you take the time to get to know people who run the FITT organization, you realize that you are linked with a great bunch of capable professionals, with terrific attitudes, who deliver on their promise!”

Given her valuable years of experience and expertise, Jeremic became a CITP®|FIBP® (Certified International Trade Professional) through the Executive Path option. She feels honoured to have the elite designation and be part of the larger FITT community.

“My career is dedicated to serving international business communities and mentoring young professionals.”

Just recently I realized that my CITP®|FIBP® designation serves as a great motivational tool for the young professionals I work with, to pursue their professional aspirations with FITT. They want nothing short of excellence, and they now know how to get it!

On top of all of this, Jeremic also made time to be involved in several local organizations and programs in the Vancouver area. She established the first co-op program between her alma mater, Simon Fraser University, and Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., and also served as a mentor for the school’s Young Women in Business (YWiB) program.

She has previously served on the Association of Neighbourhood Houses (ANH) Board of Governors and Kitsilano Neighbourhood House (KNH) Board of Management. Furthermore, she established the Anti-Bully Bureau (ABB) to advocate against workplace harassment and all forms of bullying, and has been twice recognized as the International Women’s Leadership Association’s Woman of Outstanding Leadership.

A brilliant example to her clients and students alike, Jeremic’s expertise shines through everything she does and will no doubt continue to positively influence those around her.

The post Irene Jeremic, CITP|FIBP – President and CEO, College Professor appeared first on Trade Ready.

Representing the bright future of trade as Student of the Year

Satyajeet Kumar, Discovery Community College

The 2016 winner of the FITT-EDC Student of the Year award was presented to Satyajeet Kumar, a graduate of the International Trade Management program at Discovery Community College in British Colombia.

Satayjeet was awarded Student of the Year because he attained the highest-grade point average after completing all eight FITTskills courses.

The award was presented by staff from FITT’s strategic partner, Export Development Canada (EDC), who are thrilled with Satyajeet’s achievement.

“EDC is honoured to present the 2016 Student of the Year award to Satyajeet Kumar,” said Catherine Decaire, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for EDC.

“Satyajeet represents the bright future of international trade. Through his hard-work and determination, Satyajeet has shown he will go above and beyond to succeed. We whole-heartedly congratulate Satyajeet on his achievement.”

Satyajeet’s program coordinator at Discovery College, Fouad Menassa, was equally proud of his accolades.

“Discovery College and the International Trade Management program are proud of Satyajeet’s achievement. Following his enrollment into the program, Satyajeet proved he was an attentive and excellent student. We wish him success in the future.”

Receiving this prestigious recognition was something Satyajeet couldn’t wait to share with his family.

When I received the mail from FITT about Student of the Year, I was so surprised and was so happy because I was not expecting it. It was a proud moment for me, being able to say I am the Student of the Year. It really does make me and my family proud.

As he prepares for his future career, Satyajeet wants to use his skills to help members of his community live better lives.

“My career goal is to invest my time into setting up an IT infrastructure in the Canadian healthcare system, so I can help improve my community members’ lives.”

Exceptional plan to expand an audio company wins the International Marketing Plan Award

Russell Leith Yearwood, Vancouver Career College  

The International Marketing Plan award is given to the student who attains the highest grade for a completed marketing plan for the FITTskills International Marketing course. This year’s International Marketing Plan award winner is Russell Leith Yearwood from Vancouver Career College.

Russell’s project was a Trade Management Report, in which Russell created a foreign market expansion plan for a fictional company. Russell outlined how Zexer Audio, the fictional audio technology company Russell created, could expand their business into the U.S. market.

The assignment earned a grade of 98%, the highest in his cohort.

Irene Jeremic, head of International Business and Law Lecturer at Vancouver Career College, was highly impressed by her student’s achievement.

“The award is very humbling and our college is grateful for being able to change lives through education. The recognition not only validates our approach to learning through engagement and empowerment, but it also crowns Russell’s hard work at the college.”

Moving forward, Russell plans to keep busy, learning as much about international trade as he can.

“I am aiming to increase my knowledge in finance, gain further work experience in global investments, and then I aim to help foreign entrepreneurs invest and expand into Canada.”

International Business Plan Award winner stands out with baseball bat exports

James Amelotte, Algonquin College

The International Business Plan award is given to the student who has received the highest grade for submitting a completed business plan for the International Trade Management course in the 2016 academic year.

The winner of the International Business Plan award was James Amelotte from Algonquin College.

Norman Hotchkiss, program coordinator for the International Business Management program at Algonquin College, was proud of his student, but not surprised to hear of James’ achievement.

“It is fitting James won the Business Plan Award. As a baseball pitcher, he actually knows how to throw different pitches to different batters and is very familiar with targeting those pitches. Both are useful skills in writing a business plan, but it was his commitment to learning and improving that ultimately created his winning plan.”

Contrary to his professor’s reaction, James was in shock when he learned that he had won this award.

“When I first heard I had won the award, I was in disbelief. But now, after some time, I can truly say I am proud and honoured to be the recipient of this award after knowing how much time and effort had gone into the completion of my business plan.”

James developed a business plan focusing on exporting wooden baseball bats to the market of Venezuela. He chose Venezuela as his target market because of their professional baseball league and their geographical location in South America.

James plans to use his award as proof of his hard work and abilities as an international business professional. His ultimate goal is to secure a position with an international organization, which would allow him to work with people from all over the world.

FITT Achievement Award goes to talented student working to help Syrian refugees

Maysa Balout, Fanshawe College

The FITT Achievement Award is presented to the student who has shown a combination of community involvement and academic success. Selected by the awards committee, nominees are put forward by either themselves or their peers.

The FITT Achievement for 2016 was awarded to Maysa Balout from Fanshawe College. Maysa has gone above and beyond in her studies and to help her community.

Albert Knab, former coordinator of the International Business Management program at Fanshawe College, spoke highly of Maysa and her hard-work.

“Fanshawe College is very proud to consider Maysa Balout one of their alumni. It is no surprise Maysa’s professional and business skills are as outstanding as her academic performance. While studying at Fanshawe, she maintained a perfect GPA, worked with the Supply Chain Association, as well as volunteered with the London Muslim Mosque to help settle Syrian refugees into the community.”

“I am truly honoured and grateful for the award. I have gained additional confidence and speaking points to add to my resume, which is always a nice bonus!” Maysa says.

Moving forward, she sees the FITT Achievement Award being a great feather in her cap when job hunting and networking.

This award will be such an influential speaking point when going for interviews or business conferences. It will help advance me in my career by showing people I am serious about international trade.

Maysa was chosen, in part, due to her community work helping Syrian refugees establish themselves in her city.

“When the influx of refugees began, London, Ontario received a lot of them. I collected donations of clothes from friends and family and drove them to the donation centre for distribution to refugee families.”

Maysa’s dedication, to both her education and her community, is unique and balancing the two can be very difficult in a demanding academic year. Her ability to do just that made her the ideal winner of this year’s FITT Achievement award.

Congratulations to all of this years’ FITT Educational Award winners! We look forward to seeing you take the world of international trade by storm.

Please feel free to congratulate the winners and offer any helpful advice in the comments down below.

The post Tomorrow’s business leaders are achieving great things today! The 2016 FITT Educational Awards winners! appeared first on Trade Ready.

FITT Student of the Year is from the Vancouver Career College

Our FITT Student of the Year for 2013—the student who scored the highest GPA of all students who graduated from a FITT Delivery institution world-wide—is Takashi Imai, graduate of the Vancouver Career College international business program.

“This is great news, and it’s a huge credit to him,” said Rick Pasin, Campus Director at Vancouver Career College. “He was there every day, he’s very intelligent, and he was always involved and engaged in the program.”

Strategy for Brazil wins the International Marketing Plan Award

Aitor Molina Encabo of Algonquin College is the winner of our FITT International Marketing Plan Award. His plan focused on an Ottawa company called Flywheel Energy Systems, and detailed a strategy to help the company expand into the Brazilian market.

Aitor comes from an engineering background, but has always had an interest in business.

“Since graduated I’ve worked with a small electronics company to secure new clients, and then for a 3D-printing start-up. This enabled me to use my international business training to find new markets and new products, and helped me solve problems for these companies.”

He says that after completing the program he has a much better understanding of how businesses run and how his decisions as an engineer can affect business.

“Aitor was a star performer in the international business program,” says Norman Lomow, CITP|FIBP, Professor and FITT Coordinator at Algonquin. “He came to classes with enthusiasm, was always up-to-date on issues and subjects of an international business, economics and political nature, and he always acted with a very professional approach.”

Business Plan Award for helping Blackfly enter New York State

The winner of the 2013 FITT International Business Plan Award is Patrick Godon, a graduate of Fanshawe College. Patrick’s plan focused on Blackfly—a London, Ontario-based producer of vodka and tequila mixed drinks made with premium ingredients including pure juices. The company was curious about possible expansion into the United States. Patrick developed a business plan for potential market-entry into New York State.

“It was a big project and it was a lot of work, but I’m really glad the work paid off.”

The international business plan project helps students develop the skills to create compelling business reports, says Patrick’s former instructor, Murray Morgan, CITP|FIBP.

“Patrick consistently asked how he could improve his assignment, which prompted him to gather additional market and competitive intelligence. He is to be commended for his efforts. Winning FITT’s International Business Plan Award is a fine achievement to add to one’s resume.”

Two outstanding candidates win the FITT Achievement Award

There are two winners for the 2013 FITT Achievement Award—both of whom have shown notable combinations of community involvement and academic success. These two individuals have gone above and beyond their studies to earn real-world experience with companies and organizations in their communities, and they brought that knowledge back and acted as mentors to their fellow peers!

Laura Barnard is a fourth year student in the International Business Management Program at Conestoga College.

“She is very hardworking, highly motivated, and she has a very hands-on can-do attitude,” says Oded Tal, who taught Laura in five courses during her four-year program.

Laura completed an internship with Blackberry, where she received mentorship from a Director. She then went on to start working with a local tech start-up in Waterloo called EnFlick, where she is still employed as a Fulfillment Specialist.  Using her experience and the theoretical knowledge she gained during her international trade studies, Laura is looking forward to helping EnFlick expand into several foreign markets.

I would love to see myself working for an international firm either in Canada or internationally.

“The types of business are pretty basic, but when you go international you get to work with different cultures and you get to mix with different types of people, and I think that’s what draws me in. I want the opportunity to see what different people are like all around the world,” says Laura.

Patrick Belliveau, our second winner, is a grad from Sheridan College’s Global Business Management Program. During his time at Sheridan, Patrick worked as a student ambassador for Pearson Education, and was later elected as a representative to the company’s North American Student Advisory Board. Patrick also did a market research internship with Innovation Norway, where he was able to perform Canadian market research for Norwegian companies to identify potential new business opportunities.

“My co-op placement with Innovation Norway sort of kick-started everything for me,” said Patrick. “It’s the first time I was directly involved in international business.

My favourite part was getting to see a product in stores that wasn’t previously available to Canadian consumers. That was quite rewarding.

Patrick acted as a mentor to other students in the program and added a lot of value to the learning environment, says Charles Minken, Program Coordinator for Sheridan’s School of Business, and Patrick’s former instructor.

“He’s good at researching and he’s very analytical, but he’s also good at communicating and networking. He really has a lot of good qualities, and I foresee him doing well in his career.”

Patrick now works for Ford’s National Sales Operations Team as a Western Scheduling Analyst, and says he sincerely doubts he’ll ever stop his involvement in international business.

Good going and best wishes to all the FITT Educational Award winners!

Keep in touch; we can’t wait to hear about you’re your future endeavors and adventures in the world international business!

Readers, it’s your turn to congratulate our winners in the comments section!

The post Know your next international trade achievers! Winners of the 2013 FITT Educational Award appeared first on Trade Ready.

Last year FITT formed an affiliate partnership with Icecorp—one of Canada’s leading international forwarding, customs brokerage, and third party logistics companies—to help promote education regarding the international trade industry. As part of the agreement, Icecorp created internship opportunities for FITT-trained students across Canada.

 “We are always looking for young, enthusiastic students and recent graduates to join our team and gain practical experience in global logistics. Thank you FITT!”
~ Mark Stevenson, Vice President of Operations at Icecorp

Atsushi Tabei, a graduate from Arbutus College in Vancouver, was selected for a position with Icecorp’s export and import staff in their Toronto office.

“I was so excited because I was dying to use the knowledge I learned in FITTskills in practical situations,” said Atsushi. “I have been realizing many differences between my understanding and practical situations in international trading. So I am enjoying learning the differences every time. My supervisor and coworker are also so friendly, and I am enjoying chatting with them.”

Atsushi is a courteous, hard-working, no-nonsense individual who always wants to ensure he has put forth his best work, said Patrick Liem, his former FITTskills instructor at Arbutus College.

“He was a great guy to have in the classroom. And like Columbo (the TV detective), when you think you’re done with Atsushi, he always asks just one more question…,” said Patrick.

Graziella Nogueira, a graduate of Vancouver Career College, was selected for a position in Icecorp’s Vancouver Operations department.

I was very excited when I found out,” said Graziella. “I felt honoured and blessed.”

Graziella’s former FITTskills instructor Derek Thompson was also thrilled to hear about her internship.

“Graziella is extremely driven and she always has an appetite for learning more,” he said. “She came into the program with some business experience but she just didn’t know which direction she wanted to take it. She always had the spark, we just helped to provide some direction and focus for that energy.”

Derek went on to add that one of the main benefits of the FITTskills program is that it’s very practical and business-focused. It’s designed to give the student all the key foundations of business that they’ll need in order to be successful in the international marketplace.

“All business today is international business,” he said.

“If you aren’t taking business courses that have an international perspective as a foundation, you will be missing out on a lot of business and career opportunities in the future.” 

Graziella began her internship at the end of February, and she says it has been going great. She’s been able to apply what she learned in her program directly to the work she’s doing at Icecorp, and she says it has been interesting and enjoyable to see it all come together. Additionally, she says the people she is working with are very knowledgeable and accommodating in terms of helping her to continue learning as much as she can.

I’m sure I still have lots to learn in this journey, but the path has been very rewarding!

“Ultimately, my dream career would fit in my lifestyle; travelling, making new contacts, building relationships, negotiating,” she said. “The globalization and optimization of information, process and EDI allows people to do everything, virtually from everywhere, as long as you have a computer and a phone.”

We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Icecorp to offer great internship opportunities to FITTskills-trained students. Does your company offer internship positions to students, and how has it benefited your business? And if you’re a student, are you looking for more internship opportunities like these? Leave us your comments below!

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