From January 15-17, University of Northern British Columbia students will present the largest student-run business competition in Western Canada. At the Ramada Hotel on Friday evening, a parade featuring a pyrotechnic display, First Nations drummers, and RCMP officers in red serge, will set off for the Civic Centre to mark the start of the fifth JDC West Business Competition. UNBC - in its fourth year of participation - and the City of Prince George will play host for the first time.

JDC (Jeux de Commerce) West is a three-day event that includes academic competitions, athletic challenges, a social competition, and a charity initiative. Nearly 550 students from 10 western Canadian universities compete in a competition organized for and by business students. The charity goal this year is to raise $200,000.

“The 53 UNBC students taking part have been working very hard for more than five months in preparation for this weekend,” says UNBC student Evan Dusdal, one of the team captains. “Hometown advantage definitely means something. We know the rooms and the area quite well so we are hoping to show our guests what UNBC can do. UNBC has brought home awards each year of participation, and we want this to be our best showing yet.”

Along with UNBC President George Iwama, there will be a number of dignitaries from the worlds of business, academia, and politics on hand throughout the event to judge, speak, and participate as panelists. This will also be the first time the event has had a key-note speaker, and this year it will be Lieutenant-General, the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, who currently serves in the Senate of Canada. He will speak at the event’s Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening.

“We have worked hard to make the fifth year of JDC West a big success,” says UNBC student Jonathon Gray who, along with fellow student Farouk Ramji, is chairing the event. “This is a great opportunity for UNBC to show itself off to the rest of Canada. We have really pulled out all the stops.”

For further information, please visit the JDC West website at http://www.jdcwest.com/.

JDC West 2010 Co-Chairs Jonathon Gray and Farouk Ramji