Holland College’s Business Analytics Centre

Regional businesses are discovering exciting new potential, thanks to the students, faculty and research team of Holland College’s Business Analytics Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

The Centre is an experiential learning hub where local companies and organizations collaborate directly with college programs to solve real-world issues. The College team provides data-driven solutions and support to help industry partners address challenges, gain a competitive edge, and contribute to economic growth.

Kays Wholesale in Charlottetown, P.E.I. recently completed a project with the Business Analytics Centre. The research team conducted detailed sales, inventory and purchasing pattern analyses, which allowed them to identify which items’ sales were increasing or decreasing, seasonal patterns, and forecasted trends. The team developed a dashboard to provide Kays Wholesale with automated reporting moving forward.

“Their professionalism, intelligence and patience to work within our systems and with our team was a pleasure to watch from the beginning of our project. The end product was exactly what we were looking for,” said Luke Beck, CEO of Kays.

The impact of the project will be substantial to Kays Wholesale, resulting in actionable insights that will enable strategic planning, and ultimately driving better business outcomes. “Their support in helping our business use this data will allow us to make the best decisions possible,” Beck added.

Students of the program also benefit from practical learning opportunities; “The program has significantly enhanced my technical skills through exposure to new software, analytical techniques, and a capstone project that allowed me to collaborate with industry professionals,” shared Nagma Nagma, a Data Analytics student and student research assistant with Applied Research who worked with Kays on their project. “I had the opportunity to deliver essential data-driven insights to support their strategic business decisions.”

Director of Applied Research, Shawn MacDougall, wants all organizations to consider how analytics can work for them. “From sales figures to website visits to crop yields – whatever your business activities, you can benefit from the data analytics support at the Business Analytics Centre,” he said.

If you are interested in learning more about the program and how it can help your business, contact Research Associate Junaid Maqsood, MSDE, EIT at Jmaqsood@hollandcollege.com.

ACOA is proud to support Holland College’s Business Analytics Centre as they develop a highly skilled workforce and provide essential resources for small to medium sized enterprises and start-ups in Atlantic Canada.