The newly formed Goodman Group has united multiple services under the Goodman School of Business umbrella. Having combined existing and new branches, it is now looking towards the future.
“By formation of the group, we are providing direct access to the Niagara community so they can more easily and readily access what we have to offer to them,” said Abdul Rahimi, Director of Goodman Group.
While benefitting the community partners involved, Goodman Group will not be losing any of the student-centered focus that its branches have historically maintained.
“With every project that we have, our aim is to have a student associated and attached to that project so we can provide real life experience and exposure for the students to these projects,” said Rahimi.
Combining the Centre for Innovation, Management and Enterprise Education (now Professional Development), Goodman MBA Consulting (now Consulting Services) and BioLinc (now Venture Development), Goodman Group will also feature an Executive Development branch.
“The professional and executive development [is] where the focus is solely on working professionals out in the community and equipping those individuals with the right skills and tools so that they can take their careers to the next level,” said Rahimi.
Ultimately, Rahimi’s vision for Goodman Group is to provide students and professionals with learning opportunities to support the Niagara economy.
“It is the 21st century learner in mind and how we can service the needs of those individuals, whether it’s the students on campus, whether it’s the learners and professionals that are working outside in the community, whether it’s those that are looking to build on entrepreneurial ideas and activities and build that into full-fledged companies,” said Rahimi.
While Goodman Group has seen significant change recently, more changes are still on the way.
“Where we are, we have just begun. We couldn’t be more excited. We have a fantastic team in place and a number of positions that need to be filled as we go through,” said Rahimi. “I was talking to a colleague and I said, ‘What an opportunity that I had the privilege of coming to this place and being able to do what I do, because I absolutely love what I do.’”
According to Rahimi, these changes will include new additions to Goodman Group’s portfolio of initiatives and projects while strengthening existing services and programs.
In the near future, Goodman Group plans to launch a wine and business management program. It is also working on a non-profit certificate program, which came to be after the need was determined by a survey of non-profit contacts in the community. A partnership between Goodman Group and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is in the works, as well, and Goodman Group will be launching another cohort of the Management Development Program in the spring.
“These programs are all professional development non-profit programs that are designed for the working professionals, primarily outside of the typical standard student population that we’d see within Brock, but this is also open to students who are willing and able to participate with and be part of these programs,” said Rahimi.
This may not be suitable for all students because of the focus on executive education. Rahimi notes Monster Pitch as an example of a student-centered opportunity available. Monster Pitch is an annual pitch competition organized by the Venture Development branch and the Brock Innovation Group.
“Building on the strengths that we have, maximizing those strengths so that we can synergize and reach out to even more individuals within Niagara,” said Rahimi. “That would be a great success story if we can touch as many of the students and include as many students as we possibly can.”
Goodman Group will soon be moving to the Rankin Family Pavillion in the newly constructed Brock LINC, a location Rahimi describes as the front door of the university.
Original article: http://www.brockpress.com/2019/03/the-formation-and-future-of-goodman-group/
