BBA Students Reimagine Uptown Waterloo in ICE Spring 2025

July 25, 2025

Third-year bachelor of business administration (BBA) students at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics delivered bold, community-first strategies in the Spring 2025 Integrated Case Exercise (ICE).

Every Lazaridis School BBA graduate remembers ICE. Not always the details of the case, but the sleepless nights, the teammates-turned-friends, and the high-stakes pressure of presenting big ideas to real industry professionals. This spring, nearly 400 third-year BBA students lived that legacy — and left a meaningful mark on the heart of Waterloo.

“ICE is a time our alumni remember,” said Dean, Kyle Murray. “Not just the case, but the team, the experience and what they were able to achieve together.”

The case for ICE Spring 2025 challenged students to reimagine the future of Uptown Waterloo. Developed in partnership with the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA), the case asked students to propose innovative, community-centred strategies that drive vibrancy, economic growth and inclusive experiences.

“This kind of collaboration doesn’t happen in many places,” said Jeyas Balaskanthan, executive director of Uptown Waterloo BIA. “We don’t have one single issue to solve — we’re looking for bold, fresh ideas. And you delivered.”

Throughout the 10 days of ICE, students worked in teams to analyze market conditions, develop audience-specific strategies, and present business solutions with real impact. The case was written by Marketing lecturer, Melise Panetta, in partnership with the BIA.

Final presentations showcase creativity and community connection

From 80 student teams, four emerged as finalists. They pitched their ideas to a panel of industry judges from the BIA and City of Waterloo. Judges included:

• Jeyas Balaskanthan, Executive Director, Uptown Waterloo BIA
• Melissa Durrell, Board Chair, Uptown Waterloo BIA
• Alnoor Keshvani, Vice Board Chair, Uptown Waterloo BIA
• Julie Wright, Councillor, City of Waterloo

The judges were impressed by the range of thoughtful, actionable ideas — each tailored to Uptown’s unique culture and evolving needs.

The Lazaridis School also extends a heartfelt thank you to the many alumni and industry partners who gave their time to support the earlier rounds of this term’s competition. Their guidance, feedback and encouragement are essential to the ICE experience — and a powerful reminder of the strong community that surrounds and uplifts our students.

ICE Spring 2025 Winning Team: Team 64

Team Members: Indu Aujla, Diya Chopra, David Hood, Tyler Rastin, Madalyne Vella

Framed around the theme “Uptown yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Team 64 introduced The Uptown Exchange — a semi-permanent, rotational market concept designed to activate Waterloo Park and pull foot traffic back into Uptown’s core. Their plan blended culture, commerce and creativity, while creating foot traffic and strengthening the connection between the park and the Uptown core, including the ION line.

Key elements included:

• A rotational hut market on the ION line to attract visitors and shoppers.
• Cultural events and seasonal markets to create a vibrant community destination.
• Discounted BIA memberships for vendors who transition to permanent storefronts.

With space for themed events, holiday markets, and opportunities for local entrepreneurs, the idea felt as rooted in place as it was forward-looking. True to Uptown’s heritage, and ready for what’s next.

Other finalist teams with fresh perspectives to Uptown

Team 22 – Boardwalk Solutions

Team Members: Erika Capper, Elyse Lamarche, Nihai Posea, Matthew Untario, Yanmei Wang

Designed with “Local Logan” in mind — a young professional living in Uptown — this team proposed Uptown Unlocked, a rewards-based app to drive weekday foot traffic and long-term tenancy. With features like interactive maps, point systems and usage analytics, their plan aimed to make Uptown Waterloo the region’s most vibrant and community-first urban district.

Team 28 – Hawk Consulting

Team Members: Matthew Boyko, Owen Clarke, Areej Hussain, Samantha Ribeiro, Christian Stefaniw

Hawk Consulting turned the spotlight on seniors. Their “Senior Matching” concept offered a structured, welcoming way for older residents to enjoy Uptown, meet companions and re-engage with community life. Using traditional marketing and meaningful partnerships, their strategy created space for connection and sparked new ideas around accessibility and inclusion.

Team 17 – SAFKA Consulting

Team Members: Aidan Campbell, Angeline Garapati, Saakshi Jaju, Fahim Panjwani, Kendra White

With a focus on wellness and loyalty, this plan centered on building a fitness anchor tenant and hosting monthly popup events. Their Uptown Perks app tied it all together with in-store rewards, event calendars, and loyalty points — supporting both businesses and community belonging in one holistic vision.

ICE as a capstone learning experience

ICE continues to be a defining moment for Lazaridis BBA students — not only as a learning experience, but as a celebration of community, collaboration and bold thinking. Students synthesize knowledge from multiple courses, sharpen their problem-solving and communication skills, and engage with real business leaders to solve real challenges.

“I’m proud to be part of a school where this kind of work is happening — especially in the middle of summer,” said Murray. “It speaks to the strength of our students and their ability to take real problems and respond with creativity, thoughtfulness and a strong sense of place.”

Congratulations to all teams — and a special shoutout to Team 64, this year’s winners, whose strategy reminded us that the future of Uptown Waterloo is bright, creative and full of potential.