UNews - Clayton Varjassy

Battle of the Bands to showcase outstanding local musical acts

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 22:19:53 +0000

Six southern Alberta bands will battle it out for $1,000 in cash and a Cottonwood Records monthly feature package at the Shine On Summer Festival Community Fair. Battle of the Bands will take place Sunday, Sept. 3 at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Community Stadium.

Part of the U of L’s 50th anniversary celebrations and Homecoming Weekend, Battle of the Bands is one of the feature events at Sunday’s free Community Fair. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community Stadium and will also include a craft market, food trucks, Horns rugby tournament, inflatable obstacle course, round dance, cultural demonstrations, beer gardens, kite making and flying, face painting and a variety of fun family activities.

The six bands will take the stage looking to emerge as the battle champion, with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) sponsoring the $1,000 cash prize and locally-owned Cottonwood Records awarding the monthly feature package that includes professionally-produced interviews, pro tips and song recordings with accompanying video.

“Summer festivals always feature outstanding music and we felt this was a great way to support and give some exposure to great local musical talent,” says Michael Gabriel (BA ’04), president of the ULAA. “This battle will feature a diverse cross section of musical styles and promises to be great fun. In the end, the winner will get a real boost through their relationship with Cottonwood Records.”

Cottonwood Records is an independent record label created with the mission of connecting talented artists with music fans throughout the world.

“We’re excited to support these artists through the Battle of the Bands and can’t wait to work with the winner to help showcase their music in ways friends, family and fans may have never seen it showcased before,” says Cottonwood Records co-founder Clayton Varjassy (BMgt ’13). “For us, the story begins locally; there’s so much talent in a relatively small community. We want to do our part by building a platform that will be recognized and respected domestically and internationally, and leverage that platform to help artists from the community continue their growth.”

The bands taking part in the Shine On Summer Festival Battle of the Bands are as follows:

Youngbloods
Youngbloods are a band of brothers who have come together to create high energy, loud, pop punk/rock music. They have been inspired by bands such as Beartooth, Parkway Drive, Blink 182, Four Year Strong, Belvedere and many amazing local musicians. Youngbloods deliver a high-energy professional performance that is very exciting to watch.

Alyssa McQuaid and Coyote Junction
Together, Alyssa McQuaid and Coyote Junction create an ensemble of talented musicians supplemented with excellent harmonies. In this 5-piece band, their passion, talent and drive collide to form something truly memorable and special. Collectively, Coyote Junction has over 50 years of experience in the music industry in Alberta, while McQuaid has been performing across North America for 10 years, opening for acts such as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aaron Prichett, Lindsay Ell and Hey Romeo!

Awd Fellas x Adequate
The vibrant and energetic hip hop sound of Awd Fellas mixed with the funky grooves and live presence of Adequate leads to a careful layering of conscious lyrics, catchy choruses and expert rhythms that will get you on your feet.

Nevada Place
Nevada Place are unique and quirky. They are not afraid to stir the musical pot. Made up of five talented musicians who play a wide variety of instruments, they always try to twist their covers to make them new and entertaining for the audience.

DIVERSIFIED
DIVERSIFIED is a cover band that consists of two guys and four girls. Now all 15 and 16 years of age, they started performing when they were in GS Lakie Middle School and have continued through to high school. They play a variety of music from the 1950s to more current hits.

Scotch Whisky Limousine
Scotch Whisky Limousine are old rock and roll fans - they're a guitar-driven rock and roll band that is bringing back that old rock and roll sound but with a modern fresh spin that includes keyboards and sax.

For more information on Homecoming weekend and Shine On Summer Festival and Community Fair, visit https://blogs.ulethbridge.ca/50-years/homecoming/.

Youngbloods

Alyssa McQuaid and Coyote Junction

Adequate

Awd Fellas

DIVERSIFIED

Scotch Whisky Limousine

U of L hosts its first ever finance competition for high school students

caroline.zentner — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:30:32 +0000

High school students who want to learn the basics of financial investing and stock markets are being encouraged to form teams and participate in the first finance competition of its kind to be held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The competition includes a month-long Investment Challenge and a half-day of live competing in the U of L’s Centre for Financial Market Research and Teaching (trading room).

“We want to give high school students an opportunity to learn about the financial market in a relaxed and supportive setting,” says Clayton Varjassy, trading room manager. “Students will learn about creating a portfolio, the importance of diversifying their holdings and making a compelling presentation.”

Before the competition begins, teams will receive a one-on-one session with an organizer to explain how the event works and to answer any questions. Teams are allowed to have one teacher advisor to consult with throughout the competition.

Teams will compete in three main categories. The Investment Challenge from April 18 to May 13 will give teams the opportunity to create a portfolio and buy and sell gold bars, treasury bills and stocks. Teams will privately present their results to a panel of judges during the Investment Challenge Presentation at the U of L on May 27. The Trading Challenge, also on May 27, will give students the chance to compete against each other in real time in two eight-minute challenges.

The top three teams will receive a trophy, with $200 going to the first place team, $100 to the second place team and $50 to the third place team.

The competition has space for 25 teams of three or four students. More information is available on the Faculty of Management websiteand teams can registeronline until March 31.

U of L first Canadian site to host ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Trading Challenge

caroline.zentner — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:38:56 +0000

Following the success of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Management team at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Trading Challenge (UTC) in New York City last November, the U of L has been chosen as the location for the first UTC to be held in Canada this November.

“We are proud to host the first ever UTC in Canada and we encourage any interested teams to register for the competition. Lethbridge is an ideal location for university teams from across western Canada and the United States,” says Dr. Shamsul Alam, a Faculty of Management professor and the U of L team supervisor.

Last year’s U of L team, consisting of Devin Phalen, Ashley Tymburski, Matthew Helfrich and Michael Kawchuk, competed against a dozen universities and earned first place in the real-time trading part of the competition and second place overall. Alam says the team’s success reflects on the education and training the students receive at the U of L, including experience in the Centre for Financial Market Research & Teaching, or trading room.

Now, the U of L will be providing the same kind of competition experience to student teams when they arrive on campus on Nov. 20. The UTC, now in its fifth year, has previously only been held in London or New York.

“This competition gives students a unique opportunity to test their financial skills in a real-world setting and having participated in a trading challenge will impress potential employers,” says Alam.

The 2015 UTC includes a month-long portfolio management precursor with one full day of live competition in the trading room. In addition, students will hear from a guest speaker.

The challenge, open to full-time students in finance, economics and allied programs, gives teams the chance to participate in a trading challenge, a portfolio challenge, an investment banking challenge and a case competition.

Interested students are encouraged to form a team and use the online registration form for the UTC. An early bird registration discount is available until Oct. 1.

Industry sponsorship is still available; contact Clayton Varjassy or call 403-332-4121 for more information.

Group tackles how to deal with hunger pangs

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:32:43 +0000

The phrase …there's an app for that! now applies to ordering takeout food in Lethbridge.

The team behind the iTakeout app – Caleb Dowdy, twin brothers Clayton and Joel Varjassy and Luke Mayerle – cooked up their idea while not actually wanting to cook anything. They wanted to order takeout food, but could find only one place in town with a functioning smartphone application.

So they 'app-ordered' pizza, which wasn't really their first choice, then thought there must be a way to get more restaurants on board to showcase the wide variety of takeout opportunities in the community.

Their idea garnered a second-place tie for the group in the 2013 South Venture Business Plan Competition, including a $5,000 prize.

App developers pictured left to right include Joel Varjassy, Caleb Dowdy, Luke Mayerle and Clayton Varjassy.

Could they have used the phone book? Probably, but Dowdy says that the move forward in smartphone applications is such that people expect quick solutions at the tap of a touchscreen – so whether it's banking or burritos, gaining access to a product or service should be convenient and fast.

"Not only do we want to give users the ability to order the food, we want them to do so in a rich environment filled with photos and community-populated reviews and other information," says Dowdy.

Dowdy acknowledges there are other takeout apps in the international marketplace, but none that focus on local or regional restaurants, and none that have the initial face-to-face interaction with the developers.

"We plan to put a heavier emphasis on the local marketplace and establish rich connections with our participating restaurants. As well, we want to give users access to as many restaurants as we can within the app, and this is why we plan on actually putting in the face-time with restaurants and not having them simply sign up online," he says.

Dowdy adds that restaurants will have access to a database in which they can add/change menu items on the fly.

"They will be able to add new items, update prices, create daily specials, set takeout hours, and much more."

The initial target demographic will be people between the ages of 18 and 30, especially students.

"Given the recent increased popularity in apps and smartphones among all age groups, we see no reason as to why this app can't be a popular tool for anyone in the Lethbridge area with access to a smart device looking to order takeout," says Dowdy.

Working around school and other part-time jobs, Dowdy says the app development will be done by colleague Shayan Masood, who is currently working a co-operative education job placement at Veeva Systems while the rest of the team works on securing restaurants for a pilot rollout scheduled for the summer.

The full application is expected to launch in September 2013, just in time for the start of a new school year, and as thousands of hungry students return to Lethbridge. For now, signing on will be free and subscribing as a restaurant is free, but Dowdy says they would review that as the app gains market share and popularity.

This story first appeared in the April 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Group tackles how to deal with hunger pangs

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:58:28 +0000