A passion for agriculture was one of the driving forces behind the Student-Managed Enterprise's (SME) decision to move their annual pop-up shop online.

Student Managed Enterprise student group outside

Managed by second-year agribusiness students on the SME, the modernized Aggies online store is a one-stop-shop for all Lakeland Aggie-branded merchandise, which is geared to inspire connections between present and future Lakeland College students as well as Lakeland alumni.

“This year, we narrowed our focus to just offering Lakeland Aggie branded merchandise, with the hope we can get our brand out there and create a sense of community. When someone buys Lakeland Aggies gear, they become a part of our community, our family,” says Jessa Dumkee, general manager for the online store. As general manager, Dumkee manages and supports the team leaders in marketing, product development, finance, human resources (HR) and administration.

The shop's line-up includes sweaters, tumblers, hats and more. You can also find Lakeland Aggies on Facebook and Instagram.

Plans for the online store were already in effect before COVID-19 changed college operations, so the transition from the traditional pop-up shop to a virtual platform was seamless, Dumkee adds.

“Not only did we want to develop a line of products that appeals to a variety of people, but our goal was also to maximize the Student-Managed Enterprise experience because it's a unique opportunity for students.”

Experience yields job-ready skills

Hannah Robertson, ​administration team leader, says being part of the SME and bringing theory to life through the online shop is a great leadership experience.

“I've learned to communicate with many people and navigate through conflict management because I'm working with so many different personalities. I have a better understanding of a business' functions and the unique roles each of us plays. My threshold for responsibility has grown too.” 

Agribusiness students are challenged with planning, executing, and evaluating the online store while also balancing their studies. Depending on the team, their roles and responsibilities fall under website design, customer service, order fulfillment and transactions, expenses, product quality control and more.

Robertson and Dumkee, both double diploma students who respectively earned a Lakeland crop technology diploma and animal science technology diploma, agree their SME experience could open other doors in the industry.

Photos: Lakeland Aggies online store team leaders.