A group of five McMaster students have changed the way Habitat for Humanity's
building material resale stores are marketed across Canada.

With a budget of just $5,000, students from the DeGroote School of Business were
tasked with developing a marketing plan for Habitat for Humanity's ReStore outlets –
building supply stores that accept and resell quality new and used building materials,
generating funds to support Habitat for Humanity's building programs while reducing
the amount of used material that would normally be sent to landfills.

After conducting a survey, the students produced a report for ReStore outlining ideas
and tips on how to best spread the word about their services to the community. The
students suggested raising awareness through community groups online, such as
Facebook, through fairs and festivals, donor information, signage and brochures.

“All of our recommendations were based on solving the business problem which was a
lack of inventory,” said Katrina Baev, a fourth-year DeGroote School of Business
accounting major who was involved in the project. “We had several recommendations
including advertising through social networks, additional advertising on the ReStore
truck, adjusting the donation guidelines and more.”

The activity is part of the DeGroote School of Business' focus on experiential learning.
By giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, students are better
prepared for a career after graduation.

“We put a strong focus on experimenting with what is learned in the classroom to help
students develop a sound understanding of business practice,” said Mandeep Malik,
assistant professor of marketing, who gave the students the assignment. “When
undertaking such industry projects our students take true ownership of the needs of a
business to develop a new road map for success.”

So far, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore has implemented nearly all of the
recommendations. To the students, however, the best outcome was simply the
completion of the project itself.

“Some of our ideas stemmed from what ReStore already wanted to do, but we were able
to take it a step further and find the best way to implement those ideas,” said Baev. “We
made a difference to people in this project, and that was the best part”.

Tonny Colyn, ReStore manager and the primary contact for the students during the
whole process, was more than happy with the consultation he received from the
students at DeGroote.

“We found tremendous value in these students and their report,” he said. “Their fresh
insight captured new trends that we hadn't thought of and ReStore's profile in the
community grew.”