Mary Ann Groothuis, a third-year student in the Business Administration - Materials Management program, is this year's winner of the $500 K.C. Holness Award. This honour for voluntary service by a student is sponsored by APICS -- The Educational Society for Resource Management.
The Holness Award goes annually to only one student in APICS Region VIII, which includes all of Canada. APICS is based in Alexandria, Virginia. The organization has more than 70,000 individual and corporate members in the United States and Canada, and is dedicated to professional awareness, development and education for resource managers in business, industry and the public sector.
Groothuis is a Kitchener resident.
Her award recognizes academic achievement as well as involvement with an APICS Affiliated Student Chapter (ASC). In this case, the ASC is based at Conestoga College in Kitchener and affiliated with the Ontario Grand Valley Chapter of APICS, which includes resource managers from throughout midwestern Ontario. Conestoga's ASC is the second largest in APICS, behind only the University of Texas.
Groothuis has maintained an A average in her Conestoga courses related to APICS professional areas. With the Conestoga ASC, she has held the posts of Vice-President of Education and Director-at-Large. In January 2003, she becomes Conestoga's ASC President. Among the activities in which she has been involved are chapter volunteer drives, such as Christmas gifts for children and fundraising events for volunteer programs. She has helped with a program-related resume writing workshop and a resume binder project. In addition, she has served as a peer tutor at the College. At Conestoga, she has won several other achievement awards in her program, for academic excellence.
Ken C. Holness was a long-time supporter of and contributor to the professional
development efforts of APICS. He was a leader of the Vancouver Chapter.
Professionally, he was recognized throughout North America as a pioneer
in the implementation of material resources planning systems in industry.
Following his 1985 death, his company donated funds to APICS Region VIII
for a memorial award.
CONTACT: Tracey Lopers, 519-748-5220, ext. 3887, tlopers@conestogac.on.ca