Sheridan Business Alumnus makes the cut on The Big Decision

Sterling Halliday, a 2010 Sheridan graduate and Director of Marketing for Mississauga-based Synstone International, was a winner on the premier episode

For Immediate Release: October 19, 2012
Oakville, ON

Sterling Halliday, a 2010 Sheridan graduate and Director of Marketing for Mississauga-based Synstone International, was a winner on the premier episode of season two of CBC’s The Big Decision, which aired earlier this week. Halliday and his father, Bryant, were successful in their pitch to ‘dragon investor’ Jim Treliving for $1.5 million to expand their concrete cladding production facility to meet demand and grow their business.

The Big Decision features Dragons’ Den regulars Treliving and Arlene Dickinson. Each 1-hour episode of The Big Decision documents two Canadian businesses desperately in need of expert advice and a cash injection. The show airs Tuesday nights on CBC .

Halliday enrolled in Sheridan’s business administration - marketing program after becoming interested in the family business, and deciding that marketing was an area that would yield benefits for the company’s future. In just over a year on the job with Synstone, he increased the company’s sales from $1 to 10 million. Halliday credits his faculty for imparting key lessons that have guided him since graduating and taking on a leadership role in the family business.

He describes his experience on The Big Decision as “nerve-racking, but also amazing, since I am a huge fan of Jim Treliving and Dragons’ Den. The next chapter in my life should be quite a ride.”


About Sheridan:

Sheridan College is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions dedicated to the provision of outstanding academic programs and the support of student and graduate success. We deliver an exceptional educational experience in an environment renowned for innovation and creativity. Program options range from one-year certificates to four-year degrees in the arts, business, community service and technology fields. Sheridan serves 18,000 full-time and 35,000 continuing education students at our campuses in Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga.