Harley-Davidson
Accounting Coordinator
Yes, I worked at Harley-Davidson. A company with over 100 years of history and unprecedented success. Harley-Davidson is a company that experienced many peaks and valleys, a company that survived many wars; the Great Depression, the perils of private and public ownership. Like every situation, you learn and perfect how you conduct business. With 100+ years of history, Harley-Davidson has perfected, with exceptional quality motorcycles and outstanding service. But not just that, they offer a lifestyle, admission into an exclusive community of motorcycle riders, and an experience you cannot get with any other company.
For me, I had the pleasure of working within this remarkable organization. Being surrounded by rough….and tough….riders. Anything from nightly rides with co-workers to worldwide motorcycle rallies, this job was straight-up cool. My role…well I was in the accounting department. I would do financial analysis of various departments for the Ottawa and Gatineau locations, develop reports and recommendations to improve performance, and present these findings to department managers. It was like I was my own little consultant…what exciting work! I would also examine, monitor, and analyze activities related to the company’s operation, identify unwarranted costs and how these could be mitigated going forward. It was fascinating work and I had an inside scoop on how the company was doing…ALL THE TIME.
Technology, Engineering, and Management Consulting
Consultant
TEAM was a true developmental opportunity. I was accepted into this multi-disciplinary course, where I was on a team of 3 chemical engineering students, 1 law student, and I was the business student. This course was designed to help students develop and apply technical, business analysis, and project management-related skills to a real-world situation.
So, our project scope was to essentially identify and recommend alternative methods of transporting heavy oil from Devon Energy to lucrative markets currently not accessible due to pipeline capacity issues. The aim was to ensure that the company is able to receive increased prices on their product and that plans to expand production are not stifled or delayed due to insufficient pipeline infrastructure. Sounds complicated right?
We had to 1) learn about an industry completely foreign to us. 2) Conference call with VP’s from Devon Energy on a weekly basis. 3) Conference call with managers from other oil companies, rail companies, pipeline companies, law firms, technical advisors, business advisors on a weekly basis. 4) Meet within our team 2-3 times a week AND 5) Put together a comprehensive outlook of the problem and solution. At the end of the school year, the company flew us out to Calgary for 3 days to present our recommendations to a group of 60 (including VP’s, managers, interns), and we delivered them a 90-page report as well. It was an unbelievable experience and the project management skills I learnt from this very course will be invaluable in any business situation.
Campus Edge Skate Sharpening
Co-founder
If you were a Queen’s student and played intramural or club hockey, there was likely a point in time where you became extremely frustrated because there was no nearby skate sharpening. The closest was a 20 minute drive and you likely did not have a car.
With that in mind, my housemate and I founded Campus Edge Skate Sharpening. We determined the underlying costs involved, revenue potential based off of 1000+ students playing hockey at school, and threw together a business plan. It wasn’t long before we concluded that this was a no brainer.
It was an exciting experience and we were operating within a week of having the idea. Our company quickly became well-recognized as the most convenient and affordable sharpening for students.
CIBC
Coordinator in Special Products Department
I moved to Toronto for one summer to partake in an internship at CIBC. My position: “Coordinator in the Special Products Department, Wholesale/Brokerage, Global Operations & INTRIA”. Sounds legit. But what did I really do?
In order for big corporate, joint, or individual investment accounts to be opened at CIBC, they first needed to be approved. So myself and three other people would get a huge inflow of investment requests all across the country. We would analyze minimum $100,000 investment proposals and determine whether the documents met CIBC’s standard requirements before they could be approved.
The faster you worked, the faster account holder’s could get their investments on the market. This experience was amazing, I met some awesome people, and I got to learn about the back office operations of a major bank. It was interesting to see how fundamental effective controls are to ensure the integrity of this business environment.