Notes from My Cubicle

It is currently my lunch hour, and I just returned from buying myself a diet coke from the machine upstairs, so I thought I would enlighten you readers with a glimpse into my job as an intern this summer. There is too much information to possibly explain in one post, but I'll try and give you the bare basics and expound on more later.

The company that I work for is Danaher Motion, a segment of the Danaher Corporation. Formerlly we were Kollmorgan Motors, which was formally Inland Motors. Depending on who you talk to in the New River valley region and how long they have lived here, you can give them one of those names and they will recognize where I work. Danaher in Radford has two locations, Main Street and Rock Road. Both are manufacturing sites and have offices, but Main St. does the accounting and financial reporting for the Danaher locations here in Radford, China, Rockford, IL (yes, Em, the clock tower!) and for Fandulac, WI. It gets really confusing with all the appreviations and acronyms that they have for each location. Each location has at least 3 abbreviations they go by, so it gets tricky.

Danaher Motion produces custom motors, mainly, as well as the drives that go with them, and servodisks. They make brushless and brush motors (i got my tour of the plant on Friday, can you tell?) and they make them custom for each customer so that the customer can make a better machine, faster. We sell to a lot of militaries and companies that produce anything for the military ( i know this because of the ARMY/Lockheed Martin posters everywhere) as well as medical equipment and tools, etc. SOme of our motors are as smaller than my cell phone, and some are as big as a golf cart- so it's pretty interesting. I got to tour the plant on Friday, which was a nice diversion to accounting work-- It's upstairs, but it's on the ground level. Confusing? yes. Really, the Main street location was built into a hill, so while i am on the ground floor, so is the plant. It's a lot different then other plants I've seen- it's very light and bright, and i am constantly observing all the lean manufacturing practices they put into place like Kanban and 5s (Dr. Ketler would really be so proud). I think later in July i get to go into the plant to do a fixed asset inventory, which will be hard and fun.

As an accounting intern, I'm mostly project based instead of task based. That means that instead of helping with month-end close and quarter close and the daily deadlines, i just work on my projects and any random work that my boss, Matt, has for me. I'm working mostly with Jackie, who reminds me a lot of my older sister, Melanie. So it's fun to work with her because she is very normal and not a country bumpkin from the area. I'm working on two main projects this summer: a freight audit and a fixed asset inventory. The Fixed asset inventory project is in the beginning stages, and we will work more on that in July. Currently, i'm working on an audit on outbound frieght and why we aren't recovering revenue from the goods we ship out (the Customer is supposed to pay for the shipping, but it rarely happens). I think that i will have a meeting with Dan and Matt at the end of the day, and then plan a presentation to the Operations staff, to show them why and how to get their act together--- it's pretty interesting!

The finance department that i work with is pretty interesting. General and Cost accounting are downstairs, while the AR and AP ladies are upstairs (i'm glad i'm downstairs!). I sit in the corner cubicle which has it's advantages and disadvantages. The walls are a little shorter than other cubicles, so i can see people walking by and they stop and say hi. I am also right by the bathroom so i can see if it is occupied or not. However, caddy corner to my little world is the file room, and the lady, AMY, that works in there is a real interesting lady. She is very loud and dramatic and likes to complain on the phone about how life is too much for her. Every day for lunch she has popcorn, and it always smells so good (the microwave is also right behind my cubicle). Today she asked me if my mom made my lunch . . really?

I've already mentioned Jackie, who is in general accounting (and technically an FLDP-- financial development leadership person) and 7 months pregnant. Mandy is older than my sister Melanie, has a daughter named Cecilia, and is loud. She is from Tennessee but lived for a long time in Little Rock, Arkansas, and likes to complain about how this area is so rural. Whatever, Mandy, compared to Grove City, blacksburg is a buzzing metropolitan area. But she's really fun to talk to, and it's nice that she's here to spice up office life.

JT is also in Cost, and he works next to Jackie. He's really nice, and he is married, although he doesn't wear a wedding ring and I haven't figured out why. Also in cost are Jeff (FLDP) and Gerry. Gerry is currently on vacation with his family in florida, and he did nothing but complain about how his wife would nag him the whole time. He doesn't really like that he is married . . . it's super sad. Jeff is out of college, but currently takes one class at Tech during his lunch hour- he's pretty smart and funny. Pang (pronounced PONG) and Lin are two Chinese that are also in the FLDP program. I love the way they talk, it is so funny, and they are both soo nice to me. (no one is mean, everyone is nice!) Kim is a Senior General Accountant, bless her heart, she is so nice. She has had two knee replacements in the last year and gets around on a scooter.

Matt and Dan are my bosses, and without saying a whole lot, i really like working for them. Overall, the office environment is pretty good. Much better than Fleishman where Fred scared me and Dan McFarlane would yell at me, and more personal as well. However, my lunch is coming to a close, and i must end this post. I'll try and get something up before the weekend, but if not, after the weekend i'll have pictures from my Smoky Mountain Adventure!!!!