Last day interning! It was a pretty bittersweet feeling, considering we’d been working in the “real world” for the past two weeks! Today, we filed even more paperwork (is that even possible?) and then helped out Vandana with making sure account balances matched. Grace and I actually found a pretty big logistical error and we were happy to have caught something that otherwise might have flown under the radar and cost the company lots of money. After the morning paperwork, Sunny, Vandana, Grace, and I all went to lunch at a new Italian Eatery called Positalia, which was surprisingly yummy! On the car ride there, we learned more about the company, including the types of trucks used to transfer the granite, as well as learning that there are two more CRS locations in India and Brazil! In addition, here’s a link that explains how granite goes from the mountaintop to your countertop! http://crsgranite.com/your-slabs-journey/

After lunch, we finished filing and then it was time to go home! Overall, the two weeks of work experience were interesting and enlightening, and I definitely got a better understanding of possible career options related to finance.

– Khushi 

The insane amount of paperwork that Grace and I got through in only three days at CRS!

The scrumptious lunch that I ate at the newly-opened Italian Eatery!

Today, Grace and I continued our ongoing battle against huge binders and papercuts, but we also got to delve even deeper into the company workings. Charlene, the accountant and right-hand woman of Vandana, explained how the granite gets from the quarries in Brazil, Italy, India, and China all the way to the warehouses at each of CRS’s four locations (Virginia Beach, Raleigh, Charleston, and Austin). First, CRS contacts suppliers in these foreign countries, who then ship the materials in containers to Norfolk, Virginia. Then, the slabs are trucked either here, to Virginia Beach, or to Charleston. There, they’re placed on display in a warehouse, where customers who have been in contact with fabricators (companies who actually install the granite into houses) come look at the slabs and tag the ones they want to buy. After Charlene explained how the granite gets to the warehouses, we took a tour around back and even got to see a bundle being unloaded with a forklift and chains. Next, we got to shadow Brittany, who was helping a customer choose slabs of soapstone. She explained that there are price ranges for each type of granite, from A-E, where A is the least expensive, and E is the most! After that, we continued our filing and invoicing jobs and called it a day!

-Khushi 

A type of granite called “Fusion” which falls under the E price range and can cost as much as $80 per square foot!

The company mascot, Fedo, looking a little sleepy after a long walk around the building! 

Today, Grace and I switched to our new location of interning for the second week- CRS Marble and Granite. The day was pretty laid back, and we arrived at about 10 o’clock. First, we toured the showroom and the warehouse, and looked at the different colors and cuts of granite that the company wholesales. Essentially, CRS is like the middle-man between the rock quarries and the countertops in houses and buildings. They sell directly to fabricators, who are the companies that actually install granite slabs to customers’ homes. Our first task of the day was matching financial statements to receipts. Since there are many different locations and trucks that all transport granite, the owners need to make sure that all credit cards the company owns are accounted for. Next, we filed invoices in huge binders that are way too heavy to carry around! As our last activity before lunch, we filed Delivery Orders and Purchase Orders by month. Then, Grace and I went to lunch at Brier Creek, and enjoyed a quick meal at Noodles & Co. After coming back, we were given the monstrous job of organizing Delivery Orders into numerical order, as well as noting if any orders were missing or wrong. The job took us about 1.5 hours to complete, and our fingers were definitely burning after sifting through all that paper!Two of the huge binders that we had to organize today!

We started the last day of SAS off with donuts from Rise in honor of Chris’s birthday! After a yummy chocolate frosted donut, Grace and I had our first meeting of the day with Millinda, who explained the support system SAS has for its customers as well as the finance behind it. Then, we listened in on the weekly voice call Lisa has with the finance directors from EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Asia!). In only an hour, they were able to complete their 30-point agenda, and we got to hear from Sweden, Czech Republic, UK, and Belgium! After that, the fun began! It’s Employee Health and Fitness Month here at SAS, which means we got to participate in a 5k walk/run, and then eat yummy food from the food trucks at the finish line. In addition to food trucks, there were also Zumba classes happening and lots of other fun activities, like Ultimate Frisbee! Grace and I, along with Courtney and Adanna, ate fro-yo on the lawn as we watched other employees jamming out to Sia, Meghan Trainor, and more. After the fun afternoon, we grabbed a quick lunch at Building T. Finally, to wrap up the day, Grace and I met with Lisa, who discussed Legal and GAAP Reporting. Overall, we had a great week here at SAS, and learned so much about the various careers within the umbrella of “finance”. Hopefully, we’ll be back here in the future!

-Khushi

The signs pointing towards the awesome things to look forward to at the finish line of the 5k walk/run!

Grace and I about halfway through our walk!

After walking in the blazing heat, we finally made it to the finish line!

Today, Grace and I started our day off by sitting in on a weekly staff meeting with the rest of the GR&A (Global Reporting and Analysis) Team. Although serious matters were being discussed in the meeting, the mood was lighthearted and playful, and we even nicknamed the budgeting head, Joe, as “Captain B”! After the formal meeting was over, we talked about plans for a team member’s upcoming birthday celebration, as well as tomorrow’s food truck rodeo and 5k walk. In addition, we also listened to a song that was written about Courtney, one of the interns, by her cousin’s band (called Gum Pudding!) After the meeting, we learned the ins and outs of the software that the team uses to report and analyze their monthly data. Next, we went out to lunch with Courtney and Adanna, two college interns. They took us to Building F first, where we had breakfast for lunch, and then we all drove to Building R to get gelato! After lunch, we met with Brian to discuss accounting, and he showed us general templates for statements and explained how his job connected to Lisa’s team and the rest of the finance sector. Finally, we ended the day by learning about international taxes with Meg, Adam, and Mike, and they all explained how they got into international tax after explaining what they did on a regular day. Overall, it was a fun and relaxing day!

-Khushi

Grace and I outside of Building R with our gelato- coffee flavor for me and mango for her!

My personal rendition of Joe the Budgeting Man, complete with a cape! (BTW: Joe totally approved of his superhero status.)

Grace and I started our day off by talking to Gordon, the expert in Capital Planning and Depreciation at SAS. He explained that most of the capital that SAS invests in is either Corporate Service (like new buildings), or IT (like new computers), and that most things are capitalized within 3-5 years. Next, we took a tour around the 900-acre campus with Bethany, an HR representative who recently joined the company. First, she drove us to the gyms and rec rooms, where “Jawsome Aquatics Day” was taking place. The whole building was decked out in shark gear, and we even got to hear about some of the other activities that took place there, like basketball games and Zumba classes. Next, we went to Building R, the Research and Development sector, and we looked at the library and the huge café. After driving past the farm on campus, we ended our tour in Building C, the huge executive building where customers and clients were being treated to lunch. (Fun fact: This building served as the exterior of Stark Industries in the third Iron Man movie!) The cafeteria there was amazing, and Grace, Bethany, and I all indulged in various types of sushi and desserts! Mine was filled with avocado, cucumber, and carrot, with spicy mayonnaises on the side. Finally, we ended our tour and went back to Building T. There, we talked with two members of Lisa’s staff about Standard Management and Treasury Functions, then it was time to go home!

-Khushi

The inside of the newly-renovated Building R. 

SAS Executive Building, AKA Stark Industries! 

Sushi for lunch in Building C’s amazing cafeteria. 

Employees getting ready for the “Jawsome Aquatics Day” relay activities.

Today, Grace and I started our 4-day shadowing experience at SAS. First, we got a tour of the Finance building with Lisa, the head of this sector of finance management. We met the rest of her team, and then she gave us an overview of how she and her team fit into SAS. We learned that there are over 6o countries where SAS has locations, and Lisa even told us about some of the struggles that come with collaborating with international employees! In addition, we talked to two employees about analyst and budgeting careers.  And finally, we got to sit in at a Finance Division Meeting.

-Khushi