Meet our Summer Interns of 2019

Summertime in New York City brings many things— 100-degree subway platforms, a permanently high UV index, and a seasonal influx of tourists from around the world. Still, it’s a time when most of us New Yorkers look forward to the long summer nights, countless rooftop and riverside restaurants, and endless opportunities to catch a movie or concert in the park, or to just spread a blanket and enjoy being outside.

Here at RapidRatings however, summertime brings with it another thing…the highly anticipated arrival of our summer interns. In the six summers ranging from 2013-2018, the RapidRatings’ Summer Internship Program has provided 27 internship positions across the departments of Client Success, Marketing, Sales, Business Development, Finance, Legal and Human Resources. In those six years, the Program has generated six full-time hires and one part-time hire who all (but one) maintain their current roles at the company.

In keeping with this tradition, RapidRatings welcomed it’s seventh cohort of summer interns in June. Thus far we’ve enjoyed watching them navigate their internships with RapidRatings; learning more about the Company and the industry in which we operate every day. In providing the interns with key ‘Corporate’ experiences, such as a traditional onboarding process, performance reviews, regular 1:1s with managers, and weekly meetings with Leadership from across the organization, our hope is that they will walk away this summer with a newfound knowledge of more than just the area where they were designated to work.

Now, as the interns enter the latter half of their summer internship and they’ve gained a better understanding of RapidRatings, we thought we'd take a few minutes and get to know them better as well. So, without further ado...

Introducing our 2019 Summer Interns:

Intern’s Name:

Ryan Tantillo

Role at RapidRatings:

Finance Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Junior at Pittsburgh University

What is your academic background?

I'm currently working on undergraduate degrees in both accounting and finance.

Current roles and responsibilities as a Finance Intern at RapidRatings:

• Recording of daily cash activities
• Entering and coding bills  
• Ad hoc financial analysis 
• Sending invoices to clients and following up on customers who are late in sending payment
• Assisting the team in implementing new accounting standard

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

Cold Brew! Also shadowing Rita and Elliot and listening to what goes through their mind as they complete their respective tasks.

Ryan’s manager, Elliot Goldman, Finance Director had the following comments and observations to make regarding Ryan’s time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Ryan has a quick ability to grasp concepts and tasks that the team asks of him. His excellent teamwork skills have been especially prevalent as he works on the finance team project of implementing a key new accounting standard. Overall, his eagerness to learn as much as possible during the internship makes him a great addition to the team.

Intern’s Name:

Tunji Williams

Role at RapidRatings:

Sales & Business Development Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Junior at Babson College

What is your academic background?

As a lifelong New Yorker I've spent most of my years in Kips Bay on the east side of Manhattan. I'm currently a rising junior at Babson College in Massachusetts, studying towards a B.S. in Global Business Management. 

Current roles and responsibilities as a Sales & Business Development Intern at RapidRatings:

Supporting the Sales & Business Development teams and their lead generation efforts through:

• Logistics and delivery of the new SWAG outreach campaign
• Conference Follow-up
• Company and Contact Research
• Database Management
• Prospecting follow-up

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

The family like culture and the accessibility to both meet and learn from senior leadership.

Tunji's manager, Timothy Reeb, Sales Development Manager had the following comments and observations to make regarding Tunji's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Thus far Tunji has made a big impact on our Sales Development Representatives, providing them with over 200 leads since starting. He was integral in the organization and execution of 3 successful SWAG launches, helping the team to gain visibility with C-Suite Executives.

Intern’s Name:

Shaun Tan

Role at RapidRatings:

Digital Marketing Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Senior at Babson College

What is your academic background?

I'm currently studying Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing & Business Analytics.  

Current roles and responsibilities as a Digital Marketing Intern at RapidRatings:

This summer Shaun is working in Digital Marketing helping on several strategic initiatives: 

• A/B testing RapidRatings' email campaigns to improve open and click rates, in order to reach a broader audience and optimize an ABM lead nurturing email campaign.
• Developing content and posting to RapidRatings' social media channels daily, focusing on LinkedIn and Twitter mainly. 
• Using analytics of various channels (email, social, web, etc) to help drive better insight into campaign performance.
• Helping to optimize content to improve SEO (search engine optimization) Rankings.

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

My favorite about working at RapidRatings is that I get to hone my skills in digital marketing with responsibility beyond what I expected, as well as, tap into the bright minds of the various departments that work in the office. I am able to learn more beyond just my job description, interacting and learning from all employees, including our executives and high-level management.

Shaun's manager, Sara Haas, Senior Manager, Marketing & Demand Generation had the following comments and observations to make regarding Shaun's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

•  Shaun has an innate ability to use analytics to help drive decisions around campaign performance.
• One of his largest contributions thus far has been his research into best practices for email campaigns and A/B testing. 
• He has also been key in creating continuous content for social media channels.

Intern’s Name:

Mehr Gupta

Role at RapidRatings:

Client Services & Marketing Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Senior at Boston University

What is your academic background?

I’m currently a Mass Communication Major with a specialization in Public Relations and a Minor in Psychology.

Current roles and responsibilities as a Client Services & Marketing Intern at RapidRatings:

• Complete ownership of redesigning Client Services’ training materials
• Rethinking the way RapidRatings’ provides educational support to clients 

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

I like how collaborative the culture here is, and how there is always an opportunity to learn more!

Mehr's manager, Ned Beckwith, Senior Implementation Associate had the following comments and observations to make regarding Mehr's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Mehr has been an instant contributor to the RapidRatings team. She brings a skill set that we desperately need more of, and has hit the ground running on a crucial project. She is a graphic design wiz with a great eye for detail. Almost as important, she turned me on to an amazing Chinese food restaurant here in lower Manhattan.

Intern’s Name:

Matt Coyle

Role at RapidRatings:

Network Outreach Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Senior at Providence College

What is your academic background?

I'm currently majoring in Business Management. After undergrad I hope to pursue a post graduate degree abroad in London, England.

Current roles and responsibilities as a Network Outreach Intern at RapidRatings:

• Study and maneuver through various foreign financial registries from all over Europe, while coordinating with the Network Outreach team to match financial information to their respective cases
• Resolve and review all outstanding legal inquires related to outdated cases
• Design the UI for foreign financial templates to provide a user-friendly interface for suppliers to submit the requested financial information necessary for creating a Financial Health Rating (FHR) report
• Study trends in time relating to Network Outreach’s efforts to follow up with vendors on additional information to complete our FHR reports for summer research project

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

I think it's great how unique my job is and how everyday brings with it something new. I also enjoy working with international financial statements and having exposure to different countries, tasks, and opportunities within my role. 

Matt's manager, Mark Bandoylo, Network Outreach Associate had the following comments and observations to make regarding Matt's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Matt has been integral in expediting and contributing to various process improvements for the team. He has contributed significantly to improving the way we go about working with our European suppliers, from his work on foreign registries to his technical contributions relating to how we extract the necessary financial information related to producing our FHR reports.

Matt’s contribution on the legal front has also been felt cross-departmentally, as his work in resolving legal inquires is sure to have a long-standing positive affect, not just for the Network Outreach team, but also for our legal department.

Matt’s hard work is characterized by his determination and desire to learn, not just what Network Outreach does, but also the work done by corresponding teams. In addition to this, Matt is skilled in learning independently, and this, amongst many of his other positive traits have reflected his success in this position.

Intern’s Name:

Erin Moran

Role at RapidRatings:

Data Analysis Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising Senior at University of Massachusetts Amherst

What is your academic background?

I’m currently majoring in Finance. As part of my undergraduate degree, I’m simultaneously working towards a certificate in international relations. In the future I hope to pursue an MBA.

Current roles and responsibilities as a Network Outreach Intern at RapidRatings:

• Gather data from internal sources to support initiatives
• Provide insight for best practices
• Create international financial statement training for new employees within RapidRatings Learning Management System

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

The People. Everyone here is really helpful and willing to sit down and tell you about themselves and what they do at RapidRatings. I've learned a lot from everyone here and, additionally, I've learned a lot about financial statements as well as finance in general.

Erin's manager, Matthew Freedman, Senior Data Analysis Associate, had the following comments and observations to make regarding Erin's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Erin's most notable skills: Detail-oriented, strong work ethic, adaptable, works well independently and within a team, and time management (just to name a few)

Erin's most notable contributions: Erin is currently working to create new content for RapidRatings' internal training portal for new employees. This training will add an international component to the finance-related training that new hires receive. In addition to this, Erin is also working to gather data for a Kickback initiative that is being conducted by RapidRatings' Data Analysis team.

Intern’s Name:

Jack Kiefer

Role at RapidRatings:

Sales Development Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising sophomore at University of Richmond

What is your academic background?

I'm currently on the Business school track and looking forward to entering the business program this coming year, with a potential concentration in Finance. 

Current roles and responsibilities as a Sales Development Intern at RapidRatings:

Supporting the Sales Development Team in identifying and cultivating new clients through several initiatives central to that task including:

• Company and Contact Research
• Database Management
• Prospecting follow-up
• Delivery of SWAG outreach campaign
• Conference follow-up 

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

My favorite part about working at RapidRatings is actually coming into work everyday. The adjustment period of learning how to work in an office environment has been great and I've enjoyed being able to get into a routine of commuting into work, working with my team, and just doing the normal day-to-day things.

Jack's manager, Timothy Reeb, Sales Development Manager had the following comments and observations to make regarding Jack's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

Jack's laser focus and attention to detail when prospecting has proved to be a dynamic combination when it comes to assisting the team in sales development and basic lead generation.

Intern’s Name:

Philip Hanhurst

Role at RapidRatings:

IT Intern

Current Year/University:

Pre-enrollment for SUNY New Paltz

What is your academic background?

Phil has been accepted to SUNY New Paltz, where he plans to major in Computer Engineering.

Current roles and responsibilities as an IT Intern at RapidRatings:

•  Began working for RapidRatings part-time in the fall of 2018; moved to full-time summer internship post-graduation
• Assists in managing the IT HelpDesk queue
• Balancing the workload of the IT Department

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

Since this is my first job with a technical focus, so far it has been just getting the experience helping others with the problems they may have. I’ve also learned a lot about networking and I’m hoping to use that knowledge as I focus on Computer Engineering.

Philip's manager, Nate Masterson, Associate Director, IT had the following comments and observations to make regarding Philip's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

During his time at RapidRatings, Phil has been tasked with balancing the workload of the IT department in several different areas. 

Notably, Phil has become a primary worker of helpdesk tickets, where he’s able to apply and further develop his strong technical knowledge, and refine his problem solving and critical thinking abilities. 

Phil has also written a number of technical how-to documents that RapidRatings has distributed and adopted globally.

Intern’s Name:

Griffin Kiefer

Role at RapidRatings:

Sales Development Intern

Current Year/University:

Rising sophomore at Tulane University

What is your academic background?

My major is undeclared however I have an interest in Marketing and Business Management...or maybe even a degree in sports marketing/advertising.

Current roles and responsibilities as a Network Outreach Intern at RapidRatings:

Supporting the Sales Development Team in identifying and cultivating new clients through several initiatives central to that task including:

• Company and Contact Research
• Database Management
• Prospecting follow-up
• Delivery of SWAG outreach campaign
• Conference follow-up 

What is your favorite part about working at RapidRatings:

My favorite part about working at RapidRatings is being able to work with the sales team...they're a really fun team. I also like feeling free and encouraged to speak up, ask questions and to discuss certain aspects of the job freely with the people I'm working with.

Griffin's manager, Timothy Reeb, Sales Development Manager had the following comments and observations to make regarding Griffin's time at RapidRatings thus far: 

In addition to lead generation, Griffin's energy and the positivity he brings to every meeting and task has been a breath of fresh air. He, along with Tunji and Griffin, have played a major role in our Sales Development efforts this summer and I feel lucky to have them!