This summer, Springthrough welcomed three interns to our team. Rather than write about our perspective on their experience, we wanted you to hear right from them. 

Meet Eric Laginess. 

Eric is studying Accounting at Grand Valley State University. 

What three words represent your experience at Springthrough?

• Insightful
• Well-rounded
• Positive

What were you looking for in an internship?

I was looking for a place where I could further my knowledge in the accounting field. Working with someone like Ben Ipema (Springthrough's Controller), who has a lot of knowledge in the area, makes it easy to come into work because I can learn new things every day. This is what I really wanted. A work environment where I could always be myself and to see others around me work as a team like everyone does at Springthrough.

What surprised you the most about your internship?

What surprised me most is just how many different accounting and invoicing systems I’ve been accustomed to. With doing work in the QuickBooks system, our hours system, ConnectWise, and even doing a little with Springthrough's old system Great Plains. Getting to get a feel for so many different programs was something I didn’t really expect, but I’m glad I have the experience.

What kind of projects did you work on?

One project that I worked on, in addition to dealing with payables and receivables, was to create a list of top client financials. This document shows Springthrough’s clients and their performance over the past few quarters. I took into account their revenue, net income, earnings per share, and stock prices. If we have a gauge on how well our clients are doing, then we can improve on our projections with those clients for projects and payment schedules. I also did a breakdown spreadsheet of each employee’s benefits and how much the company pays per person per benefit.

What did you find most challenging about your Springthrough internship experience?

I found it pretty challenging to work between the two invoicing systems that we use here at Springthrough. At the start of my internship it was kind of a lot thrown at me at once, which had me asking many questions. Once I had gotten used to each system though and started getting familiar with the navigation through both hours and ConnectWise it became much easier to understand Ben when he asks something of me.

What industry tip did you learn?

An industry tip I learned is actually from a book that us interns read for a book club called Linchpin by Seth Godin. The tip is that everyone can be indispensable at work, but what you have to figure out is what exactly or how exactly you go about doing that, which is what the book goes in detail about. Also, just something from Ben was to stay positive and don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.

What one thing will you take from your internship that will make you a better student in the fall?

This internship really showed me a lot about accountability. Just seeing the different teams and how each group relies on others to get work done so deadlines are met to keep the unit moving forward. I think that is a big thing to take away from this experience so I not only keep other accountable, but I hold myself accountable as well.

What is your best memory from your summer internship at Springthrough?

I wouldn’t really want to narrow it down to one memory, but I will say that the opportunity that Springthrough has given me to work in one of that largest growing cities is amazing to me. I enjoy coming into work and will also not forget that one win in Ping-Pong over Kevin Johnson, even though he took the series 2-1.