Seventeen Senior Jefferson Pilot Business Fellows, accompanied by their seminar advisors, (Professors DiRienzo, Honeycutt, Synn, and Tiemann) spent October 6-9 in New York City, business capital of the world. The group visited Refco Securities on Thursday afternoon, learning more about futures and derivatives trading and how calculation of risk is not an activity reserved for financial floors, but something done in everyday life. In the afternoon, the economics group met with Economist Chip Brown to discuss forecasting newsletter techniques and tips.
Friday brought an early morning at Goldman Sach’s, one of the leading financial services firms in the world. The Fellows were able to listen in on the morning call with Mark Wienkes, have a select few representatives try their hands at stock pitches, tour the analyst floor, speak with top young sales employee Dan Stratemeier, and participate in a question and answer session with a senior human resources executive Eunice Kim. The lessons learned were infinitely more than how to craft an interview or give a forceful stock suggestion, but rather what priorities and skills are required to assimilate with the high stakes financial environment and the importance of being aware of your own strengths and skill sets.
After Goldman Sach’s, the group visited “the mayor’s company”, Bloomberg. All were completely in awe of their corporate culture which included an open relationship with the CEO who sits among entry-level employees rather than in a posh office; the use of bright colors, expensive and innovative artwork, and aquariums to spark creativity; free food and elevator stops that encourage interaction among different departments; extensive training and immediate opportunities for promotion; and meeting celebrities (from wedding crashers Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson to leading economists and financial analysts). The end to a busy Friday was a group lunch, the perfect time to reminisce on the previous three years in the Jefferson-Pilot Program.
Saturday in the city brought pouring rain and the opportunity to sleep in, but most importantly, a tour of the World Trade Center site. Our tour guides were a first responder who established a triage center on September 11 and a WTC employee who survived the 9/11 attacks despite being present on an impact floor. The tour finale was a moment of reflection at the memorial established by American Express for the eleven employees they lost in the attacks. These perspectives brought a greater level of heart-wrenching realism to the event that rocked America’s firm foundation.
Of course, it wasn’t all business and no play in the Big Apple! The seniors spent free time exploring Times Square, having a taste of true New York pizza, cheesecake, and deli treats, navigating the subway system, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History, ferrying to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, catching up with family and friends in the area, taking in a Broadway show, and understanding on a personal level why New York is “the city that never sleeps!”