Take a Peek into AIFP’s New Summer Sales and Trading Internship Competition

At AIFP, we believe in personal and professional development, so what better way to teach the next generation of career seekers than by offering a summer internship for college students where they can do just that! Take a peek into what our summer sales and trading internship competition has to offer and what our interns have to say about their experience.

What is the AIFP Summer Sales and Trading Internship Competition?

This summer, AIFP decided to mix things up by launching our first ever AIFP summer internship sales competition! So, what exactly is this competition you may ask? Well, if you have ever seen Shark Tank than you’re on the right track.

We decided that each summer we will select three interns for a competition where they will be tasked with finding a potential product that they think AIFP could add into our business portfolio. They will have seven weeks to build out a business plan for a product of their choice within the building materials industry and present a convincing pitch to try and get the judges to “invest” into their product.

But they won’t be all on their own, AIFP has created a structured program to help students learn how to build out a business plan and to apply their skills professionally and gain confidence in themselves.

How Does the Competition Work?

At the end of our sales and trading internship program, our interns compete against each other, trying to convince the judges to select their product. There will be a first, second, and third place prize awarded to each of the interns based upon who convinced the most judges.

In our industry, friendly competition is one of the driving forces. Healthy competition helps motivate and keep things interesting in the world of sales. And at AIFP, competition comes with a heavy dose of teamwork. Being the best at what you do doesn’t matter if you tear down the ones around you.

Being a part of a team where everyone supports each other and succeed together is what drives the best results, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun competitions every once in a while.

What Does the 7-Week Summer Internship Schedule Look Like?

Week 1: The interns spend this time diving right into researching viable products within the industry. This is where they begin to do a broad search into products that they could potentially choose to build out for their business plan, piecing together information on how this product could fit into AIFP’s business. Each intern will have to learn how to take initiative and utilize the resources that are given to them.

Week 2 & 3: During this time, our sales interns utilize their time with each department and with individual traders. They ask questions relevant to their product research and explore different sales prospecting techniques. This challenges the interns to socialize and seek help and guidance from those in the industry.

Week 4: The interns take time this week to learn all about logistics, credit/money flow, inventory management, business analytics, and order management from our amazing admin team. Not only do they need to understand the full trading cycle, but they need identify how each of these departments fit into their own business plan development. This allows for the interns to learn just how big a business can be and how many factors and touchpoints there are to consider.

Week 5: The interns take a series of field trips this week, touring a variety of mills, reloads, customers, and jobsites to better understand the building materials industry beyond the trade floor. They are tasked with finding out how AIFP plays our part in each of these stages of the industry and how important our relationship with our partners impacts our business.

These field trips provide interns an opportunity to truly see how each decision made on the trading floor can impact multiple parts of the business and how important it is to realize that this is an industry centered around people and the relationships we have with them.

Week 6: At this point in the summer internship program, our interns have investigated each part of the trading cycle, and now have a greater understanding of how the business works and what factors play into their business plans. They take this week to gather their thoughts and begin putting all the pieces together to formulate and build their business plans. We present them with all the resources they need, but it is up to them to decide whether to utilize them or not.

Week 7: This is the final week for the interns to put everything they have learned over the course of this internship into a business plan as well as prepare their pitch to present to the judges. We encourage our interns to put their own unique spin on their presentation and show their personality to the judges as well as the audience members that come to watch.

Who Were This Years’ Summer Interns?

This summer AIFP welcomed our first three competitors, Cody Burger, Raymond Pasay, and Aiden Tuers!

Cody Burger was finishing out his sophomore year of college at the University of Oregon, when he came across AIFP. He brought a lot of curiosity to this internship and really showcased his passion for understanding how a business works. We really enjoyed having him here and seeing him interact with the team as well as showing a few of the guys his hooping skills during lunch.

Aiden Tuers came across our booth at the University of Oregon spring career fair during her sophomore year of college. She brought a lot of laughs to the trade floor with her fun personality, and we are so glad that she came out of her shell during our college internship program! We enjoyed having her here and seeing her nail some of our commodity traders with our dunk bucket this summer.

Raymond Pasay came into AIFP seeking mentorship on what it means to run a business from our president John Vranizan but ended up walking out with the opportunity to be one of our interns this summer. He is a recent graduate from Willamette University and his initiative, hard work and readiness to take on any challenge served as a great asset throughout his internship. We enjoyed having him in our summer internship program so much that he is now our newest Trader Trainee!

What Did Everyone Have to Say About our First Annual Summer Internship Competition?

Overall, our interns described their experience as challenging, eye opening, hard-work and fun. Here at AIFP our motto is work-hard, play-hard and that is exactly what our interns got to experience. Though, it was a lot of hard work building a business plan and researching products, the entire team still had lots of fun this summer! From BBQs and lunch outings to dunk buckets and pick-up basketball games, AIFP welcomed our interns to all the good times we shared this summer.

Our goal was to create an organized college internship program in Portland that promotes innovation, creativity, and real-world experience for students by giving them a chance to apply their skills and knowledge from the classroom to an environment that challenges them both professionally and personally.

AIFP worked to provide a professional development experience where students can come in and build something from start to finish and take full ownership of the project they created. We gave our students the same opportunities that our own traders have and taught them that their success is in their hands, and it is up to them to seize it.

We also wanted to give these students real professional experience in all facets of the business realm, as well as a chance to challenge themselves personally and build confidence in themselves and their skills. The AIFP team truly enjoyed hosting these summer interns and we hope that we inspired them as much as they inspired us!

Here are some things they had to say about their time here this summer:

1. In one word, how would you describe this internship?

Cody: “Amazing!”

Raymond: “Inspiring.”

Aiden: “Social.”

2. What do you think you learned most during this internship?

Cody: “I learned a lot about the different kinds of business models and all the different aspects of a business from start to finish. I also learned how to be proactive and really go after it.”

Raymond: “I didn’t really know what I could accomplish, and not having a career and that experience before this internship, it really opened up my eyes as to what’s possible not just in business, but for myself.”

Aiden: “The aspects of this business really forced me to interact with this industry and be a part of it and do things I never really thought I could do or was too scared to do. I definitely gained a lot of confidence during this internship, and it helped me actually figure out how to make a business plan and what really goes into a business.”

3. What advice would you give a future intern or an interested student?

Cody: “Really be proactive and go after it, because you’re never going to make it if you don’t. There is so much you can do within this business, but you’ve got to be proactive about what it is you really want and be an active listener, because there is no textbook like in college, so ask questions and really listen to what these guys have to say.”

Raymond: “Buckle up because it is going to challenge you but also give you a better understanding of not only business but yourself. You will learn a lot about yourself in general and if you want it bad enough and you are persistent, then people are going to give you a shot. They really give you the opportunity here to dive deep and learn a lot.”

Aiden: “It doesn't matter if you’re a man or a woman, you should apply to this internship because you will have a place here. You can find your own niche here and they really see the value of your learning and professional development. Also, get uncomfortable, it’s going to be fine!”

How Can I Apply for Next Year’s Summer Internship Program?

Looking for Portland summer internships that will help you get ready to thrive in the business world? Applications for our next three interns are currently open on Handshake.com, but selections will not be made until late May. We will contact applicants as they come in, up until selections are made. Applications will close at the end of May and interns will begin in July.

AIFP will also be making appearances at local college career fairs in the fall and spring, so feel free to stop by and ask any questions you may have. To check and see if AIFP will be attending your college career fair, contact your college career center, check the vendors list on Handshake, or simply send us a message on any of our social media platforms.

As we approach the application deadline, we will be posting on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram with reminders on where we are at in the hiring process, so be sure to give us a like and follow to stay updated on current events. You can also check out our blog, where we discuss what it's like to be a rookie trader and the best sales tips for recent grads.

We had a blast with this years’ interns and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for our summer sales and trading internship competition!