Connor Group intern and Ohio State student Casey Petrae has a bright future ahead of him. Just ask any associate who has met him.
“You would never know Casey is going into his sophomore year in college,” said director of analytics Tyler Oberly. “He hit the ground running – helping us pull our historical property data together from multiple sources to one primary database. Ultimately, his work will improve our analysis when reviewing our current portfolio or underwriting new potential properties.”
We recently caught up with Casey to get his perspective on interning at The Connor Group.
What has your experience been like at The Connor Group?
Amazing so far. I’ve met so many great people and I’m learning things most students would not learn until they’re out in the workforce. I’ve seen our systems and core values firsthand, every day. It continues to blow me away how well our systems work and I’m really looking forward to learning more.
What are your plans after college?
I’ve learned this summer that I have a passion for investing, so I’d love to work at an investment bank or private firm. Whatever my job is, I want to be able to make an impact on the lives of others. That might mean volunteering at a local hospital or homeless shelter. It might mean doing something like The Kids and Community Partners – which has made a huge impact on the lives of so many individuals including myself. Either way, I want to make sure that throughout my career that I make a positive impact on the people around me.
What were your expectations for your internship? Has anything surprised you about interning at The Connor Group?
Coming into my internship I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I knew since it was The Connor Group, people were going to make this experience worthwhile for me. Still, I thought I would be doing your typical intern type work. Boy was I wrong. I’ve been directly involved almost of the important projects in my department. My team has given me work that is important to our company, but also will teach me skills needed to succeed in the workforce. I sit in on meetings that most college students would never have the opportunity to witness, including the meetings directly involved in the closing of our newest property L2 Uptown. My expectations have been blown away and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me.
What have you been learning?
I’ve learned all our standards and systems, how to read and analyze loan documents, operating statements, rent rolls and OneSite reports. I’ve also learned all the calculations needed for our analytics department and how they are important to implement our systems. I’ve learned a lot about how we acquire and sell properties and the amount of work our teams put in to successfully do so. The most important thing I’ve learned already this summer is that I’ve made the correct decision with what degree I want to pursue in college. I’ve enjoyed everything so far in my journey here and I find it all extremely intriguing and fascinating. Sometimes people regret their major, but I now can say I’m excited to be pursuing my Finance Degree. The list could go on forever, but I get the privilege of coming into work and learning so many things every day.
What is your impression of The Connor Group culture?
I could tell right away that The Connor Group is different than most companies. I’ve seen firsthand all our standards and core values being implemented and I believe that is why our company is so successful. From R&R to holding people accountable in all circumstances whether good or bad, it leads to the ultimate success of our company. I believe that The Connor Group is different and anyone who can be employed here will be given an amazing career.
Last week you got to spend some time at a potential acquisition property. What was that like?
I was able to go on a CapEx visit with Brock and Rodney to one of our prospects in Tampa. It was absolutely amazing. I was able to see firsthand exactly what we look for in a property. The biggest takeaway I was able to notice was how quickly we analyze a property and find things that may be potential hazards when acquiring a property. I also noticed when talking to the broker we do things just a little different than most, such as sending our CapEx team out even before we offer. I think these things are what make us so successful in the industry. One very cool thing I was able to takeaway was knowledge about the Tampa market. One of my projects I have been working on the past couple of weeks was researching and drawing up a report about the different submarkets in Tampa. After the property visit, Brock (Wright) drove me around Tampa to explain different areas in Tampa I was researching. Brock is very knowledgeable and he took the extra time to pass some of it on to me. I was able to spend some informal time with Brock in which we were able to get to know each other better and I also was able to ride in the co-pilot seat on the flight home with our Naaman (Beck). I was able to learn all about what it takes to fly a plane and get to know Naaman as well. The whole trip was one of the coolest things I have ever done.
What is something that, if someone didn’t know this about you, they wouldn’t really know you at all?
Someone does not know me if they do not know about my passion to help others. That is something I am always looking to do – make people realize their value and that they can always do more than what they think they can.