18 Aug Week 5: Ribbon Cuttings, Networking, and New Skills
Estimated Read Time: 3 Minutes
by Alessia Morante
This week had a little bit of everything, office projects, community events, volunteering, and plenty of learning moments along the way.
Monday: From Office Work to a Ribbon Cutting
I started off by getting my assignments for the week and wrapping up some writing I didn’t get the chance to finish last Thursday. Once my Week 4 blog post was done, I jumped right into putting together a binder for one of our Indiana properties. It had everything from tenant info to insurance, zoning, appraisal reports, IRS EIN, you name it. I printed papers, hole-punched them, and made dividers with labels so everything was neat and easy to find.
In the middle of working on the binder, I joined our “Catch Up with Kurt” meeting. It’s basically a company-wide lunch meeting where we go over updates from each part of the business. This week we talked about things like rolling out some new initiatives, how tariffs are affecting prices in the industry, and what to watch for in the coming months. We also went around the room sharing our highlights and lowlights from last week, which turned into some good laughs. It was a nice way to mix a meeting into everyone’s schedule, especially during lunch when the company was kind enough to provide some tasty food!
At 2:00, Jerry, Chris, Erin, and I headed out to a ribbon cutting for the new exit from 475 on to Illinois Ave. I’ve been waiting for this exit to be finished, so it was pretty exciting to be one of the first people to walk across the new bridge! We heard speeches from the people who made it happen, and also from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. After that, we had to hustle back to the office so Jerry and Chris could jump on a meeting with a client. I listened in as they talked about a development opportunity. It was a great learning experience to hear how Jerry and Chris helped their client navigate the opportunity.
Wednesday: Networking and County Updates
The first 30 minutes were for networking over coffee and pastries from Panera. Networking is a skill I’m still looking to improve, so I appreciated that Jerry and Chris helped by introducing me to some of the people there. It made starting conversations much easier, and I was grateful for the chance to meet a few new faces through them. Funny enough, someone even recognized me from Miller Diversified’s LinkedIn post about Monday’s ribbon cutting.
After networking, we all sat down to hear updates about what’s going on in Wood County. Topics ranged from a new roundabout being installed, to fundraising for cancer, to the possibility of American production for drones that are currently made in China. We also heard from Ohio State Representative Haraz Ghanbari about funding for the Browns stadium and how it ties into tourism, as well as a discussion about property taxes and their role in our communities.
Back at the office, I watched a video on Title Insurance and read an article on real estate contracts. I also had a quick assignment to pick something up from a client we met with a couple weeks ago who decided to move forward with us! Before leaving for the day, Chris Workman gave me one more quick project: updating our Property Management list. I’ve used the program Miller Diversified uses before in a past internship, so it was a nice refresher.
Thursday: Building for a Good Cause
Thursday was a change of pace; we went to a Habitat for Humanity volunteering event! Cassie, Emma, and I spent the morning installing soffit on a roof. We started the day learning who the house was for, followed by a quick prayer. I appreciated hearing the story behind the home, it made the work feel even more meaningful. They explained why soffit installation alternates between two regular panels and one perforated panel, it’s to allow for ventilation, which I thought was pretty interesting. It was a good mix of doing something hands-on and learning why things are done a certain way.
Takeaway of the Week
I love that no two days here are the same. This week I got to celebrate new community projects, meet new people, and even get my hands dirty for a good cause. It was a great mix of experiences that made the week fly by.
I’m sad that next week is my last week here, but I’m excited to see what I continue to learn before I wrap up.