A gathering of Belmont alumni was recently held at Caterpillar Financial, and during the event Belmont was presented a check for $10,000 from the Caterpillar Financial Contribution Fund to benefit the Jack C. Massey College of Business. The money will be used for a seminar on Global Career Readiness in the Spring co-hosted by the Center for International Business and the Massey College of Business Career Development Center.
Headquartered in Nashville, the finance and extended protection solutions company employs more than 75 graduates from the Massey College of Business. With approximately 1,000 employees in the West End Avenue building, Belmont graduates represent nearly eight percent of the workforce.
Brandon Harwood, a 2015 business administration graduate, currently serves as a credit analyst at Caterpillar Financial. “My position requires me to analyze credit data and financial statements of individuals or firms to determine whether or not to lend money and the terms to which we do so. The Massey College of Business prepared me for my current position by providing me with the knowledge to think critically and work with other individuals or teams to accomplish tasks. The challenging curriculum and excellent faculty provided me the opportunities to be successful and a degree from Belmont comes with a reputation of individuals being prepared to solve problems, work in teams and lead by example no matter what the position may be.”
2015 accounting graduate Erin Connors is a sales representative for Cat Financial, assisting the network of Caterpillar dealerships and the financial sales teams in the Southwest and Pacific Southwest with providing quotes on financial products as well as service requests. “My education at Belmont taught me how to think globally and look at business issues more realistically. The College of Business does a great job about using real world examples to help make concepts stick and that has been invaluable in transitioning from academia to the corporate world. I think my most impactful class at Belmont was Business Ethics with Dr. [Barry] Padgett. That class taught me to think very objectively and be able to better understand and be comfortable with the gray area that is business. It also helped me to understand what values I was looking for in an employer. Because of that, I feel like I chose a very ethically responsible employer to work for that truly stands by their values in action and aligns with my own personal values as well.”
Caterpillar Financial has been recruiting on campus since 2000 for their internship and management training program. Corporate Syndications Manager Colin Martin has been a part of the company’s Belmont recruiting team since 2011, conducting the on-campus interviews for the company’s Management Trainee program and intern candidates. He said, “I’m always amazed at the leadership opportunities Belmont provides it students either through class projects, clubs, social responsibility or Enactus. The students are always so prepared for our on-campus interviews and can highlight many leadership examples. They compare well against other universities when we bring them to our facility for final interviews. I would encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunities that Belmont provides because companies are looking for future leaders.”
