During the summer of 2007, I worked as a summer intern at RL Solutions.  They build applications that help healthcare organizations manage patient feedback, medication errors, adverse events, employee comments, medical incidents, claims and quality issues.

The work:

My title was Metrics Analyst, and my duties included building data-mining tools to analyze and project the company’s financial health and sales.  During my time there, I was able to work directly with the CFO and the VP of Marketing to design new models that resulted in a reduction in break-even per sale from 4 years down to 2.5 years.

The company:

RL Solutions was a very friendly place that knew how to take care of its employees.  There was a pool table, company lunches every Friday, and even an X-Box for relaxation during breaks.  And when it came to work, everyone was excited about the company – which is a leader in its industry.  By the end, I had truly felt a part of the “RL Family”, and was sad to leave my team.  Even today, I still go back and visit every once in awhile and RL still welcomes me with open arms.

Lessons and Experiences:

My career goals are to work in consulting and to eventually start my own business.  What this summer internship taught me was that a company is only as strong as the people that constitute it.  The CEO, Sanjay Malaviya, really took pains to drill into me that it was the entire company’s team effort that brought them to where they are today.  I remember they once had a picture of a cruise ship on the wall and an island a few meters away.  In between the ship and the island were sales markers, for example $1 million, $2 million, etc.  Sanjay explained to me that this was a reminder and motivation to the entire company that if everyone can contribute to that goal, and they reach the island, RL would treat everyone in the company to a complimentary cruise vacation.

I saw and experienced the profound effect a dedicated and loyal team can do for a company and its brand.  In the future, no matter what industry I go into, I will remember that people are the cornerstones and pioneers of a company, and treat them as such.