By: Trent Remillard, MFF Fellow and MFF Bookkeeper
My name is Trent Remillard. I am a senior in college at Bryant University and a double major in finance and economics. I have been a part of the Morgan Franklin Fellowship program from its early stages, and in many ways, I have grown with MFF as it has grown and developed. Throughout my journey with MFF, I have had many opportunities that have helped me grow and develop both personally and professionally. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in many fulfilling projects over the years. These projects ranged from something as simple as selling a car for Peter Morgan, to something as intricate as doing the bookkeeping for MFF. Who would have thought way back in 2016 when I joined the program, producing the quarterly performance reports on my fund, the “Constantine Fund” named after my love for Roman History, that it would have led to what I am doing now? It has been such an amazing journey going from where I was then to where I am today.
Though it has been very exciting, it has also not been without its challenges, most recently the challenges we have all faced with the life-changing COVID-19 effects on how we operate as a society. While in the past I was fortunate enough to work for MFF, this summer was the first time I was able to really dive in and become more involved with the development of the program. I was given the opportunity to apply the knowledge I have gained throughout my years with MFF, as well as the knowledge I gained though my college experience. In the beginning stages of my summer internship, I was involved with applying for Coronavirus relief funds to support multiple businesses through these challenging times. I was also researching real estate management software to help further support these same businesses. Both of these tasks presented their own unique set of challenges testing my skills. The SBA relief loan tested my patience, resolve, and leadership skills as I navigated the complex and oftentimes frustrating maze of bureaucracy during a time when the rules changed almost daily. This provided for an exceptional learning experience! Researching the real estate software tested my project planning, critical analysis, and future-based thinking skills, as my goal was to find the optimal software platform to carry a real estate investment company well into the future.
As the Summer progressed, I had the opportunity to work on a project with Griffin Dunway, an MFF Fellow who is already working in the financial industry. This was a great experience, and together we became more involved with some of the financial aspects of real estate, investing through Morgan Legacy Partners. With Griffin’s guidance, I was able to work on a proforma for some of Peter Morgan’s new real estate projects.The proformas Griffin and I worked on were then used to make actual proposals to banks for loans on properties. It was very exciting to be a part of the actual process in real time. While we didn’t land the deal, Griffin did find a bank loan, and it is still a nice feeling to know that I was part of a much bigger process.
In June, the position of bookkeeper for MFF became available. I was very interested in gaining some more accounting experience, so I expressed my interest to the team and was hired for the job. Having gotten a taste for being a part of the MFF administrative process, becoming the MFF bookkeeper seemed like a perfect way to not only put the skills that I learned at college to good use, but also to potentially make some money while attending college and to develop a longer term role with MFF. It was a challenging experience learning my way through the process of bookkeeping, while also learning the Quickbooks software system. However, I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet with the organization’s treasurer and gain an understanding of Morgan Franklin Fellowship’s financial past. This was a very rewarding and empowering experience, and I feel that going forward I can confidently continue to be an asset for the MFF team.
So my message to all of you out there is: work hard, stay humble, strive to be the best version of you, and I promise you your efforts will pay off. I wouldn’t be the bookkeeper for MFF now, if I hadn’t put in the effort back in the early stages of my involvement with the group. If you put honest effort into what you do, people will notice your hard work and you’ll be rewarded with even more opportunities to learn and to grow, just as I did.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
– Thomas Jefferson
