West Liberty Resident and Ashland University Student Janessa Huffman Interned at the Gorman Rupp Company

2014 Oct 27

West Liberty resident Janessa Huffman, a junior accounting major at Ashland University, served as an intern this summer for the Gorman Rupp Company in Mansfield.

Alongside her supervisor and the Manager of Compliance and Financial Reporting Cathy Laux, Huffman assisted and completed a variety of projects. Huffman rotated between three employees, which allowed her to see the different sides of corporate accounting.

Working with Laux, Huffman updated documents that were filed with the SEC. She also did work reconciling some reports that carried over into the work she completed with the corporate controller, which involved creating a functional Excel workbook that more efficiently calculated manufacturing rates.

During her time with the manager of internal audit, Huffman worked on walk-throughs of company processes and tested controls of various company processes. She also went out into the field to Gorman Rupp Industries and worked on auditing there.

In regards to the company, she said, "Gorman Rupp Company is a manufacturer of pumps that serve many different markets. They are a small to mid-sized company, but their international presence gives them a big feel."

When asked how AU classes helped prepare her for the internship, Huffman said, "I think the business spreadsheets class was the most helpful for this internship because of how much I used Excel. My accounting classes were also beneficial because I could apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to the real-world."

Huffman said she learned that accounting doesn't just pertain to debits and credits, even though they are the backbone of the entire concept. She said she was involved in all aspects of an internal audit, discovering what it truly is.

She said the internship will help her in class by allowing her to see the bigger picture and think outside of just the homework problem. She thinks it also will be beneficial for discussions because her experience might be relevant to topics brought up in class.

Huffman said the internship provided her with a number of other career options in the accounting field that she is interested in exploring. After graduation, she plans on obtaining her CPA license while working for a company or firm

Huffman, who is the daughter of Jerry Huffman and Dajuan Kindle, is a 2012 graduate of West Liberty-Salem.

Huffman is very involved on the AU campus, serving as a member of the AU Marching Band-Color Guard, Kappa Kappa Psi, the National Honorary Band Fraternity, the Institute of Management Accountants, peer tutoring, Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honorary, Delta Mu Delta Business Administration Honorary and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Ashland University, which has been ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.