Candace Flowers has been an intern with the Regional Federal Credit Union for a little over a month but she has already learned a great deal about marketing and finance.
The internship is part of the curriculum for Flowers’ Business and Entrepreneurship Major at the University of Phoenix. She is already a business owner, hoping to expand her paint and paper products company through education. Opening another company, to develop and manufacture green cleaning products, is long term goal of hers.
“It’s my goal to have a sustainable business of my own,” Flowers said. “Marketing is one of the most important things I need to learn. Learning how to advertise and make connections in the community will be a great stepping stone.”
Regional Federal Credit Union has been “extremely helpful” at teaching her.
Flowers works alongside her supervisor, Kevin Kosek who is the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for the credit union. She has learned how to take a marketing plan from beginning to end, and how to implement it in a real world setting. Learning about audience demographics was new to her but she saw the effects of getting to know her clients.
“I love the friendliness of the team. Everyone gets to know everyone else by name. Even the members. I’ve never been happy to go into [my bank], not like the people here,” Flowers said.
Regional has a family atmosphere that means a lot to Flowers, who is a single mother of three. When her children were sick, they encouraged her to stay home with them, but she also knows what it takes to keep her own dreams alive.
Each morning, she is eager to learn, and enthusiastic about her work. Part of her internship is creating two separate newsletters to send out to the public that she is very proud of. Flowers also works on the scholarship program through the credit union.
“They are helping me fulfill my family life and my educational needs and responsibilities,” she said.
