Finance Enthusiasts Unite

The room glows with the light exuding from the rows of computer screens. Accents of red and green lights flash from the scrolling ticker board running on the wall. The glass wall between the hallway and the classroom encourages inquisitive minds who pass to enter the room. As the last new members file into the fishbowl like computer lab Parker Orndof, President of Bloomsburg Investment Group (BIG), welcomes members to the first Monday meeting of the semester. The murmurs of previous conversations die down and member peer over their computers to view the presentation on the slide

Beginning of the Meeting

titled “Winter Economic Summary.” The rest of executive board standing beside Parker, eager to get started. 

 Parker, a freshly turned twenty-one-year-old finance major greets the members with a soft smile. The start of the meeting begins his third and final semester as President of the club as he prepares to graduate this Spring, a year earlier than the rest of his peers. His obvious academic dedication and participation in the club since his freshman year shows that he takes great pride in his responsibilities as a member and President of the club. “My first presentation as a sector head was last year. My group was supposed to be getting information for a hold presentation. It was going to be easy because we just needed basic information. Then when we were just about to finish, one of my sector members said, ‘This research is looking like we should sell.’ The next two weeks, the research was all I focused on because I wanted my first presentation to be right. I was scared but the end of the meeting was a very prideful moment and I believe feeling pride is the best feeling in the world,” Parker grinningly explained. After his graduation, he jumps right into a position at a financial firm in Kansas. He uses his experiences from BIG to his advantage in job interviews and networking events, attributes his opportunities to the hard work and real-world skills he learn during his time in BIG. 

Executive board Members

Parker, finishing his speech on the goals and objectives of the club, turns to the rest of the executive board so they an add their input. “For our meetings we usually start with presentations to spark conversations about our holdings and invite others to ask questions,” Vice President Connor Yost, who always wears orange, adds to the welcome speech. “I love coming to meetings to encourage those who are getting into finance to get involved and encourage their financial success for the future. These meeting are to help you learn, you take away what you put in, so please help ask question and participate and have fun!” 

Welcome to students from all majors and education levels, members learn the practical skills involving managing a portfolio and making sound financial decisions. Unlike other clubs on campus, BIG's welcoming, family-like environment makes members feel right at home. “I really enjoy how I can be myself in this club,” sophomore Julianne Emberger exclaims, “I think the social events that they have are a great way to make people feel more comfortable and at ease. I feared not being taken seriously as one of few females in the group, but I am so lucky to have found these guys.”

Group presentation led by underclassmen

The club began as just a group of friends meeting up and talking about their personal financial portfolio and their investments. Then in 2014 with a fifty-thousand-dollar donation, the club came alive. Worth over $142,000,  BIG’s portfolio shows each member’s hard work and dedication. The goal of the club has not been achieved just yet though. “My hopes for the club as I leave it is to improve marketing strategies and implementing specific policies to allow for succession planning to improve. That and scholarships for members that come from the portfolio which is why the club was made in the first place” Parker describes. 

 As the meeting comes to an end, you can feel the sense of accomplishment in the air. Although the meeting is over, the journey has just beginning. The continuous pursuit to grow and learn never-ends in the world of finance.