Back to work in San Francisco after a week of orientation in Itasca.  So many new relationships formed with the other interns, I am truly glad that Gallagher spends the time and effort to allow all the interns the opportunity to get together in Itasca.  It was fun to really get time to connect with the other interns from my office (who are located downstairs that I rarely see) and to meet new people from all over the country.  Shout out to Chris, my roommate from Plattenville, Louisiana.

On the learning side, it was very interesting to see the direction in which Gallagher is heading and how dedicated they are to their young employees.  The executives who came in and spoke really knew how to involve the interns and keep their attention.  I was truly amazed at the full scope of AJG and how large the company is becoming.

I really do think that some of the relationships I made during the week will become long-time friends and hopefully co-workers or clients in the future.

-Brendan, San Francisco

You may have seen the earlier post from Elena in Aliso Viejo about running a half marathon for charity on July 25th.

If you would like to help her raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, visit her web page here or paste http://pages.lightthenight.org/sf/SanFran10/KatnikGirls into your browser.

So far Elena and her sisters have raised over $2,900 !

Hi everyone. I didn’t get a chance to post this before leaving for Itasca (which, by the way, was a great time).  Well everyone is posting about sports, but I enjoy backpacking, hiking, and camping.  (Of course, I have really enjoyed watching the World Cup). My first week has been great.  My impression is that I will learn a lot, simply by being immersed in the field.  I am trying to be assertive to invite myself along with the producers, and I’m trying to keep my ear to the ground for experiences that sound enriching.  I’m still feeling everyone out here — I want to be assertive, yet, not annoying.  I hope to show everyone that I am willing to work hard, and that no job is too small for me, but also that I am willing to get out of my comfort zone and try challenging things.

- Paul in Fresno

Los Angeles is a happy city after last night’s Laker victory. Hopefully all of America will be happy after the U.S. v. Slovenia game. Side note: I’m an avid soccer fan and player (played college and semi-professionally).

Focusing on the topic at hand, things have been going just as I was hoping in the Los Angeles office. Two weeks into it, and I’ve accompanied consultants to meetings, met with clients, and have been juggling more projects than I could have anticipated. It’s very encouraging to see the internship program provide the summer associates with substantive work. It became evident to me immediately that the culture here is to fully invest in the summer internship program, in order for us to grow significantly and fulfill our potential. Who wouldn’t want to see a return on investment, right?

I’m hoping to continue to grow professionally, develop my analytical and problem-solving skills, and improve my Excel knowledge (as I have had minimal exposure to such a valuable tool). Now, it’s time to finalize all the pending projects before heading out to Itasca.

Best of luck,

Ari from Los Angeles

These first couple weeks have been very different from last years internship. My first day I was put to work immediately as if I had never left. It has been very busy in the office helping everyone out with different tasks. The World Cup win by the US and exit by France (I have a lot of French teammates) has put me in jubilant spirits so right now I am coming to work every day with a huge smile on my face.

- Tony in Sacramento

So things are cruising right along here in Seattle.  I have been extremely busy putting together work force evaluations for our analyst and broker teams the last week and I really hope that the WFE tool is found to be useful at the WR conference in Vegas.

For a little background on me personally, I go to the University of Washington in Seattle and I was born and raised in Chicago.  I am a diehard Chicago sports fan and am STOKED that the Cubs are playing in Seattle tonight.  Needless to say I will be there. I am 21-years-old and am majoring in Business with a concentration in Marketing.

I hope all of you are having a great time in Itasca.

Rick