Parting Thoughts From Our Intern - Thanks, Matthew!

Our Spring intern, Matthew Blackwell, concludes his internship ths week. We asked him to share some thoughts with us on his experience working in Managing For Results. Good Luck in all your future endeavors, Matthew, and Thanks for all your great work!

I want to start out by thanking the absolutely incredible team at Weidner, Inc. and the whole MFR community for providing me with this incredible opportunity to be part of such a great company and program.

When I initially set out to find an internship back in early October of 2009, I was entirely unaware of an industry focused on governmental consulting with a focus on management practices.

I had been going through a list of companies posted within the Texas State University's Sociology Department where graduates were working. Most of the companies on the list are big-name corporations that I already knew about, but at the very bottom of the list sat the name, Weidner, Inc.

As I had never heard of this company, I quickly did an online search for the company website. No sooner had I read through the Company Overview and Company History pages, I was hooked. Here was a company specializing in helping organizations to function better and more efficiently. To top it all off, they worked exclusively with governmental organizations.

For most of my life, I've been a huge fan of finding more efficient ways to do things, be it school work, making/serving ice cream at my first job, starting and running a Boy Scout Troop (I am a proud Eagle Scout), and working in a high-end specialty retail store during college.

Towards the end of my High School career, I had begun an interest in government, not so much on the political side as most of my friends were, but in they way they operated. I've realized over the years that some significant changes that can benefit everyone involved, from the elected official down to the brand-new voter, are within the everyday operations behind these organizations, not just the political side.

As an intern at Weidner, Inc. I've had the opportunity to do a number of research projects aimed at helping Weidner, Inc. connect their products and services (like our new MFR Live software) with organizations that show a willingness to utilize the methods, but may not be aware that there are companies out there that can help them.

I have also had the opportunity to learn about the world of RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs. I have helped search for jurisdictions seeking Weidner, Inc. products and services as well as helping to draft, edit, and compile proposals to be sent out.

Whether you've noticed it or not, there has been a growing interest nationwide in smarter and efficient business practices in government organizations. This interest isn't just coming from one place, but from nearly every aspect of government.

Citizens are asking for transparency and accountability as they begin to become more and more involved in governmental practice after decades of declining voter turnout. The increase in social media has brought younger generations to the forefront of policy-making as their ever-increasing demand for information has brought about a dramatic change in the way politicians and other figures reach out to constituents.

All sides of the political spectrum have also been calling for more efficiency, transparency, and accountability as a way to show voters that they are either part of (or not part of) the changes that are currently occurring.

Lastly, the current economic situation and budget shortfalls is one of the largest contributor to this interest in creating efficiency and working smarter to serve the community. There are only so many workforce reductions an organization can lose before they aren't able to perform the functions that they have set forth. In order to continue to bring down costs for taxpayers and meet budget goals, these organizations are going to need to adopt new practices and methods (such as Weidner's own Managing For Results).

I have high hopes for both this company and the community at large as these practices continue to grow and help government perform to the best of its ability.