Deanna Olson

Senior Financial Analyst Intern

Retail Properties Finance

During my 12-week internship with Best Buy, I was able to really get a feel for what a Senior Financial Analyst does on a day-to-day basis. My position was in the Properties Group, supporting the Real Estate team. My work was focused on helping the team to decide which possible locations for new stores would add the most value to Best Buy.

I completed many projects and ad hoc requests during the summer, but there were three major initiatives I was able to support during my time with the company. In the New Store Opening Audit, I helped my team review new stores opened during Best Buy's 2007 fiscal year to determine if they had performed as our model predicted in terms of revenues and expenses. With this information in hand, I helped the team to determine what changes should be made in the predictive modeling process going forward so that they have a more accurate forecast for the profitability of new stores. This will help the team to be more accurate in their assessment of possible new store locations.

A second project I worked on was helping the Environmental Affairs team assess the financial impact of rolling out Best Buy's consumer electronics recycling program nationwide.

Finally, as part of the Summer Interns project, my team and I helped Best Buy create its own Eco-Labeling program to inform consumers about how Best Buy is going green, about Best Buy's consumer electronics recycling program and to better educate the consumer so that they can determine which products they buy are most energy efficient when they are shopping our stores.

I have really enjoyed my time at Best Buy. The people I met were smart, helpful, patient, and dedicated to doing great work for the company. The company's culture was relaxed and fun, and the internship program is well- organized and well-respected within the firm. I would highly recommend an internship at Best Buy to any student.