Hi! My name is Daniel, and I am a senior Economics major at Haverford College. Over this summer, I am working with Ardmore Initiative through the Whitehead Internship Program. Ardmore Initiative is a Business Improvement District (BID) Authority. They are responsible for gathering funds via additional taxes from local businesses or donations, and using that money to fund projects to improve the image of the local district. The projects can range from providing street cleaning services to substantial grants for small businesses in the district. Ardmore Initiative only has six people, which creates a collaborative and welcoming environment.
My main role at Ardmore Initiative is gathering data on local businesses and creating reports on various key indicators including vacancy rates, business composition and more. My internship began with creating a database on all the local businesses by walking around the business district and utilizing the Lower Merion Township database to gain additional information such as parcel number and property ownership. In addition, I reached out to local brokers to determine the lease status of certain properties. Once all of this information was gathered, I was tasked with inputting data into Maestro, which is an organizational management software specifically designed to manage information on contacts, businesses, and properties. Interacting with local businesses and working on this project has been an insightful experience into understanding how a business district operates. Furthermore, it was great to see businesses working together alongside Ardmore Initiative to improve the local district.
Ardmore Initiative was in the process of attaining a ten-year reauthorization plan to maintain its BID Authority status until 2033. As part of the reauthorization, Ardmore Initiative had to propose a strategic plan on how it will continue to improve the district and highlight its prior success. I assisted with the reauthorization in various ways such as informing the local businesses about the scheduled public hearing and conducting surveys to determine if businesses have any issues and concerns that could be incorporated in the strategic plan.
I gained invaluable experiences while working at Ardmore Initiative, from the small team interactions to delivering reports which could impact the development of the district. I learned a lot about perseverance and communication. Throughout the project, I faced many challenges with the software due to missing data and other issues. As a result, I had to work diligently, as any mistakes could jeopardize the accuracy of the reports. I also had to effectively communicate to the team the obstacles that I encountered and discuss how to overcome them.
I have only done a few internships, but I hope that through my experience I can impart some knowledge. When applying for internships, it is important to consider the size of the team and the company that you will be working in, as in my experience it greatly affected my daily interactions and how I approached projects. Getting rejected is part of the internship application process, so do not let it dissuade you. One time, a company decided to fully reject my application half an hour before my scheduled interview was supposed to take place. Finally, it is important to decide if you want to do a remote or in-person internship, as the experience is drastically different. I would recommend doing an in-person internship, as you learn a lot more by working alongside your colleagues.
I want to thank my colleagues for their support and trust throughout the internship. I am grateful to the Whitehead Internship Program and the CCPA for giving me this opportunity.
