Menomonee Falls-based Actuant Corp. recently brought its finance management development program participants to New York to visit the New York Stock Exchange and attend the Wells Fargo Industrial investor conference.
Actuant’s Exchange trading floor specialist described how he provides oversight and liquidity to facilitate trading transactions. And bankers shared about their early careers and keys to success at a dinner with several investment bankers.
The trip helped the young professionals in Actuant’s FMDP understand why the company focuses on certain things, since that’s what investors ask about, said Andy Lampeurer, chief financial officer.
“Their eyes definitely open up,” he said. “They get a chance to listen to institutional investors that invest in Actuant or follow Actuant. They get to see it live, and it’s clearly a pretty cool opportunity to go to the Exchange, go down on the floor.”
He founded the five-year finance program about seven years ago. The company also offers engineering and human resources programs, and next year will add information technology training.
The rotational training programs allow new employees to get exposure to executives like Lampeurer, who joined the financial trainees on the trip to New York, where he presented at the conference.
“We definitely don’t have a difficult time finding roles for these people after they finish the program,” he said.
Between four and six employees graduate from the FMDP each year, though this year there is just one because of a cutback during the financial downturn.
It’s a selective program. The candidates are chosen from among 150 students from as many as 10 Midwestern schools where Actuant recruits.
“It’s creating a talent pool and creating a special culture,” Lampeurer said. “Having a population to go after that understands what we’re looking for.”
