Intern Insider: Matthew Messer Explores Accounting in the Distillery Industry

Matthew Messer is an intern from the University of Kentucky working in Blue’s Lexington office.

When joining Blue, Messer wanted to try out the audit area of accounting, but after a few months, he noted that Blue offers so many career avenues in audit, tax and other consulting fields that there is so much more for him he would like to explore.

Messer had the chance to accompany some directors working in accounting for Kentucky’s historic distilling industry which he said was an incredibly interesting experience.

Check out the transcript of our interview with Matthew Messer.

Blue & Co. (Blue)

What skills did you learn or develop during your time here with Blue?

Matthew Messer (M.M.)

Every project you're put on a team, so I think the teamwork aspect was something that I really learned a lot about. So I get to work with almost everyone in the office, and everyone was great.

Blue

What was your favorite project or task during your internship, and why?

M.M.

My favorite one was one that I recently did, which was working in the distillery industry. So originally, I wasn't put on the project, but I talked with my director, and he was willing to make accommodations, and so I actually got to go out there and see a little bit about what the distilling industry's all about, and learn more about their operation. So that was pretty cool.

Blue

The distillery practice is definitely very cool.

M.M.

Yeah, and that was the first one I got to work on.

Blue

Yeah, that's great.

How does your internship with Blue differ from other internships you've had, if this is your second or third internship program?

M.M.

So, my internship at Blue was a little different, because coming in you're treated almost as a first-year staff accountant, where my other ones, I was doing more like intern work. But I felt my work at Blue was really meaningful both to me and for the client.

Blue

Great, that's awesome. We love to hear that!

What was your overall impression of Blue's culture and work environment?

M.M.

I think the work environment's awesome. Coming in, I was welcomed right away. We always eat lunch together in the break rooms. I talk to my colleagues inside and outside of work. I felt like I knew them not just from work. I felt like I knew them personally, so I could relate to them on a closer level. So, it's a really cool environment.

Blue

How has the work/life balance and the flexibility been during your internship?

M.M.

I just think the flexibility aspect of Blue is great. They give you a couple days to work from home. If you have something else going on, they're always willing to accommodate for you as long as you communicate.

Blue

Great!

Would you consider working for Blue in the future? Why or why not?

M.M.

Yes, so I know Blue has a lot of different career option, and it's not just tax and audit. There's so much more to it. And in my few months here, I learned a lot about audit, but I'd love to explore more options that Blue has.

About the Intern Insider Series

The Intern Insider Series is an interview series where we explore what makes Blue & Co.'s internship program unique. This series features interviews from six current and former interns who share their experiences working in a top-60 accounting and consulting firm. 

To learn more about our internship opportunities, please visit our Campus page.