The Intern Experience at AP

Hello everyone! My name is Cameron Sluss, and I’ve been a Marketing Intern at AP Equipment Financing for a little over two months. Coming into AP, I already had some insight into the equipment finance industry through my father, but I quickly realized there was still a lot for me to learn about the industry and, more importantly, the impact AP has on the businesses we work with.

One of the biggest takeaways from my time at AP so far has been seeing firsthand just how much of an impact we can have on our customers, and I was fortunate enough to experience this right in my own backyard.

While working at my home in Michigan, I noticed that an arborist company had come to our property to do some tree cleanup. As I watched the crew work, I noticed that the lift they were using was a brand that AP frequently finances. I did a little research and discovered that AP had financed a 72 HD+ CMC lift for the company.

After making that connection, I decided to head outside and talk with the crew. I was able to learn more about the job they were working on, their equipment, and their experience running their business. It was a great conversation, and I could tell that they genuinely appreciated the role AP had played in helping them get the equipment they needed.

Eventually, our conversation led to me asking if the owner would be willing to provide a customer testimonial. He was excited to help, so we recorded a quick video in front of their truck. Not only did the testimonial give AP an opportunity to hear directly from one of our customers, but it also gave us an opportunity to help promote their business.

During our conversation, he gave me a quote that really stuck with me:

“AP Financing helps us take care of you.” — Matthew Bossche: President of B’s Trees GR

I thought that was a powerful statement, especially when you consider the distance that can exist between an equipment financing company and the businesses it serves. AP may be working with customers hundreds of miles away, and much of the communication may happen over the phone or through email. Yet, seeing the equipment we helped finance being used firsthand made that relationship feel much more personal.

It also reminded me that behind every financing agreement is a real business, a real team, and real people who are working toward their own goals. Whether it’s helping an arborist purchase a new lift, allowing a contractor to take on a larger project, or helping a business expand its fleet, the equipment we finance plays a role in helping those businesses move forward.

As a marketing intern, I’ve spent a lot of my time learning about SEO, content creation, and digital marketing as a whole. But this experience taught me something that can’t necessarily be learned from a project or a marketing campaign: the work we do has a real impact on real people and is why we embrace the Power of Personal.