Philadelphia, PA – Purolite is proud to welcome our first Financial Analyst Co-op to the Purolite USA team. Dario Vracevic attends Drexel University, and studies Corporate Finance and Business Analytics. In the role, he will report to Rob Miller, Head of Corporate FP&A, and support the finance team as a Financial Analyst. The co-op cycle will last 4 months.

“I found Purolite through Jim Downey, Chief Financial Officer of Purolite, who works with Drexel to help find placements for their Co-ops here at Purolite. Jim is a supporter of the rowing team, which I am a member of. He helped me to get connected to the company. I wanted to make sure that my co-op was a financial position. My options were between Norhtwestern Mutual Financial Services and Purolite. Purolite met my wants and needs of a co-op program. I knew that I would enjoy the smaller office environment, and a chance to know the people I work with. Also, the relaxed friendly environment would allow me a better work/life balance, which was what I was looking for.” Dario shares.

Dario’s ideal career is Portfolio Management, making investments on behalf of a corporation or business. To bring him closer to his goal, Purolite will give him projects that will help him to better familiarize himself with Corporate Finance, including data management, analysis, and number crunching. He mentions hoping to gain exposure to the inner workings of a business, and to learn about Finance in the office from management and his co-workers. “The finance work I will do here is an application of what I learn in my classes and I know my time here will be a great introduction to the corporate world,” explains Dario.

Dario previously completed a co-op at NRG Energy, a company based in New Jersey and Texas, providing power solutions to large businesses. He was a member of the database development department. There, he handled mostly coding using SQL, the standard programming language for database management systems. Dario noted that he is excited to work in a financial position at Purolite and gain skills and experience that relate to his major.

Dario lives near the Drexel University Campus in Philadelphia. Outside of work, he is on the crew team at Drexel, and enjoys rowing. He also enjoys sleeping and mountain biking, which he says Pennsylvania is a great location for.

Rob will mentor Dario throughout his Purolite experience. He will assign tasks and projects, provide advice and tips on the best method to complete them, and review completed work. “This is my first time mentoring one of our co-op students. I hope to pass on experience that compliments what he is studying, and show him the practical applications of his major,” he notes. Then continues, “Dario has tons of experience in analytics and reporting, so I know he will be a huge contribution to a lot of the Zoho CRM crossover projects the Finance team is working on. I look forward to the opportunity to mentor a student and see their outlook on the current business world,” Rob Miller comments on his opportunity.

Drexel offers its students an opportunity to engage in a “co-op,” a cooperation between the university and an established company. During the exchange, the university provides a student interested in a specialized career, and the company employs the student for a set amount of time (a cycle), giving real-world experience within the field of study. Purolite works with Philadelphia-based universities such as Drexel University, Lehigh University and Widener University to create employment opportunities for students interested in our company or industry.

“I am excited for the opportunity to learn about the Finance Department’s functions here at Purolite, and to further my experience with data management, business finance and analytics. Since joining the company, I am grateful to have encountered many opportunities to apply what I have learned in my classes so far to my projects here,” Dario comments on his new position.

Purolite would like to extend a warm welcome to Dario Vracevic!