Kevin Petterson ’18: Being Open to Possibility

Launching His Career at a $1.4 Billion Tech Startup.

Just a few short weeks after graduating in May 2018, Kevin began working to make one of the country’s fastest growing tech companies ever bigger. As a business development manager for Boston-based restaurant point-of-sale and management system Toast, Kevin leads a team of 11 business development representatives in charge of growing the company’s market share in the central and southeast United States.

“I was honored to start my career at such an amazing company,” he says. “Toast fosters a community of learning, development and growth that allows their employees to be successful no matter their career goals through their unmatchable culture.”

Just this year, Kevin took his experience in tech to Boston-based Building Engines, Inc., an innovative operations management platform that spans 2.5 billion square feet of commercial real estate across the country, where he serves as manager of new business development.

Kevin got his start in business development as an intern at fintech company Flywire, where he helped grow their healthcare department’s cross-border billing platform domestically and internationally. He worked with the sales department on marketing, development and sales projects, and gained experience with software platforms he uses every day in the workplace.

He added to his already impressive résumé through his involvement with Emmanuel’s Dance Marathon, a nationwide fundraiser for hospitals in the Children’s Miracle Network. During his senior year, Kevin’s involvement led to an internship with the Boston Children’s Hospital Trust. While in this role, he supported four Special Events programs, helped implement social media campaigns, researched new fundraising strategies and developed new marketing tools.

The developmental psychology major utilizes skills that he gained from his coursework daily. His favorite classes were on social psychology, which gave him a better understanding of human interaction and how to deal with conflicts. A minor in management helped him lay the foundation for his knowledge of business and ethics within the workplace.

“In today’s world, there are so many people competing for the same jobs and most candidates are equally qualified for these positions,” he says. “The biggest lesson I took away from my coursework is to be open to all possibilities and never shy away from a great opportunity.”