OneNet Ticks the Boxes for Accounts Payable Specialist

Grant Martin is a vital member of OneNet’s accounts payable team. Martin has experience in accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll, but his current job is the first position he has held that works solely with accounts payable.

Martin’s interest in accounting started in high school. His father is a CPA and controller of one of the largest banks in Oklahoma. Martin says his father is one of his biggest role models. When he was younger, he was always curious about what his father did, and in high school, he found a passion for accounting, leading him into this field.

“At my high school, you would select what classes you wanted before the year started, and then they would give you a schedule with each of your classes for each semester,” said Martin. “For my second semester of my junior year, I signed up for a leadership class, but when I received my schedule back, I found that, instead of the leadership class, it was an accounting class!

“My parents originally wanted me to get it changed, but I was curious to learn more about what my dad did for a living, so I decided to keep it, and I wound up taking it. As luck would have it, I loved the class, and here I am, years later, making a career out of it!”

Martin says being able to locate things when it’s needed, as well as knowing where to store them, is essential in this position and is perhaps the most important part of his job. He also helps to ensure that all of OneNet’s bills are paid in a timely manner, and he helps to keep all of the vendors that OneNet does business with happy.

Martin enjoys working at OneNet. “It’s a very positive work environment, and the staff feels like a second family to me. Everyone is always willing to help one another, and there’s always the desire to do better in my everyday work,” he said.

His job responsibilities include reviewing and entering invoices for payment. They also range from checking dates to contacting vendors regarding certain items on invoices. He also handles account reconciliations for any accounts where there might be extra questions or concerns. He believes that his strongest skills are his organizational skills, as well as his prior knowledge and experience with certain computer programs, such as Adobe and Microsoft Excel.

“When I first started at this job, we were doing everything on paper. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were forced to go digital. As a result, I was tasked with coming up with a way to organize our AP processes that would maximize our efficiency, as well as help to simplify our record-keeping with our new digital procedures,” said Martin. “Getting the opportunity to help shape a new way of conducting a company’s processes was a very unique experience. Being in the position to help influence, to an extent, how we conduct some of our processes is definitely my favorite part.”.

Martin is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He has been an avid guitar player for 12 years and enjoys going to the gym. He is also heavily involved with Catholic Young Adults of Oklahoma City and an active member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond and St. Monica Catholic Church in Edmond.

Martin has been with OneNet for two years. Currently he is working toward starting the process of automating how the accounts payable team works invoices and improving the process itself. It is still a very new project but he is excited to be a part of something that can be of great use for OneNet’s future and is proud to be on the team. He also hopes to continue to see OneNet grow as an organization and continue to help give communities the opportunity to access education, health care and public services.

Martin shared his best piece of advice for those starting a new job.

“In regards to a job, it should be someplace that you want to show up to every morning. When your alarm goes off in the morning, you should want to reach over and turn it off,” Martin said. “You should be excited about going in the morning and about all of the work that you’re about to do. In regards to knowing if you’re in the right job, this is the best advice I’ve ever received. OneNet absolutely ticks all of those boxes for me!”

Story by Dominique Brignac, Strategic Communications Intern, Fall & Spring 2021