Tadhg Hannon ’15:  Hey everyone, my name is Tadhg.  Let’s be friends.  I am spending the summer working for Nantucket Bike Tours.  In case you were wondering, Nantucket is an island, and it’s part of Massachusetts…NOT Rhode Island.  I’ve had an incredible experience working for this small business.  When I first heard about NBT, I wasn’t sure what to think.  This is certainly an unconventional internship, but I couldn’t be happier that this opportunity came along.  I’ve learned so much from the people at NBT, customers on tours and everyone I’ve met on the island.  Learning how to deal with all kinds of people is an invaluable skill, and striving to provide a great experience for every customer forces me to remain engaged and aware at all times.  This experience has helped me to mature.  Even small things like buying my own groceries have helped me realize how far I’ve come, and how much growing up I still have to do.

As for Nantucket Bike Tours, the company is in its third year of operation.  NBT is co-owned by Wabash Alum Jason Bridges and Courtney Nemeth (she’s really cool, but for some reason didn’t go to Wabash, not sure why).  They are great and are even nice enough to let me live with them.  The business is continuing to grow, and we pride ourselves on offering the best way to experience a unique place like Nantucket.  The great thing about NBT is it allows me to connect with an extremely diverse group of people, and I am forced to try and give each one of them a positive experience, even when they might all be looking for different things out of their tour.  I am also learning about what goes into running a small business, which basically entails everything.  Answering phones, accounting and sweeping the floors are all required of small business employees.

Finally, a big Nantucket thank you to the Small Business Internship Fund for making this possible, and to Jason, Courtney, Carl and the rest of NBT for putting up with me.

Live long and Prosper,

Tadhg Hannon