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Hogan ’23: Safe Hiring Solutions

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

I had the immense luck this summer to intern remotely for Safe Hiring Solutions through the CIBE’s Business Innovation Program. This internship provided me an excellent opportunity to enhance my skills in marketing and public relations. During my time with the company, I was able to do a great deal of market research for the company, and I used this research effectively to attract various companies and non for-profit organizations to Safe Hiring’s products. Being thrust into personal marketing situations with potential clients has greatly increased my ability to make quick and effective pitches of products, and I hope to be able to apply this skill in other environments, such as interviews. 

While at Safe Hiring Solutions, I was also able to familiarize myself with some of the new innovations in security software and hardware. I was most interested in the innovations in regard to dealing with the current pandemic. With Safe Hiring Solutions’ new technology, a building owner can set up security kiosks to not only deny access to individuals without proper clearance, but also individuals who exhibit unsafe temperatures. This kind of modernized response to COVID-19 is incredibly important to helping flatten the curve in the US and abroad. 

While working for Safe Hiring Solutions, I also had the privilege of receiving additional training courses through the CIBE’s Business Innovation Program. Working with Wabash alumnus I and my fellow interns were able to participate in a large number of Harvard Business Case studies online, helping me expand my business knowledge. I was also introduced to the concept of emotional intelligence, and now I hope to use my newfound knowledge to improve my interpersonal relationships. During the summer I was able to go through the BIP and become lean certified, a process that would have cost me a significant amount on my own, but was provided for free through the BIP. 

I enjoyed working with the Wabash alumnus and my fellow interns for the summer. This internship has definitely proved to me the viability of working from home for some positions. While I did learn a lot from home, I won’t deny I am excited to be back on campus, and to begin in person learning again.


Melcher ’23: Trek10

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized
Hello, my name is Max Kercheval. I am a rising sophomore at Wabash College and this summer I interned at a company called Trek10 through the CIBE program. At Trek10, I was mentored by Shane Fimbelthe Co-Founder and CEO of the company. Some of my tasks for the summer included working in programs like Google Spreadsheets, Salesforces, Y-Combinator, etc. I was tasked with many projects this summer that keep me busy and excited for what was next. I was given tasks like sorting through the Trek10 Google Drive and Salesforce account and looking for documents like NDA’s, MSA’s, and SOW’s that Trek10 may have with the clients in these two places. Another project I had worked on was creating heatmaps through a program called HotJar. I would copy each URL from each tab of the Trek10 website and put in through the HotJar system to record the number of visits to every page to see where the most traffic is in the Trek10 website. The two most important projects I worked on this summer, however, were going through the master sales spreadsheet of Trek10’s and making Comparative Bar Graphs with totals of sales ranging from present to December of 2018. The end goal of the graphs is to show the trend in which Trek10 is heading with their sales, where their high point was, and where their low point was. The graphs that I have created with these two projects have been used in every sales team meeting since their creation and will continue to be in use after I have finished my internship with Trek10. Something I am grateful for learning with this experience is time management. With this internship, there were times where I was juggling two or three projects at a time and I had to figure out how to divide my time evenly between them. Having the presence of mind to do this has enhanced my way of planning and prepping for the days ahead. Having learned this critical skill will help me tremendously with the rest of my time at Wabash and I could not be more thankful to Roland, Alejandro, Anthony, Shane, and the whole Trek10 family for giving me this wonderful opportunity to showcase my knowledge and help me growand develop more than I ever thought I could!
 
 
 

Thompson ’23: Bridge Builder Strategies

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

My name is Liam Thompson and I am currently working as an intern for Bridge Builder Strategies based out of Indianapolis for the summer. At Bridge Builders, we are focused on creating a measurable impact in our community. We aim to do this by tackling someof society’s most pressing issues in various areas such as poverty, education and more. Currently, I am working with a team in order to research and develop actionable steps in order to improve experiential education for college students and beyond. We are working both with Wabash and various other institutions in order to better understand and develop experiential learning opportunities as students prepare for what lies beyond college. As we are transitioning from the research to action phase, some of my duties involve identifying specific areas which we can target to improve as well as establishing contacts to do so.

Throughout my experience so far, I have learned how to effectively distribute research tasks amongst a team in order to come to a better understanding of a topic. I believe my abilities to find important and relevant information within my research as well as how to effectively communicate what I have learned have improved greatly in the process. Another extremely valuable set of skills and habits I have begun to establish involves how to effectively approach a potential client. There are many subtleties within both the best way to address a client and in how proposals are composed which play heavily into what kind of response one may receive. These are all skills I plan to use in whatever professional endeavors I take on during and after Wabash.

I have also learned many extremely beneficial skills in my experiences with the CIBE Business Innovation Program this summer. One session which I found to be quite applicable was the financial bootcampwith recent alumnus Zack Carlwho taught us several skills from using excel to what finance is in general. I did not have a great knowledge of finance before and feel much more comfortable with the idea of it now and plan to use what I learned in both my personal and professional life. I have already found the skills we learnedin excel to be useful in my work at Bridge Builders in keeping records of potential clients organized in order to help the business run more smoothly.


Daly ’23: Safe Hiring Solutions

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized
James Daly ’23–This summer, I had the great privilege of serving behind the scenes as a research consultant while interning remotely for Isaac Wynne ‘19 at background check/security solutions company Safe Hiring Solutions LLC beside four other Wabash students. During this time, our short-term goal focused on reaching out to nationwide affiliates, informing them of a state-of-the-art innovation for ensuring the safety of every visitor and employee giventhe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although this provided me invaluable first-hand exposure to the world of marketing, my primary experiences centered around compiling information about Safe Hiring Solutions’s clients. Because of this necessary research, I gained the opportunity to build from my high school-acquired skills in Microsoft Excel to create countless individually formatted spreadsheets specifically tailored to each client. Furthermore, it unexpectedly honed my soft skills in communication by requiring me to touch base with multiple business owners and government officials to retrieve any obscured contact information.
 
Also, my experience at Safe Hiring Solutions received supplementation through my engagement with Wabash’s Business Innovation Program. This program instilled in me an array of applicable approaches of problem-solving and analytical thinking via discussion-oriented meetings concerning a wide range of topics: effectively using Excel, understanding emotional intelligence, implementing A3 thinking, etc. Moreover, the program placed me in the shoes of a business manager through rigorous Harvard Business School case studies and challenged me to consider, debate, and concede upon solutions among my peers at a postgraduate level. All in all, the BIP broadened my comprehension of the day-to-day workings in business management which applied to my main internship by introducing to me the operational rationale of Safe Hiring Solutions as a company. Through this novel outlook, I recognized the true significance of my work for them, promptly responding by garnering responsibility in setting deadlines for myself and even discovering unconventionally efficient ways of locating information.

Cochran ’23: Capturely

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

Throughout my summer of 2020, I have been interning with Capturely.According to Capturely themselves“Capturely offers an imagery production experience,at any scale, designed to inspire confidence and engagement through consistent, usable imagery. Companies face unique challenges in this digital age where people make judgments within nanoseconds of seeing imagery. By carefully creating consistent imagery that honors our client’s brand, we showcase their best asset (their people) which inspires engagement and trust.”

Generally,as a Business Development Representative,I use prospecting strategies to lead initial outreach to prospects and set appointments to help grow the business.My main duties at Capturely include lead generation for the company,and I follow up with marketing leaders in various industries and try to schedule meetingsbetween the various leaders and Capturely’s Account Executives. In addition to lead generation, I am also responsible for tracking the leads and recording any progress with getting through to the marketing leaders.My main objectives include prospecting into strategic business accounts via cold call, email and social strategies; drive sales growth and pipeline through setting up qualified meetings for sales leadership and Account Executives;and maintaining and organizing an annual book of business.

Throughout this experience, I have been exposed to many new forms of technology that is used for the specific duties of Capturely. I have learned how to use Sales Navigator, which is a program through LinkedIn, to find andgenerate leads for the Account Executives. I have also at times, put mass amounts of information into Exceland I believe it has cultivated my Excel skills in a way that makes me that much closer to proficient.There are many more small programs that are used in the daily routine at Capturely, which I feel as if I have a strong enough grip on to be able to share my knowledge if need be, which is a testamentto what I have learned during this experience.


Johnson ’23: LEDIndy

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

Greetings,

My name is Coledon Johnson. This summer I was fortunate enough to participate in a summer internship with LED Indy with the help of another Wabash student and friend, Nicholas Drehs. LED Indy is located in Zionsville, Indiana and are responsible for helping businesses, commercial buildings, and multi-family units with new state of the arch LED lighting fixtures. My role at LED Indy was revolved around marketing on social media and sales. I created dozens of video and informative imagespromoting LED Indy. One of my favorite projects I worked on was a short video documentary series on everyone in the office. Nick and I sat down with all the employees and asked a couple questions about their job and the LED industry. Visit LED Indy on anysocial media platform to see the final results!

During my time at LED Indy I have learned a great amount of information on LED lighting. For instance, LED lighting is 75%-80% more energy efficient than any other lighting fixture which ultimately saves money and the environment. However, the most interesting part of working at LED Indy was becoming informed on the brand new 2020 UVC lighting technology that kills harmful pathogens and viruses such as COVID-19. The new technology was combined with AI robots that could automatically clean rooms and spaces in minutes. I really enjoyed researching these products and creating content. Marketing for such wanted and essential products made my job not only easier but made me feel much more fulfilled with the work I was doing.

Lastly, I would like to touch on a very interesting yet inspiring dynamic at LED Indy. John Melind, VP of Sales, was the Wabash Alum we partnered with this summer. Ironically, the founder of LED Indy was a DePauw graduate. Nonetheless, the work environment was filled with lighthearted jabs and support from both men the entirety of the summer. John Melind was an incredible connection and through him I was able to see what life after Wabash is like and see the true power and dedication alum have to Wabash College.

As I approach the final weeks of my internship, LED Indy has had a 400% increase on Twitter followers, 1,850% increase on LinkedIn impressions, and a staggering 9,000% increase on Facebook outreach. I am grateful for Wabash College,John Melind, and all the other important people that made this internship a reality.


Beckwith ’23: Fusion 54

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

Beckwith ’23

Caden Beckwith ’23–My summer at work experience was very beneficial to me. I interned at the Fusion 54 coworking studio. Fusion 54 is a branch of the Crawfordsville Indiana Chamber of Commerce tasked with providing entrepreneurs in the local community a place to collaborate and generate ideas with other entrepreneurs. My job at Fusion 54 was to generate marketing ideas to help them reach the local business owners and entrepreneurs. I also created content to help Fusion 54 members find access to capital and create an online presence through ecommerce. Finally, I helped Fusion 54 gain transition from their old website to Proximity.   

I learned many valuable skills that will be applicable to my career going forward. I learned that a possible business model for marketing your good or service can be to produce free content. This technique is a good way to build brand trust and create awareness around your good or service. I also learned perseverance when trying to find someone with experience raising capital for their business. It took me many tries to find someone willing to share the process, requirements, and lessons of raising capital from angle investors, venture capitalists, and other high net worth individuals. I am not only excited about learning the basics of these skills but have the passion to further cultivate my skills going forward. 

The most valuable lessons came from creating content for small business owners wanting to grow their online presence. For this I created instruction guides, blog posts, PowerPoint presentations, and webinars for Fusion 54 members. I spent many hours doing research on the best developers and how best to teach members how to set one up. This taught me the ins and outs of starting a virtual business. I feel confident in my ability to start an online business if I choose to continue that path.  

Fusion 54 taught me many valuable skills. I learned communication, perseverance, and technical skills that will surely put me ahead of the pack when I go to apply for jobs in the future. Not only did I gain valuable skills, but I helped grow the Crawfordsville community by advising small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to create new sales avenues with an online presence. I am very grateful for the Wabash Alum that contributed to this summer experience.   


Lentz ’23: Bridge Builder Strategies

Posted in 2020 Summer Internships, CIBE, Uncategorized

Brayden Lentz ’23

My name is Brayden Lentz, and I am a member of the class of 2023. This summer, I worked as an intern for Bridge Builder Strategies in Indianapolis, a company dedicated to creating measurable impact in our communities. This mission is fulfilled by tackling complex problems through collaborative relationships, by engaging the community, and by creating deep knowledge and understanding of these issues. As an intern, my primary focus was on researching Education and Experiential Learning, as well as Community Development in Indiana. By building a fuller understanding of these subjects, I was then able to communicate with my supervisors what I had learned. This communication helped the company comprehend these complex issues, created lexicons for further discussion, and allowed Bridge Builders to have confidence moving forward in these fields. Once this groundwork was laid, I was able to find opportunities within these existing environments to do business and create positive change in our community.

Due to the current pandemic and online nature of this internship, my average day consisted of several Zoom meetings with my various teams. Here, we interns would discuss what we had researched, pitch ideas, and brainstorm opportunities for potential business. These meetings are what made this internship truly beneficial to me. They were an opportunity to take my knowledge that I had acquired from Wabash College and from the CIBE program and apply it to a real-world business setting. More importantly, however, it was where I was able to learn more about day to day business and grow in my capacity to handle complex tasks. I discovered the importance of asking questions. The tasks that we were given were not always clear cut, and if I did not ask questions, I would have worked aimlessly and would have been less productive. Many times, I would ask a question that I felt to be dumb, and others were glad I did because they were confused as well. My biggest takeaway from this summer is that it is better to look stupid for asking a question than it is to look stupid for not knowing the answer it would provide. Though we hit the ground running in this internship, I never felt underprepared or as if I were in over my head thanks to the preparation by the CIBE program. I am thankful for the support of Wabash College in obtaining this experience, and it was a foundational block in my professional career.


Hogan ’21 Learns Importance Of Relationship Building

Posted in 2019 Summer Internships, CIBE

Zack Hogan ’21 — Relationships are set in stone, they never change. Or so I thought.
Now, I was nice to others when I interacted with them, but I didn’t go out of my way to talk to the people I had relationships with, and I especially didn’t push myself to meet new people. This summer Jason Bridges, my boss, mentor, and friend, showed me the importance of people.

Jason owns two businesses on Nantucket island, the Handlebar Cafe and Nantucket

Zack Hogan ’21 (left), Adam Zorich ’21 (center), and Jason Bridges ’98 (right)

Bike Tours. Although his businesses have specific products and services (coffee and bike tours), he runs them through the lens of emotional intelligence. He taught us to treat everyone, no matter who they are, as a person first. Importantly, he reminded us that this is a mindset for life and not just for work.

It took a couple weeks for me to fully realize what Jason was preaching to us. My epiphany happened one day as I was walking around downtown Nantucket. I passed an elder from the community on the sidewalk, and as I passed her, I looked back and said a simple ‘hello’. Immediately following my greeting she stopped in her tracks. She asked me if I knew her, to which I said no, and continued to introduce myself. We had a wonderful conversation for a couple of minutes and she had the largest smile on her face. Following the conversation, I realized that she must’ve been so taken aback because no one else had said hello to her that morning. In fact, she was so surprised that she assumed I must know her. Later in the day I saw her once again and she had that same large smile when I said, ‘hello again Anne’. By talking to her that day I completely surprised her and changed her mood. It was that day that I realized the power of a simple greeting, the power of relationships.

Since that day through bike tours and within the Nantucket community I have realized that every person has something interesting about them that they would like to share. Now, timing is key, but you never know what can happen when you chat with someone new. Through people I’ve met and the relationships I’ve built, I’ve learned from others as well as myself, both given and received advice, and even connected different people to benefit one another. Feel free to reach out and talk to me, I would love to talk about some of my experiences.

In closing, I would like to thank the small business internship fund for providing me with the opportunity I had this summer, my co-NBT intern Adam Zorich for always having my back and collaborating with me day in and day out, and Jason and Courtney Bridges for investing in me and always pushing me to improve.


Page ’22 Participates In The CIBE Business Innovation Program

Posted in 2019 Summer Internships, CIBE

Andrew Page ’22 — The first week of the BIP internship was a great learning experience, and I can tell that this program will help me significantly in my understanding of business. The following three days, we went through the Financial Boot Camp with Zackery Carl ‘18. Zack showed us the ins and outs of Microsoft Excel and how it’s a useful tool in the business world. Mr. Carl helped walk us through a financial model in Excel and various other exercises to sharpen our business and critical thinking skills. For the financial model portion, Mr. Carl taught us how to create a number of things including

Andrew Page ’22

an income statement, a balance sheet, a cash flow statement, and working capital, depreciation, and debt schedules. Knowing how to create these parts of a financial model will be very beneficial to us when we start our food truck business in the coming weeks. I am confident that everyone participating in the BIP internship learned a lot about Excel and have benefited from the concepts that we learned from Zack.

We also worked through logic problems to strengthen our critical thinking skills. At first, we walked through the projected monthly profit of the local Applebee’s together based on only our assumptions and without the help of the internet, and then we were broken into smaller groups, where we were assigned abstract questions and told to find an answer without looking anything up. For example, my group’s problem was, “How many ping pong balls can fit into a 747?” Although my team’s answer was roughly 45,000,000 ping pong balls off, it was a very enjoyable exercise that taught us the importance of thinking critically and modeled some questions that we may be asked in an interview someday. I would like to thank the CIBE Business Innovation Program for the opportunity.


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