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Cole Crouch ’17 SBIF Cements Career Goals

Posted in Small Business Internship Fund (SBIF), , , , ,
Cole Crouch Blog 1

Jason Bridges ’98, Courtney Bridges (wife and business partner) of Nantucket Bike Tours with Wabash interns Cole Crouch ’17 and Michael Haffner ’16

Hello, from 30 miles out to sea!

My internship at Nantucket Bike Tours with Jason Bridges ’98, and his wife, Courtney, has been informative, active, and transformative. I am learning and developing a working knowledge about small business in the hospitality industry. I am building more professional relationships and social skills than I ever could’ve imagined. Some of the skills include developing self-awareness as it relates to others and my own attitude, values and behavior patterns (like smiling more). Additionally, I am always striving to succeed at daily or weekly goals and challenges.

Throughout the last month and a half, the day-to-day experiences working at NBT have taken the small business aspect of this internship to the brink. Everyday, Michael Haffner ‘16, Jason, Courtney, and I, the NBT team, lead at least two bike tours – a town view and tour out to Cisco Brewery. But aside from leading daily bike tours, Michael and I are constantly developing social media campaigns, networking door-to-door with our business cards/brochures, creating advertising strategies with hotels and other local businesses, learning QuickBooks, editing the website, and booking more bike tours! Together, the NBT team makes simple and complex decisions in areas such as marketing, pricing, website design, etc., around the dinner table, over delicious coffee at the Handlebar Café, or during an intense game of euchre.

Cole Crouch Blog 2

Crouch applies some Small Business elbow grease to the NBT equipment

Learning how to effectively compliment others, as well as understanding others’ motivations, interests and desires have been the single greatest lessons I’ve learned this summer. In his novel, How To Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie stated, “The only way I can get you to do anything is by giving you what you want.” Every week, we are reading a new chapter in the novel and then applying Carnegie’s lessons to our everyday experiences.

Although I’m interning 861 miles away from Indianapolis, after just day 10 on the island, Nantucket began feeling like a second home. Ever since I arrived off the ferry, Jason and Courtney have fully immersed my fellow interns and I in the community and culture here on the island. Whether it is biking hundreds of miles around the island, running in a weekly community 5k run, attending the Maria Mitchell Red Tie Soirée Gala at Sankaty Head Golf Club, or volunteering on a Saturday evening at the Comedy Festival, we are continuously making our presence known as engaged community members and leaders.

Cole Crouch Blog 3

Crouch and Haffner with Courtney Bridges

Overall, this internship has challenged my goals and career ambitions in more ways than I ever imagined. My two dreams of owning my own business and becoming a lawyer have been even more cemented this summer. I will carry with me the experiences and lessons, as well as relationships and memories for a long time. I look forward to applying them in the future.

I would like to thank all of the alumni contributing to the Small Business Internship Fund. I am extremely thankful for my opportunity at Nantucket Bike Tours, which has been made entirely possible through the efforts of alumni at Wabash College.


Fenton ’15 Sunshine State

Posted in 2014 Business Immersion, Uncategorized, , , , , ,
Left to Right: Adam Andrews '12, Stephen Fenton '15, and Andrew Shelton '03 at Paramount in front of their new robotic plastic injection press

Left to Right: Adam Andrews ’12, Stephen Fenton ’15, and Andrew Shelton ’03 at Paramount in front of their new robotic plastic injection press

Stephen Fenton ’15 – Halfway through my internship at Paramount Mold and Tool, I have learned numerous invaluable lessons regarding business and professionalism, as well as learning a lot about myself and how to function in a fast-paced, diverse, and completely different world. Paramount Mold is a plastic injection plant where various plastic products are manufactured, ranging from PVC pipes to remote controls to extremely important medical devices and parts. Aside from the plastic injection aspect of the factory, Paramount is unique in that it still constructs its own plastic injection tools (or molds), as well as tools for other plastic injection plants. Paramount Mold and Tool is owned and operated by Wabash alumnus Andrew Shelton ’03, and more recent alumnus Adam Andrews ’12 presides over the sales department. Although both men preside over numerous business duties, they are both highly invested in the factory itself, and the production of Paramount’s products from A to Z. In my effort to assist the Paramount staff in its continual growth, I have gathered data regarding numerous aspects of the factory and its production, and then transposing it into a digital format while providing initial analysis. I have also had the chance to compose, review, and edit workplace organizational systems and literature. In undertaking these activities, I have learned invaluable lessons regarding business, from plant management to logistics to pricing and sales, all the while learning more technical skills, from Excel to a workplace computer program called JobBOSS, and many other business important computer programs in between.

As great as my summer at Paramount has been, my time away from the office has been a tremendous experience in itself. I drove through six and a half treacherous hours of Florida traffic on the afternoon before my internship started and arrived at a place in downtown Fort Lauderdale that I had never seen and had a hard time imagining. Since then I have met great people and felt right at home; nearly everyone here is very accommodating and is willing to talk to you, which if you know me, is nice to see. I have never felt too far from home, for I’ve had family down here for what seems like half of my time here (one of the many perks of being birthed into a family of “Floridians”). I have also made numerous weekend adventures to the cosmopolitan metropolis of Miami, which is like nothing that I have ever experienced in my life. While dining at a famous Cuban restaurant and coffee shop deep in the heart of Miami, David Beckham and his family came in and sat down next to my family and I, all after an excellent, in-depth tour of the beautiful Marlins Park. Outside of the hustle and bustle of Miami, I was lucky enough to be taken out onto the deep sea with Wabash alumnus and fraternity brother Cory Olson ’85 and his live-in intern and classmate of mine, Hongli Yang ’15, where we collectively caught two amber jacks and two great and delicious gag groupers, all before I was able to catch my first ever sailfish. My summer in the Sunshine State has given me memories and lessons that will last forever, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that I have been given through the Small Business Internship Fund.


Shank ’16 Chicago Finance: Sink or Swim

Posted in Small Business Internship Fund (SBIF), , , ,

Shank '16 puts Wabash time management skills to use as he works remotely from Chicago Starbucks.

Shank ’16 puts Wabash time management skills to use as he works remotely from Chicago Starbucks.

Ben Shank ’16 – I am very thankful for the opportunity provided to me by Wabash’s Small Business Internship Fund.  It has allowed to me work a new product launch on a financial software project at a Chicago-based company, under the supervision of a Wabash alumnus.  He has gained a wealth of knowledge about the business world since graduating from Wabash with an economics major.  He has worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and received an MBA at the University of Chicago.  This is all very relevant to my future pursuits as I am currently a rising junior economics major hoping to work in the financial field.  I also hope to one day get an MBA at a top school like UChicago.

I have been able to use skills I picked up at my previous internships at AMI Investment Management (also founded by a Wabash grad) in terms of competitor research.  While I was primarily researching stocks at AMI with the intent to purchase them, now I am researching companies from a competition standpoint. The internship has helped me think about “marketing” in a whole new way.  Before, I had associated marketing with artistic logos and creative jingles, none of which are really my forte.  However, I now see marketing as gaining an understanding of your current surroundings and peers and then identifying the need.  This will serve as valuable insight as I pursue a further career in business and finance.

Shank '16 SBIF Adorant2

This is a picture I took of Lake Michigan while walking on Lake Shore Drive during my internship.

Another interesting aspect of the internship has been the exploration of personality types and the way these impact consumer behavior.  One of the first things I did upon starting the internship was to take a Myers-Briggs personality test.  The (free and online) test asks you to answer about 80 questions, basically about how you operate.  I found that I am an ENTJ type; look it up – it’s fun to see how well your type describes you.   The goal is to not only identify what work habits work best for yourself, but also to attempt to identify how each “type” of consumer will respond to different products and features.

One of the great features of this internship is that it allows me to live in Chicago.  While I work remotely, typically from a coffee shop or my apartment, I do get to meet with my boss a couple times a week to touch base.  This internship forces one to develop time management skills since there are no set hours.  Luckily, Wabash is structured to the point that you either sink or swim based on time management skills or the lack thereof.  I highly recommend guys interested in a career in business or entrepreneurship to look into interning here through the Small Business Internship Fund in the future!

 

 

 


Conti & Overton All-American Business Model

Posted in Indiana Internship Program, , ,

Joey Conti ’15 –  Hey All! It is week three of my internship here at the Overton Network and the small business brainstorming has reached a peak.

Jeremy Overton ’00 and I started off the summer by outlining some personal goals of mine. While we explored that concept of personal improvement this question came about: “How in the world do you market success on the track to a potential employer?” I think that student-athletes across the nation, in all sports, and in all divisions eventually run into this problem. When a potential employer asks you, “What kind of skills do you have that make you a suitable candidate for this position?” It won’t bode well for you to answer: “I run pretty fast, actually.”

So we set out to conquer this question in a small business setting and one of the first answers we came up with has its roots in the training that takes place for athletes who want to be great. We were able to identify 5 actions that an athlete takes on their way to greatness, that we believe a small business owner does too.

  1. Decide – The athlete has to decide on a plan and then make the actual decision to train hard
  2. Follow – The willingness to stick with the original plan without deviation or hesitation
  3. Trust – Trust in your plan and your coaches to do what is necessary to achieve your goals
  4. Visualize – The athlete has to be able to visualize the landmarks and goals and recognize them when they happen
  5. Celebrate – You have to enjoy yourself and know when to relax

Snapshot 2 (6-25-2014 4-07 PM)In the next few weeks I will be visiting with a number of small business professionals (we have been calling them small business All-Americans) in an attempt to refine this list using their philosophies on each of these subjects. In the end I am going to be able to use this information to put together the All-American Business Model (you see what I did there?).

Jeremy Overton is a Wabash Graduate from the class of 2000 and the owner of The Overton Network. He uses his network as a means of connecting people in the Haubstadt, IN community with one another. In fact, his expertise in strategic coaching and financial consulting has earned him the nickname, “Mr. Miyagi!”

Thanks to Lilly Endowment Inc. and Wabash College for making this whole thing possible.

Cheers,

Joey-san

PS – Be sure to check out Jeremy’s blog (click the Overton Network link above) for his perspective on the Indiana Internship Program, too!


Miller ’16 Peace Corps in DC

Posted in Cassel and Coons Grant Internships, , ,
Outside the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washinton, DC

Outside the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washinton, DC

Dylan Miller ’16 – This summer I have had the pleasure to intern at the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC. Since first visiting DC in the summer of 2013, I made it my goal to spend a summer in our nation’s capital as one of the thousands of young summer interns. I was fortunate enough to land my internship through a Wabash alum, BJ Whetstine ’01, that I met while visiting DC over spring break. If you don’t know already, you’ll soon come to realize the value of being active in the Wabash community network.

Every morning I join the swarm of interns and professionals cramming into the metro trains on their way to work with a coffee in hand, a TED Talk on my iPod, and a tie around my neck. After beeping into the Peace Corps headquarters building with my nifty government-issued ID card, I join five fellow colleagues to work in the Staging and Staff Development Unit. Our office handles a plethora of issues essential to the Peace Corps’ noble mission of world peace and friendship. Before each new Peace Corps volunteer travels to their respective country of service, they undergo a “staging” in the United States that acts as an orientation to their country of service. Our office does all the background logistics such as booking plane tickets, booking hotels, coordinating staging event staff, and planning and running staging events.

A perk of working at the Peace Corps is getting to meet great people who work at Peace Corps HQ in DC and all over the country as recruiters. Most Peace Corps employees were Peace Corps volunteers themselves and have served all over the world.

Miller ’16: A perk of working at the Peace Corps is getting to meet great people who work at the HQ in DC and all over the country as recruiters. Most Peace Corps employees were Peace Corps volunteers themselves and have served all over the world.

Since working at the Peace Corps, I’ve gotten a great overview of how a federal agency operates. I was even able to attend a training conference in Norman, OK that all Volunteer, Recruitment, and Selection (VRS) employees within the Peace Corps agency attended. I was able to attend informative sessions about how to operate an official government agency social media account, diversity outreach, marketing and research, recruitment techniques, government agency purchasing power, customer service, and much, much more. I was even honored to hear the newly appointed Peace Corps director, Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, who was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate.

It has only been a month into my internship, but I can already tell that my skill set has grown and the knowledge and experience I have gained will carry through to future internship, career, professional, and educational ventures. I would like to thank BJ Whetstine ’01 for bringing me on as an intern and the Coonses for endowing this public service internship grant which allowed me to partake in this wonderful educational and professional development experience that I know will act as a vital building block in my growth as a successful professional and citizen.


Purucker ’16 Classroom to Healthcare

Posted in Indiana Internship Program, , , , , ,

Scott Purucker ’16 – It is incredible to think that my internship with Tx:Team is already half way completed. I guess what they say is true, time really does fly when you are having fun.  Not only am I enjoying the internship but I also feel that I am making, as President Carroll Nelligan always says, meaningful contributions to the company and their mission of allowing everyone to live the healthiest life possible.

Purucker '16 with Spencer Sheridan '12

Purucker ’16 with Spencer Sheridan ’12

This summer, thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, I have the opportunity to work as the Finance and Clinical Operations Intern at Tx:Team in Indianapolis.  Tx:Team is a nationwide therapy provider whose home office is located here in Indianapolis.  They have therapy sites in Indiana, South Carolina, Maryland, and Mississippi.  I have been fortunate enough to visit several of the sites located here in Indiana and meet many therapists who are often the face of the company.  Prior to the start of my internship at Tx:Team, I had little knowledge of the therapy and healthcare industries, but thanks to the patience and knowledge of all the employees of the home office as well as copious amounts of reading, I have grown to have a much better understanding.

My daily tasks at Tx:Team include updating several key metrics and compiling reports on these metrics, as well as attending meetings about the direction of the company in the future.  In addition to these daily tasks, I have been working on several larger projects.  These projects include creating a dashboard to better track the success of different therapy sites and creating a presentation regarding a new coding system that will be implemented soon.  Both of these projects have allowed me to contribute meaningful work to the home office and I have learned a great deal from them.  I have used quite a bit of my knowledge from classes at Wabash College for both of these projects.  Most of all, my use of Microsoft Excel.  Not only have I used the tools that I learned in the classroom, but I have also used critical thinking to make my way through these projects. I look forward to completing these tasks and taking on new tasks to help Tx:Team.

I am working with three fellow Wabash men at Tx:Team: Scott Benedict ’98, Spencer Sheridan ’12, and Patrick Bryant ’16.  Each of them have been very helpful in guiding me as I work and are a large reason for my incredible experience thus far.


Putko ’16 Teamwork is Key

Posted in Small Business Internship Fund (SBIF), , ,
Putko '16 at work at CTS

Putko ’16 at work at CTS

Michael Putko ’16 – To this point in my internship at Commodity Transportation Services (through the Small Business Internship Fund) I have had a very enriching, interactive, and enjoyable experience. Initially coming into the internship I did not know anyone, but I have now developed a good relationship with all of my co-workers including the other Wabash interns. As freight brokers, communication and teamwork are key as we all must be on the same page with all the chaos that goes on. Essentially we are the middlemen between the shipper and the customer. For example, we will have a load of watermelons that needs to be dispatched to a store such as Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club and CTS finds the truck willing to do it, but only at the right price. Already in my short time working I have gained experience with customer service, problem solving, negotiating, and data entry. One of the most challenging parts of the job is that once the truck has been dispatched, you become responsible for it – meaning that if the load isn’t delivered on time and in the condition that it left the shipper then it is on you. To successfully do this one must keep consistent communication with the truck and schedule any necessary appointments. The office environment is pretty entertaining even with the strong focus and hard work that goes on. Most of all I have really enjoyed how supportive and helpful everyone is with each other.  My co-workers often take the time out of their day to help one another learn and grow which isn’t even in their job description.


Yumnam ’17 Consulting at P3 North America

Posted in Small Business Internship Fund (SBIF), , ,

Seine Yumnam ’17 – Get up at 4:30am, start working by 6am, then return back by 8 pm, and go back to work at 10 pm again for a while – an introduction to the schedule of a consultant.

Yumnam '17 proudly poses with the P3 North America Core Values behind him

Yumnam ’17 proudly poses with the P3 North America Core Values behind him

Coming right out of my freshman year and consulting for BMW is, of course, challenging. It seemed like the entire world was on my shoulders – a lot of responsibilities to take care of on my own. P3 North America sent me as a consultant to be a member of a quality control task force at BMW. I was given full responsibility of two production lines in BMW from day one to manage and monitor. In addition to that, I produced daily data analytics to pinpoint the unit in the supply chain that needed more attention for quality control. My reports and analyses were the foundations of the decisions that the task force lead would potentially make. My performance and speed kept the regular meetings and discussions going. In addition to doing these regular tasks, I was able to outperform P3’s and BMW’s expectations of me. I added greater detail to the already existing data analytics and helped in narrowing down the areas to focus on for problem solving; and furthermore, I designed a project management concept for one of the entities in the supply chain for BMW X5. I went forward with it, implemented, and saw the results with my own eyes – making a valuable contribution to BMW and a moment of satisfaction for me.

Wondering how I survived the pressure? P3 colleagues were always there to give support wherever necessary. They understood my level of knowledge and experience, and accordingly they gave time to guide me even though they didn’t work in the same project as I was in. Their support and understanding kept me motivated. I would particularly thank Emma Knapp who is the Executive Assistant of the CEO for her warm welcome. She has always been reliable. She made me feel like I was a part of the P3 Team.  I want to thank P3 as well for trusting me and sending me to BMW in South Carolina, the only worldwide supplier of BMW products, to deal with the BMW leaders, customers, and other corporate-level associates.  My performance at BMW would reflect P3’s capability, and P3 was ready to take that risk. To keep up with these challenges and all the expectations my colleagues from P3 had, I worked at least 14 hours every day and said good bye to my weekends. But this was a milestone skill development opportunity, and I have acquired significant knowledge of how to effectively interact with clients, understand their needs/problems, and offer solutions.

P3's Emma Knapp welcomes Yumnam to the team

P3’s Emma Knapp welcomes Yumnam to the team

Right now I am back at the Detroit office from South Carolina. My new work package is to develop a project concept to increase international trade for the Michigan based small to medium sized companies.  P3 is working on it as a partner with Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Strategic Fund. I am heavily engaged with this project and my dad, an economist, gives me useful insight on this. So, I am not alone and helpless. Everywhere I turn, there is support.

So far I have been to South Carolina, Atlanta, and Detroit. This work-travel experience blends well to give me a balanced summer. Nothing would have been possible without the Small Business Internship Fund, and I am really grateful to Career Services for providing such a game changing experience.


King ’16 Business Plan Satisfying Experience

Posted in 2014 Business Immersion, , , , , ,

Brenden King ’16

Brenden King ’16 – It is hard to believe that 5 weeks have already passed in the LABB program. In these first 5 weeks, we have covered everything from writing a business plan to a crash course in marketing and finance. Roland Morin ’91 our instructor and boss was not joking when he said we would receive a mini MBA this summer. This past week may have proven to be the most challenging, but most rewarding, for the course. For our past business plan we were given a few weeks to gather information and present our idea, for this time around we were given a week and I think the entire group agrees that we were able to deliver.

Split up into groups of four to five, we were each tasked with finding an idea for a business and presenting it to prospective investors. My group was made up of Ryan Anzalone, Thanh Tran, Denzel Wilkins, and myself. After a few sessions we came to the idea of a 3D printing schematics company. With only a week to prepare our group, along with the other three, we used every minute we had granted to us to put together our plan.

The end result could not have been more satisfying. All of the groups were able to build their plans with only a week for preparation. The other businesses that my peers created were a marketing firm, a record label, and a cross-fit gym – all of which were researched and presented professionally. The next and final step for the program is the consulting project for Wabash College. I would like to thank the Lilly Foundation and our instructor Roland Morin for making all of this possible.


Zurek ’16 Business: Challenge and Reward

Posted in 2014 Business Immersion, , , , ,

Mason Zurek ’16

Mason Zurek ’16 – I came into this program fairly hesitant. Business was just something that never seemed to suit me. I’m not a numbers guy, but I love to read and write which is why I’m fairly sure I want to be an attorney. Also, I enjoy competition immensely and law seemed like the proper way to go. So, I figured I could take this program and learn more about business in order to help me later if I go into corporate law.

Yet, as we learn more about business, and specifically entrepreneurship, I find myself hooked for two reasons: the challenge and the potential reward. The idea of putting everything you own on the line in order to be successful is scary, yet enticing. What could be more possibly exhilarating than seeing your gamble pay off? I view it as a competition against myself; seeing if I can actually set out and start a successful business is now something that greatly interests me. The other reason I mentioned, reward, is more of a dream scenario. Building a successful business and selling it off for enough money to retire comfortably by 40 would be wonderful.

In conclusion, I have been having a great time with this internship. I’ve been engaged, questioned, and forced to rely on the analytical skills Wabash has taught me. I’m looking forward to the next two weeks.


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