Saying Goodbye to Unistrut Midwest's Summer 2024 Interns

As back-to-school season approaches, it's time for us to sadly say farewell to our summer interns. We asked Jake, Jack, and Cameron to take a look back at their time here at Unistrut Midwest and share lessons learned from their internship as well as how they feel that they left an impact on the company.

Jake Schorling, Marketing

I feel that I impacted the company through my social media work. I created the intern introduction videos as well as some drone videos to market Unistrut's intern program and to give viewers a look into our facilities. This helped improve Unistrut's social media presence. I also managed multiple LinkedIn accounts and the company Instagram account.

Another impact I made on the company was through the product comparison, competitor analysis, and keyword search reports I completed. These exercises were not only great hands-on experience for me, but they provide valuable information for the rest of the Unistrut team.

In this internship, I learned the ins and outs of how to market a business, including planning events, marketing the brand on social media, generating blog ideas, and developing materials for conventions. Spending time in both the Cincinnati and Columbus offices gave me the chance to meet a lot of people and see different aspects of the company. I learned that communication and trust are key factors of getting things done in the workplace.

I also feel that I learned a lot from Justen Harris, our head of Human Resources. Beyond the business side of things, he taught us a lot about how to navigate through life successfully and focus on self-improvement and personal goals.

Jack Ryder, Finance

As an intern in the finance department, I feel I had a pretty direct impact on the company. I posted cash receipts and maintained mail receiving, which involved personally going through the mail every day and sorting and delivering the mail to certain departments. For checks coming in for customers, I identified where they came from and posted them to our accounting software. I was also tasked with various retrievals and deliveries, including delivering extra material to a customer and supplying catering orders for large company meetings.

During my time here, I was responsible for attacking a large amount of AR aging past due payments. A majority of this work was consistently contacting our customers with outstanding balances, initially through email and then by phone if necessary, which definitely had an impact on the company.

Throughout the summer, I got to see how a business runs and experienced the finance and accounting side close up. How the money comes in, how it gets where it needs to go, and how it powers aspects of the business. I learned a lot about how to hold yourself accountable and set goals for yourself, which is applicable to both business and any other part of your life. Justen gave us loads of insight about his life that involved not only the business world, but how to carry yourself in all walks of life.

Cameron Lee, Operations

The biggest impact I feel I had on Unistrut Midwest this summer was developing a step-by-step process for project managers to use in the Job Cost module in Sage. This project was crucial for enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of job costing, ultimately contributing to better financial management and project tracking.

I learned so much in my time at Unistrut, from the Five Whys Analysis, a problem-solving technique used to identify the root causes of issues, to Six Sigma practices for improving business processes and quality management. I learned about prioritizing internal communication to ensure all team members are aligned with company goals and daily operations. We had weekly team meetings to discuss ongoing projects, address challenges, and share updates. These meetings provided a platform for open dialogue, where everyone could voice their opinions and suggestions.

During my internship at Unistrut Midwest, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of accountability in a business setting. This experience provided me with a deep understanding of how accountability contributes to the overall success and efficiency of an organization. I also gained a profound understanding of the human resources aspect of business operations from Justen Harris. This experience highlighted the importance of connecting with and understanding employees, which is crucial for fostering a positive work environment and ensuring organizational success.

From all of us at Unistrut Midwest, we'd like to send a big thanks to our outgoing interns. We have loved having you on the team this summer and we wish you all the best in your next year of school and beyond.