Written by Caitlyn Kirchoff
As a college student, there is so much learned in a classroom, but nothing compares to the experience and the hands on learning that develops from internships. Gibbs offers an array of internship positions every summer and our company is honored to be able to connect young people with an opportunity that will help distinguish them from their peers.
Candidates to Gibbs’ Internship program go through a competitive hiring process involving online applications, phone screens, and onsite or skype interviews. Each candidate must prove why they could be an asset to Gibbs and what skills/ qualifications they can bring to the table. After being selected, hired, and trained, each intern works on different projects for their specific supervisor. At the end of the summer, each intern must create a 5-8 minute presentation summarizing their major projects accomplished over the summer.
Keep reading to meet our interns.
- Taylor Warren is a process engineering intern working under Richard Helfert (Process Engineering Manager). She is a senior at University of Kentucky where she is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. When she graduates she plans to get a job and obtain her MBA. Eventually she plans to own her own engineering consulting firm. Taylor shared, “After already seeing progress on my project, it’s nice to know that the work I’m doing isn’t just busy work and will actually save the company time and money. My favorite part of the internship has been working with so many people from essentially every department. Working at Gibbs has taught me the importance of working the problem and not just jumping to the first solution I think of.”
- Jacob Loveridge is an industrial engineer intern under Sam Peters (Industrial engineer). Jacob is a 2nd year senior at the University of Southern Indiana where he is majoring in Industrial Engineering. After graduation, Jacob’s goal is to get involved with theme park development and design and said, “All of the theme parks I have visited always brought me so much fun and joy that I want to be able to spread that same feeling to as many people as possible.” Jacob also shared, “Industrial engineering is a small but rapidly growing field. We focus on efficiency, so my job really impacts a lot of aspects at Gibbs. I really feel like we are square one of anything that needs to be done here. We look at where to put things, how far to space them apart, how many certain things we need and how long they take to operate. Not only do I put new things into place, but I also help polish things already in place. I really enjoy feeling like my decisions for any project I am undertaking have actual weight to them and could bring real change. School is typically only theoretical/hypothetical work, so when it comes to making decisions out in the real world it helps make me feel like I’ve made a difference. This internship has helped me fine tune a lot of my skills so far. It has shaped my view on how work is supposed to be done, how to act at work and the importance of safety in the work place. I feel like Gibbs has brought me a whole new level of thinking that school just cannot provide; I am so thankful for the improvements this company has made to my skill set.”
- Jon Myers is a quality intern under the supervision of Jason Springer (Director of Quality). He is a junior at Murray State University where he is majoring in manufacturing engineering with aspirations to become an automation engineer. John said “This internship has not only helped me to learn different forms of manufacturing, but also has taught me life goals and life lessons that will help me to become successful in my future work. I think Gibbs has been impacted by having a young fresh set of eyes to hopefully suggest and introduce new ways of doing certain applications.”
- Aaron Russell is an EHS intern under the supervision of Eric Gardner (Director of Safety, EHS and Security). Aaron is a senior at Murray State University and plans to become an Environmental Health and Safety professional in the manufacturing industry. Aaron stated “I think my job is beneficial to Gibbs because it is important to keep employees safe at work. We want them to leave in the same condition as they came. This internship has taught me how to apply the knowledge that I have gained in courses at Murray State.”
- Daniel Wolking is an industrial engineer intern under the supervision of Dan Lachman (Director of Industrial Engineering). He is a senior at the University of Southern Indiana and will eventually return to school to pursue a MBA. Daniel stated “My project, when completed, will provide an extensive amount of information and knowledge very quickly on the floor to help the maintenance group fix and maintain the new equipment here. Thus far, I have learned more than I ever thought I would about die-casting and the equipment being implemented at Federal; everyone has been great and very helpful whenever I have a question. The best part about this internship is learning from people with many different jobs about what they do and how everyone/everything works together.”
- Michael Hawkins is an engineering intern under Sean Walker (Production Manager). He is a senior at University of Southern Indiana where he is studying mechanical engineering. After graduation he plans to return to the Crane Navy Base. Michael said “I hope to impact Gibbs by improving operations by making them more efficient and safer.”
In addition to our college interns, Dylan Eagan is a co-op student working at Gibbs as a Co-Op Process Engineer. Dylan is 18 and is a freshman at University of Southern Indiana. He plans on returning to Gibbs after he graduates and work as a mechanical engineer. Dylan shared “My role at Gibbs has helped me gain the 3D modeling experience I’ve needed to learn. I’ve learned more and more about 3D modeling than I ever knew before. The people I work with have shown me how drawings are done and how to properly make a 3D model as well as how to complete all of the necessary steps. My favorite aspect of working at Gibbs is how there are always new projects to be done and the people I work with are awesome. They always teach me something new.”