#SolverSoul Goes Summer Finale
As summer comes to a close, it is time to bid farewell to our interns.
We wish them all the best as they return to college this fall. In our last #SolverSoul Goes Summer blog post, meet Casey, Eric, and Michael. All three are proud Cyclones at Iowa State University.
Unfortunately, all three had to return to Iowa State before we could capture them on camera, so there’s no accompanying video on Instagram. However, we wish them – and all of our summer interns – all the best for a successful school year.
Casey Gehling is a software engineering major; Eric Fardal is studying finance; Michael Peterson is majoring in industrial engineering.
What’s an average day like?
Casey: I’m developing the Account Plan in Salesforce for our sales consultants, as they move away from physical documents toward electronic copies. I’ll also get one-off requests from my managers to work on projects that can make their lives easier. Nearly every request starts with, “This is how we do it currently …” and ends with “This is how we envision it …” That makes the work both exciting and challenging.
Eric: Being an Employee Engagement intern means I get firsthand experience working alongside all the hard-working individuals who make Businessolver a better place to work. Whether I’m watching interview videos, scheduling/organizing meetings, or communicating with candidates, I really enjoy learning all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into hiring the next great Solvers.
Michael: I started as an intern on the Continuous Quality Improvement team back in January 2016. Since then, I’ve worked with Solvers in all areas of the company! I’ve worked on redesigning our Critical-to-Quality charts, building the DMAIC A3 Library, as well as facilitatating A3 meetings, performing CTQ checks, and helping restructure the Solver online tools/resources library called My Toolbox.
Goals for the summer?
Michael: [SVP of Quality and Improvement] Scott Burgmeyer told me that I am not allowed to leave until My Toolbox is organized and more functional, so I really hope I can get that done by the end of the summer. I will start my junior year at Iowa State this month and hope to leave Businessolver with a greater understand of DMAIC and how continuous improvement is pushed in a technology company when the processes are intangible. I also wanted to get a feel for what role an industrial engineer could have in process improvement at a non-manufacturing company. I believe industrial engineers can work for anyone, in any industry, and seeing Scott come from the manufacturing industry to Businessolver has been a huge inspiration to me.
Eric: I want to take full advantage of this internship in every way that I can! Businessolver has given us numerous opportunities to deepen our knowledge and gain real-life experiences this summer. From a simple lunch with an established leader to presenting in front of our exec board, the opportunities to learn and network are endless. I’m excited to finish the summer strong and leave Businessolver in a better place than when we arrived.
What have you learned from fellow Solvers?
Casey: I joined a Solver team of two: I admire the passion, intelligence, and work ethic of one, and I long for the patience, knowledge of the company, and sense of self-worth of the other. Both personalities come together in a productive way to create a dynamic force for the company, and it has been a rewarding experience to be involved with the day-to-day operations of the team.
Favorite thing about Solver culture?
Casey: Unquestionably it’s the interesting personalities surrounding me every day in the office. Whether it’s footballs flying cube to cube, or the frequent loud laughter, being able to truly be myself is one of the more enjoyable things I’ve experienced this summer.
Eric: I enjoy the opportunity to come in and contribute right away toward Businessolver’s mission to grow our business and delight our clients. From day one, I’ve been able to to step in and lend a helping hand across many areas of the company.
Michael: The best part about Businessolver is that if you have a good idea to make something better, you always have a receptive audience to vet it and carry it forward. The lack of resistance to change allows more mobility as a company and more good ideas to reach implementation. No person, or company, is ever finished learning and improving and Businessolver definitely embodies that very well.
Closing thoughts or shout outs?
Eric: A shout out to Cody McClelland who showed me the ropes in the recruiting department and made it fun along the way!
