Summer is flying by, especially for the interns graduating from our summer internship programs this week. In celebration of National Intern Day and the end of this summer’s internship programs, we surprised our interns with a celebration just for them—consisting of food trucks, music, a photo booth and fun giveaways!
We loved celebrating these college students and we’re proud to recognize all their hard work this summer. Not only do they come out of their internship with new expertise in their field of study, but they also gain life-long personal and professional skills.
Here are some highlights of the programs they completed:
Sales and Support Center (SSC) Internship Program
Our SSC Internship Program is a 10 week program here at our headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee. Interns in this program are placed in different departments throughout the SSC where they have the opportunity to gain experience in a corporate work environment, collaborate with other interns and network with senior leaders at PFJ. Throughout the program, interns are immersed into projects within their departments, participate in weekly professional development sessions, take part in philanthropic activities and work collectively on an organizational group project that they have the opportunity to present to senior leaders at PFJ.
“One of the best things about this experience so far has been the feeling that I am actually making a difference,” said Mitchell Jostes, Internal Audit Intern. “They have been keeping me very busy on different kinds of projects and have been great at explaining how the projects affect the company as a whole.”
Operations Internship Program
Our Operations Internship Program is a 10 week in-field program at Pilot and Flying J Travel Centers across the United States. These interns spend time rotating through our travel center, restaurant and deli core positions as well as traveling with region managers. Through hands-on learning and training, our operation interns are equipped with a better understanding of what it takes to successfully operate a travel center and manage a team. These interns work in collaboration with our SSC interns on the organizational group project that is presented to senior leaders at the conclusion of the internship program.
“This experience has left a life-long impact on me,” said Mitchell Baldwin, Operations Intern. “I learned things that I never thought about and made life – long friendships. I was a novice 7 weeks ago, but through the training and great care from the Pilot Flying J family, I am one less step away from being an expert.”
As this year’s internship programs comes to end, we’re sad to say goodbye to the students we’ve gotten the opportunity to work alongside, but we’re excited to see what they accomplish in their future careers!
