The 2019 Piedmont Plastics Internship Program has officially wrapped up today after a rewarding few months! We were fortunate to have six interns this summer at our Birmingham, Nashville, Pompano Beach, La Mirada, Atlanta and Scarborough branches. Our interns spent their time learning about overall branch operations by working alongside their branch’s sales team, warehouse team, branch administrator and branch manager. In addition, the interns had the opportunity to travel to Piedmont Plastics’ Home Office in Charlotte, NC for a busy week, where they met employees across all functions and participated in off-site learning opportunities with local partners.
Here’s what our interns had to say about their experiences at Piedmont Plastics:
Paul Nikrooye-Asli, Pompano Beach
Florida State University
“I was surprised to learn that the performance plastics industry is much larger than I expected and has so many different career opportunities. The most interesting aspect of my internship has been learning about all of the industries in which performance plastics are sold. I have most enjoyed going out on sales calls with our Outside Sales Representative and seeing the finished products our customers make with our products. In the future, I would like to continue to work in B2B sales.”
Omari Mitchell, Atlanta
Kennesaw State University
“I first discovered the internship with Piedmont Plastics through Kennesaw State’s job and internship fair. I found that aside from learning about performance plastics, the family first culture has been the most enjoyable part of the internship. Piedmont is like no other when it comes to putting employees first. I would love to be able to work on a Piedmont Plastics sales team in the future.”
Mason Reeves, Nashville
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
“For me, the most interesting aspect of the internship has been getting to see every team within the Piedmont Plastics business work together to accomplish common goals. I have really enjoyed meeting customers that have unique applications for our performance plastics materials. Looking forward, I plan to finish my finance degree and the apply it to a sales career.”
Adam Nye, La Mirada
The Ohio State University
“This internship has provided me with an opportunity to learn about all aspects of business operations and how each role contributes to the greater team. The most interesting part of my internship has been making outside sales calls and seeing the endless applications of our products. In the future, I would like to apply my degree in economics and business to a career in performance plastics with Piedmont.”
Drew Turner, Birmingham
Pensacola Christian College
“At the Birmingham branch, I have been learning the wide scope of the performance plastics industry and have been surprised by how many different materials that Piedmont Plastics distributes and their many applications. It’s been a great experience to get to work alongside the sales team, warehouse team, branch administrator and branch manager, as well as spend a week at the Home Office. I am currently majoring in business management and would like to pursue a future career in sales.”
Jay Potter, Scarborough
Durham College
“I am currently studying supply chain and operations management and was attracted to this internship for its variety of experiences offered. Most surprising to me during my time with Piedmont was learning that performance plastics are found in so many every day applications, even in areas least expected. My plans for the future include working through a co-op program starting next summer and then finishing my degree.”
The Piedmont Plastics Internship Program is designed to provide participants with a 360-degree view of Piedmont and the performance plastics industry, as well as prepare participants for future professional roles. In nine weeks, our Sales Support Specialist Interns learned the basics of plastics distribution and gained valuable experience in not only sales, but business administration and warehouse logistics. We are proud to support the future generation of the performance plastics industry.