OpEd: Why interns should be civically involved

Brenda Gallick is the Director of Team Member Success at Billhighway. Her primary role is to innovate and nurture a team-oriented culture. Prior to joining Billhighway in 2010, she worked in human resources and benefits consulting at Great Lakes Strategies. She earned an MSA in business administration from Central Michigan University and a BBA in human resources from Western Michigan University.


Why Interns Should be Civically Involved

At Billhighway, we believe in looking at our interns as partners; we provide valuable experience and mentoring, and in return receive fresh new ideas, viewpoints, or approaches we may not have considered. We are continually impressed with the talent and ideas that our interns bring to the table. Local businesses are beginning to recognize the variety of skill sets available in the Millennial talent pool, as more universities are requiring internships for graduation. It's great to see so many Michigan companies stepping up to the plate and offering internship opportunities, which helps to strengthen our future workforce and benefits our local economy.  

Accepting an internship at Billhighway is about challenge, culture and community. We challenge our interns to design new projects and develop innovative ways to tackle existing programs. During our recent "Marketing Unplugged" session, our interns were tasked with identifying direct mail outreach strategies to penetrate new target markets. Additionally, our interns are immersed in our culture from day one, getting involved in fun events and activities. Every summer we host the Billhighway Olympics, where, among other things, team members get a chance to show off their lip-synching skills or batting technique in our home run derby. 

Our interns also participate in our local community with the After 5 Intern Program and our Charitable Volunteer Program. The After 5 Intern Program provides an opportunity to meet hundreds of other interns, participate in fun activities in Detroit, and network with prominent business leaders. A couple of highlights this year included a Town Hall with Governor Snyder and a Downtown Restaurant Crawl where participants were able to taste-test some of the area's finest cuisine. This summer's interns volunteered at a golf outing hosted by Gleaners Community Food Bank, running the longest-drive and hole-in-one competitions to help raise money to end hunger.  

I believe internships should include a component of community involvement to provide a well-rounded experience, thereby exposing young professionals to what the region has to offer and increasing the likelihood that they will stay in Michigan after graduation. With nearly 40 percent of public-university students leaving the state after graduation, engaging and retaining talent is more critical than ever. It's an exciting time in metro Detroit, and it's hard not to be optimistic about the city's revitalization efforts. Thus it's our job as employers to educate our interns on what our community has to offer. Billhighway intern Kelly Stacy, who is a finance major at Michigan State University, says, "My involvement in community programs this summer has made me 100-percent more interested in staying in Michigan, and I'm even considering living in downtown Detroit after graduation."

When looking for interns who will be successful at Billhighway, there are three key attributes we consider. Cultural fit is the first and most important. It encompasses an alignment to our Playbook and the values we live by every day. The second is demonstrated success with collaboration. It is important that the interns who join our team enjoy working with others to solve problems and achieve results. I believe this is critical to their success at Billhighway, because they work with everyone in the organization, including executives and leaders, and they need to feel comfortable expressing their ideas. The third is a sense of accountability. Our interns work on real projects, so it is important that they accept responsibility for their work and are committed to our mindset of continuous improvement. With most internships lasting three or four months, it is critical that our interns jump right in and make a difference.

When designing an internship program, it is important to create projects and work responsibilities that provide a unique learning experience, preparing the interns for their chosen career. At Billhighway, our culture is one of the things that team members and interns enjoy most, and we encourage them to be themselves. The benefits of creating an internship program far outweigh the costs and time involved. It is so rewarding to mentor the next generation of our workforce and show them how community involvement and fun powers results and ideas.