The 2024 Summer Internship program has successfully concluded at Riley Construction. This enriching program was supported by influential mentors to complement each intern’s career paths. Nine of us interns spent our summer expanding our knowledge in the construction industry and making meaningful contributions to several of Riley’s most high-profile construction projects.
Our internship program began with a mock Bid Day. This activity introduced us to estimating. We were split into two teams and competed to construct the winning bid. The teams dug into the documents and did a great job communicating, collaborating, and dividing up the work to beat the clock. This was a great way to kick off the summer and introduce PreCon.
Each intern thrived in their own individual roles. Here are few examples:
“Throughout my internship I have been working in the ConTech department,” said Emma Campeau, an incoming Iowa State intern. “I really enjoyed being able to use the new technology of the construction industry and visit the jobsite of the projects I worked on to see my 3D models in real life.”
“I have grown my skills on writing contact entry forms and reading bid proposals, trying to decipher who has the best price” said Caitlyn Getzloff UW Platteville intern. “Under my mentors’ leadership I was able to gain new technical and communication skills. Having the opportunity to work at Riley has given me knowledge that I know I’ll use in the future” said Jordan Hughes Carthage College intern.
Our mentors did an excellent job exposing us to the industry to inspire our interests.
We learned valuable insights by working with Riley. Austin Kennedy, Arizona State intern, said, “I learned the critical importance of teamwork. The success of a project depends on the collective effort of everyone involved.” Our mentors demonstrated effective ways to communicate in the office and on the job site to teach us how to be productive and accomplish things successfully. Eddie Mitchell, Marquette University intern, said, “I appreciate the commitment Riley makes to ensure teams are on the same page. If you go to a new job site, you can go to a new trailer and understand what is happening. Riley has taught me that projects rely on how well team members work together and efficiently communicate.”
Each intern worked on a variety of tasks and projects. This allowed us to gain insights on numerous types of jobs to grow our skill sets. “My favorite part of my internship was how different each of the projects were that I was involved with. The City of Madison bus facility project taught me a lot about various plumbing fixtures and water reclaim equipment. The Likewise DeForest project taught me a lot about the first phase of a project, before foundations even start,” said Caitlyn Getzloff.
Throughout the summer, our mentors planned jobsite visits to see our crews in action. We were given the opportunity to learn about Contech, view and learn about structural steel installs, and tour different jobsites to understand the day-to-day operations and the role of superintendents. “Riley has allowed me to see parts of construction that many wouldn’t see – like the use of 3D modeling, and then seeing the project come to life on site visits” said Jake Oestermeyer Marquette University intern.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and grow in our professional careers at Riley. “The best part of being able to do my internship with Riley was meeting new people from the construction industry and becoming a part of a great team,” said Emma Campeau.
Before we returned to school, we had an epic day on an indoor go-kart track with Riley’s leadership team and our mentors. We had a blast racing around the track. It was a fun way to celebrate all our hard work! We learned the value of a fun work environment to enhance collaboration.
Erin Anderson, Riley’s COO, said, “Congratulations to our summer interns. I hope you found your time with us enjoyable and educational. We wish you the best of luck this school year and in your future endeavors!”
2024 Interns:
- Caitlyn Getzloff, UW Platteview
- Jake Oestermeyer, Marquette University
- Eric Mueller, MSOE
- Jordan Hughes, Carthage College
- Alivia Broeske, Marquette University
- Jake Stritesky, UW Oshkosh
- Austin Kennedy, Arizona State University
- Eddie Mitchell, Marquette University
- Emma Campeau, Iowa State University