Intern Orientation Overview: An Intern’s Perspective

After three full days of JES Intern Team Training, it is clear that JES Holdings is a company focused on helping each employee attain their highest potential.

The interns started the week on Monday morning by listening to presentations from Director of Human Resources Kerry Eales and Human Resources Generalist Jordan Anderson. We learned about JES Holdings, its management and culture. Later that day, the interns ate lunch with Executive Vice President Monica Swoboda, Executive Vice President Will Markel and Vice President Kim Olden. After lunch, all of the interns received professional headshots, before learning about tax credits and affordable housing. The evening ended with a mixer that allowed us to spend quality time engaging with company leadership. The following day began with property visits and then the interns cleaned up two units at Fairway Management’s North Hampton Village. After our work there, we were treated to a dinner with employees who had once been interns, just like us. We shared our experiences and they were able to answer many of our questions about working at JES Holdings.

JES Human Resources Intern Carley Wells was very excited that she got a chance to learn from company leadership. “In most companies, interns do not always have the opportunity to interact with company leadership. I am grateful I had the opportunity to begin building relationships with leaders in the company,” Wells said.

On the last day, the interns competed in the 2016 Intern Apprentice. The rules were simple: each group developed a plan for a new property and presented the final presentation to members of the Executive Team. Each presentation had to include a construction plan, marketing plan, budget and schedule of community events. As the day progressed, we were able to use the skills and knowledge gained earlier in the week and work together as a team to finish our project.

JES Marketing Intern Jacob Renie enjoyed how collaborative the competition was for the interns. “I really liked seeing how interns from each department were able to work together and bring in different aspects to the competition,” Renie said.

The Executive Team was impressed with both presentations and announced that we were all winners, awarding both teams prizes. Not only did the intern orientation process educate us about JES Holdings and its values, but it also gave all of the interns a chance to bond and truly understand the close-knit culture of JES Holdings.