It was another productive summer for Barriere interns. We marked the end of our 26th annual internship program at the CRH Midsouth Region Intern Presentations on August 8, 2023, at the Sheraton Flowood The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center. Seven Barriere interns joined fellow interns from CRH operating companies Midsouth Paving and APAC to share details of their summer projects with CRH company leadership and leaders and mentors from each operating company.
Barriere internships are designed to provide hands-on experiences to help participants explore their desired career fields. Over the summer, each of our interns worked with a Barriere mentor to develop a project that would provide real-world learning opportunities, while also contributing to improving our company’s work processes. On August 8th, the interns reported on the results and lessons of their summer projects.
The presentation program opened with a safety minute lead by Midsouth intern John Gaither and a welcome from Dwayne Boyd, CRH Regional President – Midsouth Region. Next, Lee Cole, EVP of Environmental Health and Safety for CRH Americas, spoke about CRH’s areas of business and how CRH’s purpose informs and impacts different aspects of the business.
Before their presentations, the interns took part in a Q&A session with company leaders. The panel of experts included CRH Midsouth Region President Dwayne Boyd, Barriere VP of Asphalt Operations Justin White, APAC President Nate Killingsworth, and Midsouth Paving Executive VP Bret Thornton.
Kicking off the presentations for the construction related presentations, Barriere intern Connor Caillet presented his summer project on the proposed updated Boutte yard. Following productivity-related project presentations from Barriere interns Leahlin Scott and Cade Rogers, Isidro Reyna Escalera gave a presentation on his project exploring perks of owning equipment versus renting.
Next, interns gave operations support presentations. From Barriere, Kalynn Granier presented her project on implementing a social media management platform, and Joshua Goldston shared details about his equipment maintenance incentives project.
The last group of intern presentations covered safety and sustainability topics. This included Barriere intern Rhett Rosevear, who presented his project on reducing the gap in communications to third party trucks.
Closing out the program, guest speaker Will Crossley, Piney Woods School President, gave a keynote address on finding your purpose.
Congratulations to our 2023 interns on completing the summer program! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
