On August 6, 2024, Barriere’s summer internship program came to a successful
conclusion at the 2 nd annual CRH Midsouth Region Intern Presentations at the Sheraton
Flowood The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center. The event — attended by Barriere interns
Ryan Laurent, Jean Huckaby and Austin Walker, along with five APAC MS/TN and APAC
Alabama interns — recognized the work completed during the internship programs. The
presentations highlighted the objectives, results and impact of each intern’s summer project.
Barriere summer internships are designed to provide hands-on experiences to help participants
explore their desired career fields. Over the summer, each intern worked with a Barriere mentor
to develop a project that would provide real-world learning opportunities while also helping to
improve to our company’s work processes.
The August 6th event began with an informative safety minute by Barriere intern Jean Huckaby,
followed by words of welcome from CRH Regional President of the Midsouth Region, Dwayne
Boyd, who introduced the leadership panel. Next, Barriere President Jason Latiolais gave an
overview of CRH and its Purpose.
Before the intern presentations, company leaders participated in a panel discussion about the
road from “Internship to Industry.” The panel included spokespersons from Barriere — VP of
Asphalt Operations Justin White, Asphalt Plants and Materials Group Manager Joe Kennedy
and Baton Rouge Asphalt Group Manager Jeff Roming — along with APAC-
Mississippi/Tennessee Vice President of Operations Bobby Bogue, General Manager – East
Matt Smith and Lead Project Manager – East Carl Pittman.
The presentations provided insight into each intern’s experience and ideas for making the
company more efficient. Ryan Laurent proposed using GoPro cameras to secure thorough
video documentation that could be used as a strong defense to settle potential legal claims.
Austin Walker discussed his method to formalize and streamline the onboarding process for
entry-level management and field engineers. Finally, Jean Huckaby explained the benefits of
field employees using SmartTagIt software to complete hazard recognition cards.
Closing out the program, guest speaker Ryan Lindsey, Executive Vice President of Government
Relations for CRH Americas, talked about the importance of building a brand, the characteristics
of a good brand and what goes into creating and maintaining that. He also explained his “Get To
vs. Got To” philosophy, emphasizing the impact mindset can have on whether you see your
work as a ‘get to do something fun’ job or a ‘you have to do something’ job.
Congratulations to our outstanding 2024 interns on completing the Barriere summer program.
We wish you a bright and successful future.
