Building the Future, One Mind at a Time

The 2021 Intern Program

In 9 of our 11 locations across the Midwest, full-time ISG employee-owners may notice a few new faces this summer. The challenges of the year prior did not stop ISG from hiring a group of 26 interns, from a plethora of colleges in an assortment of roles, to the team for a 2021 intern class. Ranging from IT and Marketing to Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture, these interns will be working alongside ISG project managers and associates, assisting in daily activities and projects, providing a fresh perspective, and learning new tools along the way. To make sure that our interns gain as much exposure to their roles, a few tweaks have been made to our program for 2021.

This year, completely new to ISG, is the Buddy Program. Pairing two ‘Buddies’, one local team member and another from a different location, the Buddy Program allows interns to meet with their buddies for 15-30 minutes once a week for the first six weeks at ISG. This time is spent getting to know each other, asking questions about their role or about ISG as a whole, sharing projects, etc. This mentorship program comes in handy, as our internship program challenges students’ skills learned in coursework, leading them to apply this knowledge learned in a real-world setting. But enough about us, who are the lucky 26?

About the Interns

In order to better understand the 2021 intern class, lets answer a few questions on just who they are. While its hard to capture all 26 in one post, here are some of the general stats from this year’s program:

What offices are they in?

• Mankato: 11
• Waterloo: 2
• Sioux Falls: 1
• St. Louis Park: 1
• Bloomington: 2
• Storm Lake: 2
• Des Moines: 4
• Green Bay: 1
• La Crosse: 2

How many are in each department?

• Civil: 11
• Architecture: 2
• Structural Engineering: 1
• Landscape Architecture: 1
• Survey: 1
• Marketing: 1
• IT: 2
• Electrical: 1
• Administration: 2
• Telecommunication: 2
• Environmental: 1

Where do they go to school?

• Iowa Central Community College
• Arizona State University
• South Dakota State University
• Iowa State University
• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• University of Missouri, Columbia
• South Central College
• St. Cloud State University
• University of St. Thomas
• University of Wisconsin, Madison
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Vermillion Community College
• University of Wisconsin, Platteville

What projects are they working on?

A day in the life of an ISG intern is similar to that of any new employee-owner, as this gives graduates of the intern class a real-world look into their roles. While each role has its own unique skillset, lets take a look at a civil engineering internship:

Paul Schlotman is a civil engineering intern out of our Storm Lake, IA location. He states that a few main points to sum up his role include utilizing Civil 3D to create proposed drawings in tile projects, create maps detailing tile improvement in drainage projects, surveying districts to collect data needed for design, and creating contract and bid documents for project proposals and bidding.

In the same civil engineering role, this time out of Des Moines, IA, intern Ryan Lofgren shares his experiences thus far,

“It’s been over a month now since I began my internship with ISG, and I have been exposed to many new experiences, having the opportunity to work with some amazing people! This past week, I had the opportunity to spend the day shadowing Brett Walker, a structural engineer. Safe to say that I think I found my calling. I cannot wait to return to school and continue down the path of Civil Engineering.” – Ryan Lofgren, Civil Engineering Intern

Apart from varying daily tasks and projects, there are a few fun events the intern class will engage with. Interns from this program are encouraged to connect with those around the office and make professional connections with coworkers and supervisors. Many of our interns are encouraged to stay current with ISG, especially upon their graduation, as full-time opportunities may present themselves. Much of our full-time employee-owners, including President David Doxtad, have grown with ISG throughout the years rising from intern roles upward.

We would like to welcome the 2021 intern class, encouraging them to work hard and challenge themselves. A large part of our program is not only teaching real-world applications, but also learning from you and your experiences. We look forward to seeing you all grow this summer!Follow us on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter to receive a personal look at each of our interns.