(President and COO Nathan Hulstein (left) and intern Trevor Zeppelin (right))
About GVL Poly:
GVL Poly, a Litchfield-based rotation molding manufacturer, is celebrating their 25th anniversary. In 2005, GVL developed its engineering department, and has employed engineering interns almost every year since. The responsibility that comes with welcoming new, ambitious members to their team and to their industry, is something GVL does not disregard.
“We always try to have a lot of conversations with our interns, to help them determine their career path,” said Nathan Hulstein, GVL’s President and COO. “We talk about working in large companies versus small companies and hands-on work versus desk work. We try to give our interns a lot of those different experiences, and right now, with Trevor, we’re definitely on the hands-on portion.”
There have been a lot of changes during and around Trevor Zeppelin’s internship at GVL. Zeppelin started as a production intern the summer prior and was able to assist Hulstein and his team in the development and application of some of GVL’s new processes. When GVL acquired a new molding machine, Zeppelin was there on the day when the parts were brought in and assembled. Getting to see how the machine was built meant he could better assist with any necessary troubleshooting that might come up down the line.
“Now we’re in the production phase where we’re actually starting to make parts on this machine,” Hulstein said, “and Trevor’s been actively involved in that as well. So it’s really a unique experience to have experienced that whole thing and see it go from nothing to something.”
“I didn’t think I’d learn as much as I did,” Zeppelin said. “They’ve shown me so many things that the exposure to that has definitely helped me narrow down what I want to do in the future.”
About the Intern:
Trevor Zeppelin is a junior studying engineering technology at Bemidji State University. He came to this internship having studied AutoCAD and SolidWorks and gained first-hand experience working with rotation molding machines and 3D printers while on the job.
His favorite project, he said was making jigs, which he made with some assistance from Todd Matzke, a design engineer at GVL. “Designing it took a long time, but going from designing it on the computer, to holding a drawing of it, to actually having the welders help me create it was pretty sweet.”
“Every day is a new experience for me,” Zeppelin concluded, “I’ve just learned so much.”
About SciTech:
The 2018-2019 program year is underway! Interested companies, employers and students curious to learn more about the SciTech Internship Program can check out SciTechmn.org and apply online. There’s no fee, and applying is easy. At least 350 wage matches are available on a first come, first hire basis between now and August 2019.