By Alexandra Philipps – HR Generalist | Lincoln, NE

Commonwealth’s Intern Class of 2024, along with their mentors and supervisors

The third annual Summer Summit was held on August 1 and 2 in Omaha, NE. Summer Summit gives our team an opportunity to celebrate our Intern Class of 2024 and highlight their contributions throughout the summer. On day one, interns were treated to a professional headshot taken by the Commonwealth Marketing team. After discussing our Commonwealth Cares initiative, our team engaged in a public service project and packed nearly 9,000 meals for Heartland Kids Against Hunger. After serving our community, we headed to TopGolf for dinner and fun.

On day two of Summer Summit, each intern had an opportunity to present about their summer experience. Interns talked about what they worked on this summer, what they learned, their key takeaways, and ideas to continue to improve the program. We then had a large group CliftonStrengths® session, where interns, supervisors, mentors, and the Executive Leadership Team had an opportunity to invest in their own natural talents and embrace a growth mindset as we talked about strengths-based career development. We closed the Summit by hearing from keynote speaker Henry T. Buchanan who shared his personal experiences with career development and leadership.

Commonwealth welcomed 20 interns to our 2024 Summer Internship Program earlier this summer. During the kickoff event in May, interns were introduced to our Executive Leadership Team and teamed up with their mentors to play “Survey Says.” It was a great way to kick off the summer experience!

At Commonwealth, our goal is to develop young leaders through our internship program. We utilize CliftonStrengths® to provide our interns strengths-based career development opportunities. We want interns to understand and focus on what they do well and then work on emphasizing and developing those strengths to become even more productive. Throughout the summer, interns completed four mini strengths activities and participated in two one-one coaching sessions with a Gallup Global Certified Strengths Coach.

This summer, we introduced a Monday MasterClass series to the program. Each week, different team members imparted substantive skills and knowledge of the areas they work in. Interns heard from professionals in the electrical field, as well as fields such as project management, estimating, marketing, engineering, and more. The goal of the MasterClass series was to give interns an opportunity to learn every aspect of Commonwealth and how we all work together to achieve success.

Throughout the summer, interns also received a weekly email which shared timely recognition for each intern and touched on CliftonStrengths®, our core values of Customers, Employees, Character, and Mastery, and highlights from the summer experience. Our internship program aims to create a recognition-rich environment where interns are engaged and connected to our employee ownership culture.

In mid-July, our Midwest interns participated in a large group job site visit at Warhorse Casino in Lincoln, NE, where they had the opportunity to see the project’s progress. This visit allowed our interns to network with their peers and industry experts, all while gaining additional hands-on experience. The on-site project manager, James Haake, did a great job of explaining the challenges faced during a project and shared insightful tips for interns to use as they move forward in their careers.

Thank you to our Intern Class of 2024 for being an integral part of our team! We appreciate your hard work, dedication, and positive energy. You have made a significant impact during your time with us, and we’re grateful to have had you as part of the Commonwealth team. Stay curious, stay hungry, and keep shining brightly. You are Powering Tomorrow!

INTERN CLASS OF 2024

SUPERVISOR

Riley Fischer

Melissa Brown

Steve Hernandes

Trey Burdick

Steve Hernandes

John Randall

Eric Hoge

Eric Hoge

Brian Millard

Dan Maca

Travis Powell

Dan Cahalan

Lisa Jamison

Celine Williams

Lindsay Selig

Erin Stieren

Jacob Svoboda

Mike Tworek

Eric Hoge

Dan Cahalan