Shaping the Future: National Intern Day
July 25 is National Intern Day, and we’re celebrating a remarkable group of interns – 73 students representing 21 different schools from 12 states and two countries! Our interns are working in a wide range of departments at 10 Pella locations across the U.S. from Portland, OR to Gettysburg, PA.
Pella is proud to support this diverse group of interns on their career journeys. This summer, they’re supporting important work to move our business forward while taking part in mentorships, volunteer opportunities, social activities and much more. Pella interns create long-lasting connections while making a valuable impact.
"We’re dedicated to providing interns with hands-on, impactful projects that go beyond the ordinary,” said Louie Currier, Campus Talent Acquisition Specialist. “Through mentorship and exposure to cutting-edge work, we aim to inspire a passion that extends far beyond the internship. Our mission is to offer a transformative experience, where interns actively contribute to solving real-world problems and foster a genuine connection with our company.”
As part of the program, interns take part in a Case Competition activity that truly showcases imagination in action. Working in cross-functional teams, they develop and present their own unique ideas for driving innovation at Pella. Presentations will be held on August 5, and winners will be announced and awarded prizes at the Intern Farewell Banquet on August 6.
“Our goal is to not only shape future leaders,” said Louie, “but to create a bond that brings them back to Pella in meaningful roles, contributing to our shared success and building our talent advantage in a competitive market."
Want to know what it’s like to be a Pella intern? Here’s a deep-dive with three of them – who they are, what they’ve been working on this summer and what’s next.
Ayo Atitebi – HR MBA Intern
- Meet Ayo: I was born and raised in Nigeria where I spent most of my young adult life before moving to the U.S. for my MBA at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. I’m majoring in Strategy and Organizational Leadership, and my career goal is to leverage my background as a corporate attorney and my HR experience at Pella to transition into a strategic HR leadership role where I can drive impactful initiatives that foster inclusive and thriving workplace culture and implement strategies that support both organizational growth and employee satisfaction.
- His Summer Project: I’m developing a new onboarding program at Pella that helps hiring leaders effectively integrate new team members and interns, creating a consistent onboarding experience across the enterprise, reducing the time to full productivity from 6 to 3 months for hundreds of new hires annually, and setting them up for success from day one. Additionally, I’m designing a strategy to optimize the use of invested learning resources to enhance team members’ personal and professional development, while also working on several HR Transformation projects on the Talent Acquisition side.
- Favorite Internship Moment So Far: Coaching the undergrad interns on their case competition, helping them refine their idea implementation strategies and structuring their presentations.
- His Pella Favorites: What I love most about Pella is the people and the culture. Everyone here deeply cares, and there is a genuine investment in helping team members learn continuously with a strong commitment to delivering outstanding results. It's inspiring to work in an environment where collaboration and personal growth are personalized and where we strive to make a meaningful impact every day.
Elyza Hoffman – Field Sales Team Intern
- Meet Elyza: I was born and raised in Dubuque, IA. This fall, I will be going into my senior year at the University of Iowa, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Spanish. After I graduate, I plan to move to Spain for a year with the goal of becoming fluent in Spanish and learning more about the culture. While I’m there, I hope to have a remote position in brand or product marketing to further my knowledge in that sector. After I return to the United States, I have interest in pursuing a sales or marketing position in a big city!
- Her Summer Project: I am not only part of the intern Case Competition project, but I’m also assisting the Open Field Sales Team to support the Lowe’s stores of the Gulf Coast Territory (Florida, Texas, Louisiana). I act as a resource to employees at these Lowe’s stores and solve any Pella-related problems they may have.
- Favorite Internship Moment So Far: Either my trip to Chicagoland to learn more about what the day-to-day looks like for trade and retail sales reps, or the intern business trip to Des Moines where I got to learn about the branch, meet some great leaders there and end the day having a blast at Adventureland with the other interns.
- Her Pella Favorites: My favorite thing about Pella is the culture, which is praised by everyone who works here. Every colleague that I’ve gotten to meet with 1:1 has been insightful, encouraging and so so friendly! I’ve met so many great people that I hope to stay connected with throughout my career journey. It is also very apparent how much Pella cares about their people. They invest so much time and money to make sure that their employees can grow and be truly happy here.
Cheyenne Tille – Product Management Intern
- Meet Cheyenne: I grew up in Knoxville, IA and have continued to stay in the area through William Penn University, where I am majoring in Business Management with minors in Economics and Accounting. Following my graduation in December, I hope to return to the Pella team!
- Her Summer Project: Creating a Commercial Market Position & Value Proposition Review within our vinyl portfolio.
- Favorite Internship Moment So Far: My favorite internship moment this summer has been connecting with and learning from previous interns who have entered into full-time roles. As a Department Manager intern last summer, my favorite moment was the ability to live in Illinois and experience offsite operations in Macomb, IL.
- Her Pella Favorites: I will forever be grateful for the opportunities the Pella internship program has provided to many young professionals like me. Louie and his team have given us the ability to interact with the executive team during roundtables and to connect with managers and mentors who advocate for us within every room they are a part of.