It’s back-to-school, but not without some experience under their belts, for these 11 college and high school students from the local area who just completed full summer internship programs at Mack Molding’s headquarters plant here.
The group included Matthew Belnap, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA; Adam Cannistraci, Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY; Hilary Fox, Elmira College, Elmira, NY; Kathleen Gates, Saint Lawrence University, Canton, NY; Dustin Harrington, Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany, NY; Tosha Hawley, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT; Ian McNaughton, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO; Paul Phelps, Finger Lakes Community College, Canandaigua, NY; Kristen Somple, Burr and Burton Academy, Manchester, VT; Bruce Weinfurt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY; and Christopher Woodard, Lyndon State College of Vermont, Lyndonville, VT.
The interns were hired to complete specific projects in several functional areas of the business, including quality, sales, engineering, finance, sheet metal fabrication, molding, packaging, manufacturing and administration. Once completed, the students presented their work at ‘lunch ‘n learn’ sessions among fellow interns and Mack management. The series of seven ‘lunch ‘n learns’ also included tours of Mack facilities, introduction to the company by senior management, an injection molding primer, and a discussion of business flow, including where their projects fell within the operational structure.
“One of Mack’s biggest challenges is finding qualified employees,” says Jeff Somple, president of Mack’s northern operations. “One of Vermont’s biggest challenges is keeping talented young people here in the state’s workforce. Our hope is that this program is one small step toward addressing both.”
In fact, Mack just welcomed back Scott Rishell, one of its first interns a few years ago. He has accepted the position of program manager within the medical business unit, where he will be responsible for several major accounts. A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y., Rishell earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering with a concentration in energy and the environment. Before returning to Mack, he worked for Plug Power, Latham, N.Y., where he designed and tested high temperature fuel cell stack components. Rishell lives in Salem, N.Y., with his wife, Erin, and their two young children.
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 10 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is president and CEO.