As internships increase in the area, people fresh out of high school or in the early years of their college careers are given chances to prove themselves in their field of choice while simultaneously gaining real-world experience. Those interns will provide their own view of their experiences in the below column.

Isaiah Wiemers is a junior attending both �㽶��Ƶ and Central Community College (CCC) majoring in business with a minor in construction management. He completes his construction classes at CCC, while he takes business classes at Hastings, where he also plays defensive end on the football team.

He’s currently employed as an intern at M&B Construction and CB Seamless Gutters. Wiemers has been with the company for four years, and after starting with “grunt work,” has worked his way into an apprenticeship-style position, where he works more closely with Mike and Chad Brenning doing bid estimates and planning out projects.

One of Wiemer’s favorite aspects of his job is its variability.

“We rarely do the same thing two days in a row…every day brings a new challenge and puzzle to work through,” he said.

Wiemer feels rewarded by the work he does, and it has even affected how he approaches everyday life, he says:

“The most rewarding part about doing this kind of work is when the project is all done and you can sit back and admire what you have built from just an idea on a blue sheet of paper. Also, it affects the way I view the world. Anywhere I’m at, I’m always thinking about how they did this or that and knowing the amount of work other people have gone through to finish the structures I see everyday.”

Over the past four years, working for M&B and CB Seamless Gutters has given him plenty of experience in almost every possible area of construction, as his training has included concrete work, framing, drywall, painting, flooring, cabinets, installing toilets, sinks and showers, house siding and gutters, doors and windows, decks and everything in between.

Wiemer plans to complete his degree, then work for a few years on a construction crew before eventually owning his own construction business in the McCook area he grew up in. He said he believes his internship has significantly helped him achieve that goal, and recommends others follow a similar path:

“I would recommend an internship in whatever major you’re going into. It gives you a view on the real-life aspect of what you will be doing the rest of your life. It will help you understand the things that you’re learning in college after seeing it in the real world. If you are going into construction, I would recommend an internship with Mike and Chad, as I have learned a lot from them over the last four years. They treat you like you’re a part of their family when you’re working there.”

Mike and Chad Brenning of M&B Construction and CB Seamless Gutters says that internships at their companies are mutually beneficial:

“Internships are a great way to help bring back the youth of our area following the completion of their education. For the construction field, they bring in fresh ideas of more modern building techniques, but are still willing to learn the ‘old school’ ways. Isaiah has been a great asset to both M&B Construction and CB Seamless Gutters as a summer intern the last four years. He has been learning all aspects of working and running a small construction company in southwest Nebraska. Both businesses offer a variety of construction options, so Isaiah is able to use what he has learned in the classroom and apply those skills to each job site. He has been very open to learning the start-to-finish process for jobs, from estimating to helping plan the execution of a job. With the help of interns like Isaiah Wiemers and other local youth that are willing and eager to learn in the construction trade industry, M&B Construction and CB Seamless Gutters continue to offer all areas of construction for southwest Nebraska homeowners and businesses. We highly encourage all businesses to continue hiring interns or consider doing so in the future. These kids are our future, let’s bring them back home!”

By Isaac Nielsen of the McCook Gazette

Note: This article originally appeared in the  on July 25, 2023.

As the Field Engineer, Zach is out in the field working wherever he is most needed.

He said, “Recently I’ve been working on helping form cast in place concrete walls and stem walls. Sometimes I have to update the construction drawings as well, but most of the time I’m in the field.”

When he is not in the JDAC’s construction zone, he performs administrative office work.

Zach studied construction management, human resources management, and economics at Hastings. He said those majors prepared him for the work that he is doing with Hawkins Construction Company as did work experience with Kiewit and Van Kirk Bros. Contracting that helped him gain knowledge and insight into the commercial construction industry.

“It feels great to be building HC right after graduation,” said the former member of the Bronco Men’s Basketball team. “It’s cool to know I’ll be able to leave something for future students use and enjoy after my time here is done in Hastings.”

Another perk to working in Hastings: he can still occasionally scrimmage with his former teammates.

Written by John Funkey, a junior Marketing major from Hastings, Nebraska

Throughout the summer, Christian high school church youth groups will perform one-week mission trips.  As the Construction Group Manager, Kyler’s duties will include showing each new group the work they have come to do and overseeing their work.  Part of his job entails building relationships with the students who come to work at the camp.

To prepare for these duties, Kyler will receive one week of training before leaving for the Bahamas.  Although he will be paid for his work, this internship is not for academic credit.

After the day’s work is completed, the campers will join together in worship, and Kyler looks forward to playing his guitar in the worship band in the Bahamas, just as he does at �㽶��Ƶ Chapel worship services.

Kyler looks forward to the construction experience he will gain, the opportunity to travel and the fulfillment of doing mission work. Indeed, he feels called to this ministry as evident in his eyes when discussing his upcoming adventure and the spiritual impact he hopes to instill in the high school students who come to the All Saints Camp each week. Kyler’s fervor only grew when last February, a �㽶��Ƶ alum chatted with him about friends already working with Next Step Ministries. 

A 2008 HC grad, James was among the first graduates of the college’s unique Construction Management program, which partners with Central Community College (CCC) to offer students a four-year liberal arts major from �㽶��Ƶ with hands-on construction coursework completed at CCC.

“It is different being able to tell people I have a B.A. in construction management because it’s rare, and I think it’s an asset,” James said.

While a student at HC, James played on the HC Men’s Basketball team for four years, was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American, completed an associate’s degree in Construction Technology at CCC, worked part-time and volunteered as a TeamMates mentor.

“It definitely forced me to be more organized and prioritize things,” James said of his schedule. “Employers are looking for people who can be diverse and handle different or unexpected circumstances that may arise at any given time.”

James worked as a field engineer for Kiewit Building Group in Hastings on Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital’s eight-story addition and 80,000 square-foot remodeling project. His supervisor, Kiewit Building Group Superintendent Joe Cunningham, said James possesses the skill set necessary to be successful in contracting, thanks to the HC program.

“The �㽶��Ƶ Construction Management program creates unique individuals by demanding that they be proficient not only in the technical aspects of construction but in the arts and in business as well,” Cunningham said. “These students graduate with a broad range of experience and are equipped with the tools to be successful managers.”

James says the liberal arts program at �㽶��Ƶ allowed him to experience classes he may not have normally taken and gave him the tools he needs every day at the construction site.

“The liberal arts program is such a beneficial thing. It helped me to be well-rounded, to be able to work with different people and to coordinate among builders, architects, engineers, administration on a daily basis,” James said.