GEDC hosts intern recognition dinner

Parents were on hand to celebrate the successes of their sons and daughters as the seventh Grundy County Summer Internship Program came to a close.
An internship recognition dinner was held July 30 to formally recognize and congratulate the students who participated in the paid, hands-on internship program.
Nancy Norton, president and CEO of the Grundy Economic Development Council (GEDC) opened the event by welcoming the businesses, educators, parents and students. Senator Sue Rezin introduced the company representatives along with their interns.
Senator Rezin emphasized that the students should be proud that they were chosen to work at some of the finest businesses in Grundy County.
The internships offer a chance to gain meaningful professional work experience and learn more about the many different employment options within the community.
Lance Copes, director of Grundy Area Vocational Center (GAVC), also addressed the crowd and discussed the benefits and opportunities that the experience of the internship had given the students. Copes stated that there were over 140 students who applied for the 42 positions and those in the room should be proud that they were selected to participate in the program. Copes also encouraged the interns to keep in touch with their mentors and ask if there are opportunities to work during school breaks or even again next summer.
The 42 paid internships this year were with 15 different companies, offering a diverse set of opportunities for local students.
The program began in 2013, with just 12 internships and three companies. To date, over 200 students have gone through the program, which is open to students attending one of the four Grundy County high schools or the Grundy Area Vocational Center.
The Grundy County Internship Program was based on a mutual desire expressed by leaders in education and industry to highlight local employment opportunities and retain local talent in Grundy County. Senator Rezin, GAVC and the GEDC partnered with local industry and education to launch the program.
The 2019 Grundy County summer interns were:
Aux Sable — Jessica Murphy, Nikolas States and Ben Kreiger.
D Construction — Jessica Hanley, Matt Jurak, Austin Pullara, Aidan Connor and Ryan Chapman
Excel Machine & Tool — Pedro Espinoza and Zennon Shain.
First Midwest Back — Kameron Dransfeldt.
GEDC — Nicole Guth.
Joliet Junior College — Allyson Scholtes, Gabriella Calderone, Kayla Aitkenhead, Sarah Schultz, Marissa Escobedo and Morgan Larson.
LyondellBasell — Claudia Salazar, Daniel Rodriguez, Kailyn Hoaglund and Shane O'Brien.
Mack & Associates — Grace Larson and Casi Valdes.
Morris Hospital — Preston Johnson, Krista Runchey, Jenna Emmons, Grace McClimon, Grace Bette, Kade Kjellesvik, Luke Dvorak, Kaitlyn Cochran, Grace Feigl and Lauren Phillips.
NAF Axles — Cole Gerovac.
Rezin Orthopedics — Morgan Garcia and Alayna Kjellesvik.
SPACECO — Alec Ferrari.
U.S. Cold Storage — Marissa Billie and Sage Reische.
Village of Channahon — Kaleb Spreitzer.
Village of Minooka — Ella Ferguson.
New internship partners in 2019 were Excel Machine & Tool, NAF Axles and the village of Channahon.