During the first week of our 2022 intern program, we got our interns involved right away with the start of our weekly intern training and a job site field trip. All our HRC interns went on a job site visit to one of our T-Mobile projects in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The project they visited was on week 4 of its 6-week schedule and the interns were able to learn about the building process, materials, and ridged scheduling that goes into each HRC build. By getting firsthand experience the interns were able to better understand the work of a superintendent and project manager does. As well as a better understanding of how a store like T-Mobile is designed and how a storefront is set up. For example, how they set up the metal frame of the store front and then measure it to see what size the glass paneling needs to be before ordering it, so it all fits perfectly.
The interns were accompanied to the job site by Horizon project managers Devin Steen, Trey Sigel, Austin Hayes, and VP Kevin Glass. They taught the interns about the design of the store and the importance of every detail that goes into the planning of a job, as well as the materials used to build the store and the wiring used throughout the store. In a lot of stores like T-Mobile the electrical wiring and such are kept in the center of the store and most store owners do not want to see it so the sub-contractors would need to have someone come in and cut the concrete in the foundation so they can put all the wiring under the store so it can’t be seen. One of the most important topics taught to the interns was for any job to always have someone come in and scan the concrete of the floor so they could see what wiring ran under the store. There might be wiring from a previous store that they did not know about and if they are cutting the concrete, they don’t want to accidentally cut the power line to the complex. They then continued their walk through of the job site outside and the containers that materials are kept in, and the dumpster used for the job. The dumpster is one of the most important aspects of any construction job. Planning out the number of dumpsters that are needed for the demolition as well as what they might need it for the rest of the project. Plus, scheduling the dumpster to arrive right before the demolition is key, because if they order it to soon and the dumpster is just sitting there for a couple of days. They were also taught to think about the space needed for the job or if another dumpster is needed, so scheduling is definitely very important for a smooth build. Also, making sure there is a port-a-potty on site.
After interviewing one of the interns on what he learned from the job site visit he stated, “the biggest thing he took away from the experience was the importance of scheduling”. And seeing how multiple aspects of a project like the drywall, electrical, plumbing, are all completed by different specialists and how to keep a project on schedule. He also got to see examples of how superintendents could have sub-contractors put in stuff to better improve the job site like adding temporary lighting to rooms without lights at that stage of the build. As well as the importance of fire safety and inspections like the fire resistance foam spray that goes on all the walls and fully sealing the store so a fire can’t spread to another store in the complex. The coolest part of the visit for him was seeing how they reinforce the store by putting a metal mesh in the drywall to better protect the store. He also learned a lot more about what it is like to be a superintendent on site and the things they must look out for on the site and how the superintendents are using newer technology to better monitor the job site and to know what is going on during the project. We are proud of our internship program and are glad that they had an informative and constructive experience on the job site visit.
