Believe in the Future

We believe in what we build.

That statement does not just apply to the 100% domestic steel products and modular housing produced by the Zekelman family of companies. 

It also aligns with our commitment to the 42 interns we hosted over the summer for Zekelman’s 2024 Summer Intern Program!  

From sales and marketing to finance and engineering, we were fortunate to have a great mix of students with diverse interests contributing to our organization. In addition to working on summer-long projects that supported Zekelman’s success, interns also had the opportunity to shadow their departments, allowing them to collaborate with teammates and gain real-world experience. 

Srinivas Lokaranjan applied his expertise in engineering and robotics to spearhead an improvement project for one of our high-tech, automated facilities. “From the start, I dove deep into PLC troubleshooting in automation, working hands-on with FANUC and ABB robots and an automatic saw machine. This hands-on experience has significantly enriched my knowledge and skills in the field,” says Lokaranjan, who worked as a PLC & Fanuc Maintenance Engineer at Zekelman’s Wheatland Tube in Warren, Ohio. “I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned and continuing this exciting career path in mechatronics, robotics, and automation!” 

As a business management major, Maika Williamson gained insights into the real-world application of his studies by playing a vital role in human resources and talent acquisition. “This internship allowed me to not only incorporate what I learned in the classroom to my work, but also allowed me to experience the dynamic environment of a large manufacturer from an HR perspective,” says Williamson, who worked as a Human Resources Intern at Zekelman’s corporate office in Chicago, Illinois. “I truly feel like I was placed in an environment where I was able to show my full capabilities with confidence… [I am] excited to jump into a human resources/talent acquisition career! I’m now ready to face the challenges ahead in my professional career, using these amazing experiences… to help guide me.” 

Utilizing his sales skills, Garrett Bolte stayed busy by assisting Zekelman representatives with client management. “A typical day always consisted of project work, contacting customers for pertinent project information, and extracting daily shipping, booking, and building numbers from SAP,” says Bolte, who worked as a Business Development and Sales Intern at Zekelman’s Atlas Tube in Chicago, Illinois. “We were also given the opportunity to tag along on multiple customer visits…observing how representatives from Atlas interacted with their clients enabled me to develop a greater understanding of how to build rapport and how to understand client needs.” 

Every single one of our interns worked hard, asked insightful questions, and contributed meaningfully to the departments they were a part of. At the end of the summer, each Zekelman intern had the opportunity to present their projects to managers, executives, and even to Barry Zekelman, the Chairman and CEO of the Zekelman family of companies.  

“My supervisor ensured that we worked on valuable projects and had the opportunity to present them to all the regional sales managers to cap off our internships,” says Bolte.  

As part of our dedication to providing a memorable and unique internship experience, we made sure to give each intern an opportunity to experience what it would be like to be a full-time teammate at Zekelman. 

“[During the summer], the Zekelman interns all headed out to Phoenix to tour Z Modular facilities in Chandler, Arizona,” recalls Jack Bond, a Finance Intern at Zekelman’s Atlas Tube in Blytheville, Arkansas. “I also flew to Kansas City to meet with the Atlas finance team for a budget meeting, which gave me great insight into the financial side of the steel industry. The final intern event of the year was a 3-day trip to Chicago which included a tour of Wheatland/Western Tube in Rochelle, Illinois, Zekelman guest speakers, customer visits, and a trip to the Cubs game.” 

The entire Zekelman family of companies was thrilled with how the 2024 Summer Intern Program turned out. Teammates within the organization were particularly impressed with the fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and commitment to excellence that every single intern brought to their role. We are excited to continue the program in 2025 and hope to have a dynamic group that is just as helpful, productive, and eager to learn as the class of 2024 was!