Eight Local Companies Kick Off A/E/C Intern Partnership Program

The A/E/C Intern Partnership has kicked off its rotation schedule for the summer, offering interns from eight firms across the region the opportunity to better understand the cohesive work throughout the A/E/C industry. These experiences allow for interns to gain a deeper understanding of the work they could be doing in the future and how to work well with others.

The A/E/C Intern Partnership poses a multitude of benefits for the region with recruitment and retention of key STEM talent the geography needs leading the way. The program benefits this summer’s partnering firms of BHC, BSE Structural Engineers, the City of Lenexa, Clarkson Construction, Hoefer Welker, MMC Contractors, Smith & Boucher, and Turner Construction Company. BHC’s Human Resource team created the vision for this unique program. It is designed to educate interns on the different collaborative dynamics in the A/E/C industry, through informational sessions at different partner firms and site visits to various projects throughout the summer.

Laura Bonar, Talent Development and HR Manager with BHC, wanted to highlight the work of the A/E/C in our community while creating interest and connection with the region and the interns. “When forming this program, we had a desire to see these talented minds envisioning themselves in this region, influencing the future development of the area,” said Bonar. “With this goal in mind, it is important to start the interns young, and teach them how important it is to understand the challenges of the industry and what each company needs.”

Trevor Splichal, Lead Design Engineer at BHC’s Overland Park office, gained a lot of insight from the A/E/C Partnership after his intern experience in 2017 and 2018. “It gives you a lead on the understanding of the industry. Going through college, we are focused on ‘what do I need to know for’, in my case, ‘civil engineering,’ and the program shows you who’s handling what part of the project,” said Splichal.

Similarly, Luke Stenzel, Business Services Manager at BHC’s Wichita office, found this program to be very beneficial for his career when he was an intern in 2018 and 2019. Stenzel remarked, “The A/E/C Intern Partnership component was a pure learning experience.” He continued, “Networking and making those connections early on in my career gave me a jump start to a better position in the industry.”

BHC established the A/E/C Intern Partnership in 2017. For the past 6 years, their program has offered interns a unique experience with many top firms and municipalities in the area, in hopes to attract top talent in the region. The program has experienced significant growth, starting with only five interns to now having 72 participants this summer. The A/E/C has impacted 179 total interns, with 26 of those being from BHC. For more information, please contact Laura Bonar or visit BHC’s website at ibhc.com.