On August 6, 2024, APAC-Alabama’s summer internship program came to a successful conclusion at the 2nd annual CRH Midsouth Region Intern Presentations at the Sheraton Flowood The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center. The event — attended by APAC-Alabama intern Jermichael Harris, along with three Barriere interns and four APAC-Mississippi/Tennessee interns — recognized the work completed during the internship programs. The presentations highlighted the objectives, results and impact of each intern’s summer project. 

APAC-Alabama summer internships are designed to provide hands-on experiences to help participants explore their desired career fields. Over the summer, interns work with APAC mentors to develop projects that provide real-world learning opportunities while also helping to improve our company’s work processes.

The August 6th event began with an informative safety minute by Barriere intern Jean Huckaby, followed by words of welcome from CRH Regional President of the Midsouth Region, Dwayne Boyd, who introduced the leadership panel. Next, Barriere President Jason Latiolais gave an overview of CRH and its Purpose. 

Before the intern presentations, company leaders participated in a panel discussion about the road from “Internship to Industry.” The panel included spokespersons from Barriere — VP of Asphalt Operations Justin White, Asphalt Plants and Materials Group Manager Joe Kennedy and Baton Rouge Asphalt Group Manager Jeff Roming — along with APAC-Mississippi/Tennessee Vice President of Operations Bobby Bogue, General Manager – East Matt Smith and Lead Project Manager – East Carl Pittman. 

The presentations provided insight into each intern’s experience and their ideas on how to make the companies more efficient. Jermicheal Harris gave a presentation on the international roughness index of US 80, summarizing the research he completed during his summer internship focused on construction.

Closing out the program, guest speaker Ryan Lindsey, Executive Vice President of Government Relations for CRH Americas, talked about the importance of building a brand, the characteristics of a good brand and what goes into creating and maintaining that. He also explained his “Get To vs. Got To” philosophy, emphasizing the impact mindset can have on whether you see your work as a ‘get to do something fun’ job or a ‘you have to do something’ job. 

Congratulations to Jermicheal on completing the APAC summer program! We wish you a bright and successful future.