Internship Spotlight | Meagan Taylor
Meagan is an undergraduate at Virginia Tech’s Myers Lawson School of Construction. This was her second time interning with us and we were excited to welcome her back. Meagan worked primarily on Dunlin Farms Corporate Retreat and Training Center. She has recently returned to Virginia Tech to continue her degree in Building Construction.
Meagan was one of the hardest working young individuals I have ever met. She did not shy away from any task I gave her, whether it was labor work or technical thinking. She never failed to rise to the occasion, and surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend she continue in the intern program. -Superintendent, Kenny Kirk
Intern Question and Answers
What responsibilities were you given during your internship?
I was responsible for keeping up with the weekly SWPPP logs, after getting my DEQ certification last summer and putting everyone’s time into ProCore every day. Occasionally when we had a late truck delivery, whether that was supplies or a dump truck with gravel, I would stay late so I could sign off and show the driver where we wanted the materials.
What have you found to be most interesting about the job site you’ve worked on?
Being on the Dunlin job site, the job itself has been very interesting. We did most of the carpentry related work ourselves rather than getting a sub, which I also found interesting. I believe that has helped us stay ahead of schedule and keep the job going at the quick pace it needs to be, considering the scale and how quickly it needs to be completed.
How has being a Virginia Tech student prepared you for this internship?
One of the classes we go through at Virginia Tech has us almost role-playing the construction business. As sophomores, we are the concrete and structural steel companies, as juniors we are the MEP companies and as seniors, we are the GC’s. Throughout the semester we work with our groups to come up with an estimate, a system model, WBS, and all the behind the scenes parts that go into the bidding process. This is a side of construction I have not experienced firsthand outside of class, but it has been helpful to know where all the numbers and plans come from that we use day-to-day on-site.
What skills have you learned while working for Martin Horn that will help you in the future?
Since Martin Horn self performs most of the carpentry and concrete work, I was able to chip in rather than just watch other people. I’m a hands-on learner and getting to tie rebar, pour concrete, hang drywall and tile the bathroom, has taught me far more than I ever expected. Through this, the skills and tips I’ve learned along the way will help me in the future.
Meagan’s Testimonial:
I couldn’t imagine a better construction company to start out with than Martin Horn. Everyone I have worked with has been extremely kind and helpful in teaching and allowing me to get hands-on experience. Sometimes interns get looked down on and get the grunt work that no one else wants to do, however, I feel like I have been treated just as equally as everyone else that has been here for years. Some of the responsibilities and tasks I get asked to do have shown me that everyone believes in me and trusts me to put out equivalent results as a more experienced employee.
