We had a great group of interns working at The Partner Companies (TPC) and at a few of our Operating Companies this summer. A handful of university students joined us to learn the behind-the-scenes intricacies of manufacturing, business, and data analytics.
On behalf of all of us at TPC, thank you for your hard work this summer, and best wishes for continued brilliance.
Summer 2023 was a time for a handful of university students to learn the behind-the-scenes intricacies of manufacturing, business, and data analytics as interns at The Partner Companies and a few of our Operating Companies.
On behalf of all of us at TPC, thank you for your hard work this summer, and best wishes for continued brilliance.
We’re proud to introduce you to the Summer Intern Class of 2023!
Meet Ethan de Anda Sanchez
The good news for Ethan de Anda Sanchez is that he’s leaving his summer internship with TPC with a new interest — marketing. “I’ve never really thought about marketing before, but this was an eye-opening experience because it’s all around us, and it’s interesting to see how companies take advantage of it. I was really intrigued by it.”
Ethan is heading into his junior year at Wesleyan University with a double major in economics and biology.
During the summer, he helped with various marketing initiatives, research, and data analysis. One of the larger projects he worked on was a dashboard for a TPC Operating Company that tracked sales and quote information.
“One of the biggest things I learned this year is how much goes on behind the scenes of a big company like TPC and the ten Operating Companies,” he says. “Watching all of the things it takes to keep a business running and everything that needs coordination. I always hear about these things, but seeing it in action and the wheels turning was a big lesson.”
Meet Kelsey Dignan
To say that Kelsey got her hands dirty while interning at Optiforms is a bit of an understatement.
“I got to work on a bunch of things and did a lot,” she says. “It was pretty cool.”
Kelsey is entering her second year at UCLA en route to a degree in Mechanical Engineering. “I chose mechanical engineering because it’s the middle ground between aerospace and biomedical engineering, and I want to leave my options open.”
Born and raised in Temecula, Kelsey learned about Optiforms through the Temecula Valley Unified School District and sent an email asking for an opportunity.
“I was brought in as a quality assurance intern, but my manager David Swanson moved me all over,” she says. “I worked on a CMM machine, measuring components for approval, then went into the machine shop. David taught me how to run a 5-axis CNC machine and showed me the code and steps to make a part.”
She also worked with Optiforms’ engineering team, looking over SolidWorks CAD drawings and even helped with the compound parabolic concentrators page on the website.
“I learned a lot,” she says. “One of my takeaways is the importance of quality assurance in manufacturing. I didn’t realize how many steps there are in the process and how important it is to check along the way for a much higher quality product.”
Meet Kyle Effinger
Kyle Effinger’s time with the Technical team at Pinnacle Precision confirmed the lessons he learned from a recent class at Cal Poly Pomona.
“During the class, we learned how in aerospace engineering you have to focus on everything that’s going on, not just your part,” he says. “When I was at Pinnacle, I saw what that means. It was helpful to see it in person.”
Kyle is entering his third year at Cal Poly Pomona, studying aerospace engineering with a desire to work on spacecraft, rockets, and launch vehicles. “I’m still learning the basics, but that’s my goal.”
Kyle worked closely with Sergio Valdez at Pinnacle, looking for ways to make the plant run more efficiently by helping design a floor plan taking machines, materials, processes, and people into consideration.
“I didn’t realize all of the things it took to go into getting projects done, including the machining, painting, printing, and packaging parts of it. It’s a deep process,” Kyle says, “that takes a lot of communication to make it efficient.
“It is helpful to get the experience of working at Pinnacle and learning things outside of school,” he continues. “I learned a lot.”
Meet Teresa Bui
Teresa Bui is no stranger to the world of Elcon Precision since her father works in the company’s Quality Assurance division. While her dad is making sure every piece coming out of Elcon is perfect, Teresa spent the summer helping to make the company’s data useable to improve efficiency.
Teresa is a fourth-year UCLA student majoring in Statistics and Data Science.
Throughout the summer, she gathered data from Elcon’s CRM and ERP systems and created dashboards used in weekly production meetings. She also worked with Microsoft’s Power BI for data visualization.
“I’ve learned so much in school, but my time at Elcon gave me the opportunity to work with these tools and create solutions,” Teresa says. “I’m looking forward to using this experience and my education in data analytics after graduation.”
Working with and around this great group offers us and our industry great hope. Each offered their smarts, skills, and determination to make a difference. We can’t wait to see where the future takes them.
Thank you, TPC Interns
Working with and around this outstanding group of interns offers us and our industry great hope. Each offered their knowledge, skills, and determination to make a difference. We can’t wait to see where the future takes them.
