RJM Welcomes Summer Interns
Avery Wade, Marketing Coordinator
It is internship season and RJM is excited to welcome three new interns to the team this summer. Emmanuel Kumi, a senior studying construction management at the Minnesota State University Moorhead, and Brytta Sagedahl, a senior in the construction management program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, are a part of the project management team. Makenzie Baker is an intern with the human resources team. She is attending Bethel University and studying business with a human resources emphasis; she plans to graduate in December 2022.
Summer is a busy time for the construction industry and the RJM team is thrilled to have extra hands to assist us with our various internal and external projects.
RJM Internship Program
While RJM has been interacting with students and providing mentorship for some time, recently we developed a course designed to provide our interns a valuable experience through both learning and making an impact on our project delivery. Over the years, by attending career fairs and being involved with various industry- and community-based associations we have built strong connections with numerous students across the Midwest. Headed by Matt Buggi, director of project management, and Justin Johnson, director of preconstruction, RJM’s internship training program is a 12-week comprehensive course. It’s designed to expose interns to all aspects of the construction industry within RJM’s unique company culture.
RJM places the utmost value on interns for a number of reasons. “Many of our employees have been in the construction industry for over 15 years or so, and by introducing interns to our team, it gives us the ability to learn from the students and understand their perspective entering the industry,” said Johnson. While the students often give the RJM team a fresh perspective, their mentors are also developing their leadership skills as they work directly with the interns on diverse projects.
Our interns are excited to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world projects. Both Buggi and Johnson agree on their favorite part of the internship. “We enjoy seeing their eagerness to learn and how quickly they transform into contributing teammates.” The interns build the same passion and mission as current RJM employees: to serve the client.
Learn More about the Team
Emmanuel Kumi
Emmanuel chose the construction management path to gain the knowledge to improve the quality of construction in his home country of Ghana. While he was growing up, Emmanuel watched his father construct homes on the farm for their livestock. Ever since then he has looked forward to being able to say “I built that” about a project.
As a senior set to graduate from Minnesota State University Moorhead in May 2023, Emmanuel was ready to join RJM’s project management team this summer. Over the course of the past two months, he has explored the busy world of preconstruction and kept up with fast-paced projects like Maple Grove’s Gleason Fields.
Brytta Sagedahl
Brytta was ready to dive into anything and everything construction related this summer. After touring the factories of Design Homes, she was immediately interested in the construction of buildings. She loves that being a part of the construction process allows you to see the very beginning of a project as well as admire the finished product.
Along with always wanting to try a new activity, Brytta stays busy as a senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. In May 2023, Brytta will graduate as a double major in architecture and construction management!
Makenzie Baker
Makenzie came across the human resources internship at RJM a little differently than the two project management interns did for theirs. She was sent the application by marketing coordinator Avery Wade – a good friend of hers that she had met while attending Bethel University.
Makenzie’s hope for this summer is to bring learnings from her favorite class, organizational behavior, to real-life scenarios in the office. As she prepares to graduate from Bethel this December, she is eager to learn more about DEI and compliance within the human resources realm during her internship which she has not been able to explore in class or previous positions.
Win-Win for All
Internships are mainly viewed as learning opportunities for students, but at RJM we believe that it is a learning opportunity for all our employees. The construction industry is fast-paced and constantly changing, and we welcome ideas that interns learn in their classroom settings. It is important to keep up to date with all the new technology and perspectives, and that is where the introduction of interns is so valuable. RJM is thankful to have the opportunity to work with interns each summer!