The following guest post was written by Hunter, about his internship experience with us this summer.
All my life I have enjoyed the outdoors and working outside instead of in an office, so I knew I would enjoy gaining experience at a commercial landscape company. Yellowstone Landscape soon came to the top of my list after speaking with my classmates and friends at Clemson University. One of those friends, Harry Robinson, was an intern at Yellowstone Landscape during the past two summers and started working full time as an Account Manager at the Charleston Branch earlier this year. Harry manages properties on Kiawah, James Island, and Johns Island.
On my days spent with Harry I learned how to check the properties to make sure they were up to par and interact with homeowners and crews. My mentor, Cory Hendrix, had a plan laid out for fellow intern Nick Bochnovich and me where we would get experience in everything the Charleston Branch has to offer. I worked with the crews and managers of the tree care, irrigation, spray, enhancement, and install teams, as well as the business development managers. With the help of these outstanding individuals, I have learned what to look for on a property and then estimate the cost for the job by creating a proposal to send to the client for approval.
My favorite experiences were with the landscape installation or construction side of the company. Having Cory, the Operations Manager for this division, as my mentor opened a lot of opportunities to experience this side of the landscape business. I also worked with Project Manager, Mason Davis, another former intern, and Jerry Isaac, who has 41 years of experience in the industry. Through their mentoring I learned how to communicate with general contractors at job sites, how to read plans, run a crew effectively and efficiently and get jobs done within the time allotted for each.
This branch has a family feel and from my first day I felt comfortable, accepted, and had an immediate liking for everyone here. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with this team and highly recommend this opportunity to anyone looking for a great internship experience!
