STEFFES SPOTLIGHT: The Intern Bunch
Steffes welcomed 18 Interns this summer between the Dickinson, Grand Forks East, and Grand Forks West facilities. The internship program at Steffes formally began in 2014 and has grown over the years, this summer the number of interns in the program doubled from last summer!
To celebrate Steffes interns, we hosted our annual Intern Week at the Dickinson facilities in July. Festivities included an intern versus supervisor giant Jenga tournament, won by the interns. The following day the interns spent the morning volunteering at House of Manna, a non-profit founded in Dickinson in 1989 with a mission to help those in need in the community. The group helped clean, paint, and organize donations. 
After a morning of volunteering, the interns traveled to Medora for an afternoon of miniature golf, ice cream, and dinner at the pitchfork steak fondue. To wrap up the week each intern gave a presentation to the Steffes leadership team to recap the major projects they completed over the course of their internship.
Learn more about our great bunch of interns in their bio’s:
Jacob Crist
Jacob is a Manufacturing Engineer Co-op at Steffes in Dickinson. He will graduate from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the Fall with his degree in Mechanical Engineering.
The most interesting project Jacob worked on during his time at Steffes was implementing new robots in weldments. He learned about the fine details of tooling and machining and enjoyed “being able to model something on a computer and have it come to life.”
Jacob’s advice to future Steffes interns is “be willing to take on any project.”
Kyle Pioske
A Manufacturing Engineer Intern in Grand Forks (East), this is Kyle’s first year interning with Steffes. Kyle is a student at the University of North Dakota and will graduate with his Mechanical Engineering degree in the Spring of 2021. He earned his Petroleum Engineering degree from UND this Spring.
His favorite part of his Steffes internship was analyzing the inventory of fire tubes and coming up with solutions to reduce quantities in inventory in order to mitigate scraps. He also learned how to weld and enjoyed seeing the manufacturing process from design to production.
He advises future interns to “relax…don’t worry about being perfect, just learn a little each day.”
Andrew Norman
Andrew is a first-year Manufacturing Engineer Intern with Steffes in Dickinson. He will graduate in May from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
The most interesting project Andrew worked on was updating the ETS Comfort Plus control panel. He learned how to wire and use PDM and Workflow.
Andrew’s most memorable moment was when Tom Steffes took apart his wiring and taught him to take pride in his work. His tip for future interns is “always carry a notebook.”
Nate Chamberlain
Nate is a Sourcing Intern in Grand Forks (East), this is his first year interning with Steffes. He will graduate from UND in May with his degree in Operations & Supply Chain Management.
Nate enjoyed working with our purchasing team to “minimize late PO line items” and saw a drastic reduction in late items over the course of his internship. He learned the ideal supply chain should consist of four key categories: purchasing, material availability, supplier relationships, and sourcing.
His favorite memory was traveling to Medora for the pitchfork fondue and mini-golfing. Nate’s piece of advice to future interns is “be open to new tasks/challenges that come your way. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to explore new ways of solving problems.”
Joseph Budzielek
This was Joseph’s first summer interning with Steffes in Grand Forks (West) as a Manufacturing Engineer Intern. He graduated from NDSU in December 2018 with his degree in Mechanical Engineering.
The most interesting project Joseph worked on during his internship was the addition to the GFW paint line. He learned to keep in mind how the things you design as an engineer will be made.
His favorite memory was volunteering at the House of Manna and he advises future interns to “get as much feedback as possible.”
Josh Hoernemann
Josh is a Manufacturing Engineer Co-op in Dickinson. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Dakota and will graduate in December 2021.
The most interesting project Josh was able to work on was analyzing weld cycle times and comparing the lathe to manual welds. He learned a lot about the welding process and how to best manage his time.
Josh’s favorite memories from his Co-op include the Intern Week events in Medora and company potlucks. His advice to future Steffes interns is to “talk to supervisors and workers on the shop floor, and be flexible doing things for a lot of different projects.”
Peter Collart
Peter is a New Product Development (NPD) intern at Steffes in Dickinson, this is his first summer with the company. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mary and will graduate in May 2021.
Peter’s most interesting assignment was his update of SG60 and SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. He enjoyed learning how to use Creo and all of the friendly conversations with the engineers.
His intern tip is to “stay busy.”
Andy Alvarez
Andy is a recent Dickinson State University graduate with a degree in Computer Technology Management and our IT Intern at the Dickinson office. He worked on creating the new Windows image for employees’ computers and learned how to make an Ethernet cable during his internship.
The most memorable part of his experience was the intern trip to Medora. Andy advises future interns to “enjoy it and take it all in… and learn as much as you can.”
Michaela Kegley
Michaela is a first-year Manufacturing Engineer Intern at Steffes’ Grand Forks West location. She will graduate from the University of North Dakota in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
During her internship, Michaela learned how to weld and she “really enjoyed working on JIIs – specifically a trolley cleaner for the paint line.”
Her favorite memory was going to Medora and playing mini-golf with the other interns. She would tell future Steffes interns to “ask questions and talk to people on the floor.”
Jared Cleveland
Jared is a Manufacturing Engineer Intern at our Grand Forks West location. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at UND and will graduate in the Spring of 2021.
Jared enjoyed learning how to weld and working on an ISIR project. His favorite memory from his internship was the trip to Dickinson when all the interns got together for the week.
His advice to future interns is “don’t be afraid to ask for help, everyone is willing to lend a hand.”
Trentin Russell
Trent is a Manufacturing Engineer Co-op with Steffes in Dickinson. He will graduate in 2022 with his Mechanical Engineering degree from North Dakota State University, where he recently transferred to from Itasca Community College.
The most interesting project Trent worked on while at Steffes was creating new weld routs for pipe welding. He also taught himself Creo.
His favorite memory was climbing a hill in Medora and accidentally crushing a cactus under his palm. He would tell future Steffes interns that “even though the environment is laid back, work diligently.”
Noel Utecht
This was Noel’s first summer with Steffes as a Manufacturing Engineer Co-op in Dickinson. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and has 2 1/2 years (he hopes) left until graduation.
The most interesting project Noel worked on during his Co-op was researching a new line scrubber for the paint line in Dickinson. He “learned how to use the right material for the job and also learned the importance of communication in a manufacturing facility.”
Noel’s favorite memory was the Medora trip and he would tell future interns to “get to know the people and the processes.”
Logan Proksch
Logan is a Manufacturing Engineer Intern at Steffes in Grand Forks (East). He formerly worked as an Assembly Technician at Steffes prior to his internship, and after it concludes he will be staying to work in the paint/blast booth.
Logan is a Sophomore at UND studying Petroleum Engineering. During his internship, he worked on the sub-arc bay and designed the trophies for the annual Steffes picnic in Grand Forks for the East vs. West volleyball tournament. Designing the trophy helped him learn SOLIDWORKS.
A key takeaway from his internship is the importance of design review. Logan would tell future Steffes interns to “talk to people on the floor with your projects.”
Cole Dukart
Cole is a first-year Production Planning Intern at Steffes in Dickinson. He is studying Business Administration at Mayville State University and will graduate in 2022.
The most interesting project Cole worked on was updating the routes for laser parts and learning about the flow of a manufacturing business. His most memorable moment of the summer was playing mini-golf in Medora.
Cole’s advice to future Steffes interns is not to be nervous or afraid to ask questions.
Dalton Jenkins
Dalton returned for a third summer interning with Steffes in Dickinson as a Manufacturing Engineer Intern. He worked on developing a new mezzanine for the East building and learned more about the SOLIDWORKS simulation. He will graduate from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in May with his Mechanical Engineering degree.
Dalton’s favorite memory from his summer with Steffes was playing giant Jenga with the other interns and their supervisors. He advises future interns to “talk to everyone.”
Wyatt Kainz
Wyatt returned for a second summer with Steffes in Dickinson as a Manufacturing Engineer Intern. He is a student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology studying Mechanical Engineering and will graduate in May of 2021.
He enjoyed learning how to use AutoCAD and being part of the skids/panels parts signal Kaizen event. His favorite part about interning with Steffes this summer was working with Jake, Noel, and the guys in shipping and receiving.
Wyatt’s advice to future Steffes interns is “be ready to learn and do a lot, and have fun!”
Nathan Schneider
Nathan is an IT Intern at Steffes in Grand Forks (West). This was his first year interning with Steffes. He is a student at UND majoring in Information Systems and will graduate next year. The most interesting project Nathan worked on during his internship was setting up and managing the new VDI system, which allows employees to remote into a desktop in Dickinson and use an engineering station on any computer. He says “it was difficult at times and took hours of troubleshooting and numerous calls with support before we got it working to a level we were satisfied with.”
Nathan learned a lot about working in IT, from troubleshooting skills to the ability to quickly identify an issue and figure out what to do next or who to contact. His favorite memories from his time with Steffes are weekly IT team meetings, where Grand Forks and Dickinson employees have a chance to talk ‘face to face’ and interact as a team. His advice to future interns is “don’t be afraid to ask questions, but make sure you try your best before doing so.”
Josh Spanos
John is a Manufacturing Engineer Intern at our Grand Forks East location. This is his second summer interning with Steffes. He is a student at UND studying Mechanical Engineering. One of the major projects John worked on during his internship was rating the GFE paint line system and calculating the weight of the products that can safely be put in it. He would tell future Steffes interns “don’t be afraid to ask for help!”