I was driving in my car, heading to the first day of my very first internship. I didn’t know what to expect. So I thought to myself, “Just keep an open mind and see what happens.”

Let me tell you, it’s a good thing I did keep an open mind, because I walked in and everyone was stretching! Yes, stretching - doing toe touches (attempting to anyway), finger fans, arm across chest – like you’d do before a workout.   

When I accepted the internship at VIBCO, I knew that I’d be learning about manufacturing; I knew that I’d be learning about customer service; but I never could have guessed that I’d be learning how to make every day better for the rest of my life.  

A little bit of back story – this internship started as one of my high school graduation requirements.  To be honest, I wasn’t particularly excited about the requirement. However, after spending two months with VIBCO, I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity. I think back to last fall when I didn’t understand why my teacher seemed so excited for me do to my internship at VIBCO.  But now I do, and here’s why.

As you may have gathered based on what I said about our morning stretch, VIBCO is very different than most companies.  Innovative things happen every day.  For example, Jackie - a coworker of mine (who was a college intern, now full-time employee) - implemented an Idea Board where manufacturing team members can contribute improvement ideas.  Read more about the story behind the Idea Board 

The first day the board was up and available for use, Jackie announced over the loud speaker whenever someone put an idea on the board. “We have a new idea! We’re moving in the right direction! Thanks so much everyone!”  It can be hard to find people with this level of enthusiasm for what they do, but at VIBCO, this kind of passion is the norm.

And I love it.

Whether it be helping a customer, or helping a VIBCO team member accomplish something, every person at VIBCO really is happy and willing to do whatever it takes. You can’t find that just anywhere. 

This positive energy is infectious and it’s definitely infected me!  When two of our primary customer service members were away on the same day, I had to step up to the plate and provide customer support.  I was a bit nervous about talking to customers on my own, but I’d observed countless calls, and my supervisor seemed to have faith that I could do it.

So, despite the nerves, the positivity won out. Why wouldn’t I be happy to help? The simple answer is there was no reason for me not to be. So I was! At the end of that day, I realized that the message we send to customers with our willingness to help makes the interaction way better for us and the customer. Why hadn’t I realized this simple notion earlier on?

Due to every person on the VIBCO team’s positive attitude, my experience thus far has not only been highly educational, but it has been incredibly enjoyable. Being around people who are so passionate and enthusiastic about what they do (tackling problems included) inspires me to carry myself the same way.

So here’s a challenge: no matter what’s going on, be optimistic and pleasant.  You’ll be shocked with how much better it makes every situation. And don’t forget, if you ever need assistance with our vibrators, don’t hesitate to call. It will be your most pleasant interaction of the day because we really are happy to do it!