Shiel Sexton Intern Spotlight… 

We recently welcomed two summer interns into our Charlotte office! We interviewed our interns and asked them a couple of questions regarding their role at Shiel Sexton and their career aspirations. Our first Shiel Sexton Intern Spotlight is Sam Buff! 

Sam attends Western Carolina University and is a Junior majoring in Construction Management. 

What projects will you be working on/are involved with this summer?  

This summer, I will be working on the Aspens projects in Greenville, South Carolina, and Holly Springs, North Carolina. In addition, I will also spend time with the Preconstruction team back in Charlotte.  

Have you worked at Shiel Sexton before?  

I have not worked at Shiel Sexton previously.  

What is your past internship experience (if any)?  

I completed an internship between my freshman year and sophomore year at a small commercial contractor (roughly 50 million a year). I had a variety of responsibilities, whether that was maintaining the cleanliness of the site to running equipment. 

What are you hoping to learn this summer with this internship?  

I am hoping to gain more knowledge of the responsibilities of the management/office side of construction. I’d also like to learn more about the field side of construction to help with collaboration while also helping jobs run smoothly. My goal is to spend some time in the field on these projects and relate that back to what I have learned from the office and in classes at Western. 

How will this internship advance your career?/ Where would you like your career to go?  

This internship will help me advance my career by getting a jumpstart on my peers. I chose Shiel Sexton because of their reputation, size, and their presence in the community. There are plenty of things to learn from smaller firms, however, at a place like Shiel Sexton, you get to see numerous large projects move in stride all at the same time. With that in mind, and the fact that Shiel Sexton is rapidly growing, I know that the things I learn and the people I meet will propel my career forward in a major way. 

At this point I have somewhat settled on the project management route. I am spending six weeks in the field, however, so that is something that could potentially change.  

What do you like about working at Shiel Sexton?  

I have loved the positivity that all employees have all the time. The employees I have met from laborers to the Vice President of our Charlotte office have always been willing to help and impart knowledge when there is something I am unfamiliar with. The other thing I like so much about Shiel Sexton is how every employee tells you how well the company treats them. Every employee has told me how much the company cares about them as a person.