2024 Summer Intern Projects

Our 2024 Summer Interns made a significant impact across the Company, contributing to a range of innovative and valuable projects.

Olympic Steel is proud to have welcomed a record-breaking 21 interns this summer. The Summer Internship Program is designed to foster hands-on, career-shaping experiences, professional growth opportunities and a deeper understanding of our business.

Every Intern who participated in the Summer Internship Program identified one special project that would take the length of the internship to complete. These projects were presented to the Interns, their managers and our CEO, Rick Marabito, in late July. Here’s a brief description of what they focused on for their special projects:

• Natalie Aller, Quality Intern – Olympic Steel, Bettendorf, IA: Natalie focused on analyzing and improving the accuracy of machine runtime estimates.
• Owen Duffy, Sales Intern – Olympic Steel, Milford, CT: Owen created a way to track and analyze inventory in order to identify selling opportunities.
• Ben Fisher, Engineering Intern – Olympic Steel, Buford, GA: Ben focused on improving the efficiency of the slag removal process from laser machines.
• Ryan Formel, Operations Engineering Intern – Olympic Steel, Winder, GA: Ryan used 3D-printed models to improve training and work instructions for operating the stamping presses.
• Meri Gabriel, Inside Sales Intern – Olympic Steel, Cleveland, OH: Meri researched Cleveland’s customer list and created slides for the digital screens that educate employees about the jobs we process for each customer, including part specifications, packaging instructions and end-use products.
• Kevin Grunzweig, Supply Chain Intern – Integrity Stainless, Streetsboro, OH: Kevin created a system for Inside Sales Representatives to easily reference customer order history, a supply chain process flow chart to help guide new employees, and to find process improvement opportunities within the Inside Sales Department.
• Cristina Harbaugh, Operational Excellence Intern – Olympic Steel, Minneapolis, MN: Cristina’s project focused on increasing efficiency and profitability of the Pro/Eco Slitter.
• Alex Hernandez, Operations Intern – Olympic Steel, Bartlett, IL: Alex focused on finding ways to improve overall efficiency and productivity at the division.
• Ivy Katrinak, Operational Excellence Intern – Olympic Steel, Minneapolis, MN: Ivy focused on identifying and resolving losses from inaccurate data collection and creating ways to gather more reliable data to help make better business decisions.
• Connor Livingston, Safety Intern – Olympic Steel, Chambersburg, PA: Connor created a Heat Stress Safety presentation for current and future employees.
• Adrian Medina, Industrial Engineering & Safety Intern – Metal-Fab, Wichita, KS: Adrian examined 20+ operations at both Metal-Fab facilities, completing Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) for each, and incorporating safety measures into the new JSAs as needed to reduce potential safety risks.
• Nico Repuyan, Internal Audit Intern – Olympic Steel, Corporate: Nico completed thorough observations of critical business applications to better understand their impact on the business. He also created an educational presentation that explains the internal audit process and use of controls when completing internal audits.
• Lexie Rod, Purchasing Intern – Action Stainless, Houston, TX: Lexie analyzed inventory data and developed reports to track inventory turnover and optimize stock replenishment.
• Parker Strauss, MIS Intern – Olympic Steel, Corporate: Parker’s summer project involved three key components: analyzing, developing and implementing a change management plan for the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
• Cullen Ziegler, Quality Assurance Intern – Action Stainless, Dallas, TX: Cullen’s project focused on improving supply chain management and quality control processes, concentrating on ISO 9001:2015 certification requirements.

Visit olysteel.com to read more about their projects, and if you missed their introductions in May – you can catch-up on those details, too. Note: Not all interns participate in the Summer Internship Program that includes a robust special project. All Interns are introduced on olysteel.com, but only Summer Internship Program participants will show a special project description in their bio.

Our 2024 Interns have shown exceptional skill and enthusiasm, making meaningful contributions across the Olympic Steel family of brands. We are excited to witness the long-term impact of their work and look forward to their future success.

If you’d like to participate in the 2025 Internship Program, look for more information from Human Resources in the first quarter of the year when they initiate the process or reach out directly to Ellyn Wilson, Regional HR Manager and Internship Program Coordinator, at Ellyn.Wilson@olysteel.com.