The GMB culture is truly a family whether you work remote or in person. The unconventional “team of teams” company structure is unique, forward-looking, and works great for interns to get integrated on projects. As for project involvement, working with a mentor helps progress on projects while being able to see all the steps in the process. GMB has also shown the willingness to give responsibilities instead of just tasks, which pushed me to use my resources to come up with solutions. I think this is one of the most easily overlooked and beneficial parts of internship experiences that GMB embraces well.
What I wish was different
There is currently nothing I have to provide that could have made my internship experience better.
Advice
Get to know people as soon as possible. My mentor for my first year interning (I interned for 2 summers total) set up meet and greets with employees just to get to know those I’d be working with. Breaking the ice early on makes it easier to work with your team later.
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Structural Engineering Intern
May - August 2020 • Royal Oak, MI
What I liked
I really liked the atmosphere at GMB. Everyone was very welcoming and willing to answer any questions that I had. The culture at the company is open-minded and accepting, something that was great to have. I also liked all the hands-on experience that I got. I was able to be put on real projects, which made the internship more meaningful. I was able to learn a lot over the course of my internship, thanks to the many opportunities GMB had provided.
What I wish was different
I wish the working remote situation was different, but given the circumstances I was appreciative to be able to keep the internship. Although being in the office would have been great, because I would have been able to get to know coworkers a little bit more. But I was able to learn how to work efficiently remotely, which I would have not gotten that opportunity otherwise.
Advice
One piece of advise that I would give would be to have an open mind. I think having an open mind would help anyone learn the most they possibly can in an internship experience. Overall, GMB provided a great internship experience and is a great company to work at!
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Civil Engineering Intern
May - August 2020 • Holland, MI
What I liked
I am appreciative of the mentorship from the Civil Site team. Entering a virtual internship, I was skeptical on how I could establish meaningful connections. I was delighted to have three peers work closely with me to ensure that I learn while contributing to the team. Heidi was really helpful in the beginning of my internship as I learned to navigate the GMB standards and community. Mitchell is always willing to answer any question and assign me various tasks to help get a better understanding of the industry. I would consider Jim to be my GMB Professor. My CAD skills have grown exponentially due to the various crash courses that Jim would take the time to teach me. Each of these members were always patient, even after asking I would make a mistake or bug them with questions. They have made me a better Engineer and I will look back at my experience knowing their contribution to my career. In addition to the mentorship, I have really enjoyed the flexibility. In response to the Coronavirus, GMB put my health first while also maintaining their commitment to my professional development. As a result, I am the first member of the GMB Chicago Office. Given the ability to work remotely, I was able to live at home this Summer and spend time with my family that I otherwise would not have had.
In all, GMB puts the interest of their employees first. They know that if you love the employee, the employee will reciprocate. There were specific things that impressed me about GMB. The focus on community; I could tell that my peers were connected and felt known. The various gifts; I was sent a yardzee game, cooler backpack, a target gift card, and visa gift card (every few weeks it felt like my birthday). The scholarship; I received a scholarship from GMB that encourages my continued education. All of these things made me feel loved by GMB, and I love GMB.
What I wish was different
The biggest negative of working remotely is the hurdle to fully engage in the community. I pride myself on my interpersonal skills. I felt that I was not able to utilize that skill set as much in a virtual setting. There is only so much that people can get to know me over a video call compared to being physically present. I found it difficult to initiate conversations in large social group zoom calls where only one person can talk at a time. It made those events feel too business-like with an agenda to socialize. I found one-on-one calls to be a better way to connect virtually. However, I was unable to get a one-on-one call with as many people that I would have wanted. I believe that I could have made more close relationships with my peers if I was not working remotely. As an extrovert, I was disappointed that there were days where unless I had a scheduled meeting, I could just do my work all day without talking to someone (other than POD and SCRUM huddles). It wasn’t until I initiated conversations with my peers that I began to have some of those informal conversations that I value.
Advice
Be intentional in how you engage in the community. The culture of GMB is others first, which makes for amazing opportunities to form meaningful relationships.
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Mechanical Engineering Intern
May - August 2020 • Grand Rapids, MI
What I liked
GMB excels greatly at creating an incredible company culture all while being virtual. They consistently seek improvement and take feedback from all employees into genuine consideration. I enjoyed their commitment to inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, and enabling employees to be successful personally and professionally.
What I wish was different
In all honestly, I do not wish much to be different. Working from home with a desktop setup during COVID was difficult and prevented the mobility and flexibility that a laptop would have provided, but this was a minor inconvenience in comparison the entire experience.
Advice
I would encourage others to do their research about this company intently beforehand. You will find that this is an award-winning firm for the way they treat their employees and the work they do. I would also suggest setting goals and expectations with your mentor early on so you both know what your communication and collaboration should be before getting started.
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Mechanical Engineering Intern
May 2019 • Holland, MI
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
I would highly recommend interning at GMB because they create a great community for interns and allow them to get fully involved with current projects. The mentors are wonderful and you learn a lot about your field of engineering, how projects are completed in a team, and company culture throughout the summer.
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Architectural Design Intern
May - August 2019 • Royal Oak, MI
What I liked
I loved the office experience and culture. GMB has a more of a team approach rather than bosses, managers, and employees, which made connecting to coworkers across offices easier. Everyone here is incredibly helpful.
Throughout the summer I used Revit, SketchUp, AutoCAD, and Adobe Suite and also participated in site visits for field verification and client meetings.
What I wish was different
Nothing.
Advice
This internship is a great opportunity to get started in the field if you have little to no experience.
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Civil Engineering Intern
May 2018 • Holland, MI
What I liked
It was great working in a full service architecture and engineering firm and seeing how all disciplines in an AE firm interact together to design a quality product for the client. Also, the company culture is great and hanging out with my co-workers was always a blast.
What I wish was different
Nothing. I felt the internship was great as it was.
Advice
Ask people in your firm about themselves and their job. It is great to network and get a better idea about what they do. Who knows, maybe you'll end up pursuing a career like theirs.
