“Why a glass company, Sam?” I was asked this countless times by family members and friends. The moment they heard that I was interning at a glass company, they immediately figured that all I was experiencing was staring at glass all day. Of course, that was not the case. Giroux became much more than a glass company to me. Giroux is a family, where memories are made and priceless lessons are learned every day.
I figured as an intern, I would be making coffee runs and filing papers the whole time (at least, that is what I learned from watching TV shows). Truth be told, I was not expecting anything exciting to happen. I was immediately proven wrong. On my first day, I learned about the wide range of companies that Giroux is involved with. As a marketing intern, I was responsible for connecting with said companies so that if Giroux needed to contact any of them, messaging them would just be a few clicks away. It was amazing to see how interconnected all these well-known companies were with Giroux and how essential social media was in maintaining these connections. As somebody with little experience with digital marketing, Giroux gave me an eye-opening experience to how essential innovations in technology and media are in a workplace.
Within a few weeks, I became much more observant of my surroundings. I began noticing buildings I passed by every day and matched them to pictures I had seen in Giroux’s past project folders. I saw construction company names on undergoing projects and remembered connecting with them for Giroux. I noticed small details in projects that Giroux staff had been especially proud of in blog posts, details that I probably would not have noticed before working with Giroux.
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[/one_second]As for inside the small building that sits in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, the atmosphere is vibrant with smiles and positive vibes. I remember on my first day, I was nervous about meeting Giroux employees and worried about the first impression I would make. Once meeting my coworkers, however, I grew more relaxed as I met more people. Everybody greeted with me a smile and talked to me as if we were already good friends. For the days that continued from there, I observed company meetings and even was able to sit in for a very motivating speech from CEO Nataline Lomedico. The positive attitudes and strong work ethics that Giroux employees possess have made me look forward to coming to Giroux every morning to intern.
As an upcoming high school senior, I am very fortunate to see a side of construction that many individuals my age do not have the opportunity to experience. The lessons I have learned at Giroux, about the construction and glass industry, the importance of marketing and communication in growing a business, and the type of employees that make up a successful business, have altogether given me a priceless firsthand experience of how a successful business functions. So, to answer the earlier question of, “Why a glass company?”, I question back, “Why not?”