Three Former Interns Join Company Full-Time

ARLINGTON, Vt. (Aug. 11, 2021) – It has been a productive summer at Mack Molding thanks not only to strong demand for the Company’s full suite of contract manufacturing services, but also to Mack’s summer interns.

Mack welcomed 15 students into its 2021 program, including 13 at its Headquarters in Arlington, Vt., as well as one each at its Cavendish, Vt., facility and wholly-owned subsidiary, Mack Prototype, in Gardner, Mass. While this year’s cohort is predominantly made up of engineering students, other represented majors include nursing, finance and business administration.

“Due to COVID and our desire to give our interns the safest environment possible, this was not the largest internship program we have ever had,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “In terms of impact, however, this group shined bright. After a year of lock downs and remote learning, our students were excited to be on location getting truly hands-on experience.”

Though Mack welcomed students into summer roles for many years, the Company’s modern internship program was created in 2011 as a response to workforce development demands. Each intern is assigned a project that is based on actual business needs and approved by senior management, providing them with real-world experience they can show prospective employers.

Besides the job, Mack offers its interns a host of other skill and network building experiences. This includes a series of “Lunch ’n Learns” where senior staff members and seasoned employees present on various aspects of the business, conduct facility tours and help develop skills such as maintaining a professional social media presence. By the end of the summer, the students turn the tables, presenting the results of their projects to their peers and Mack’s senior management. Additionally, interns are paired with young professionals who serve as mentors. They also are offered memberships to a local golf club or gym, giving students a chance to be active while networking with fellow Mack team members and the community.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Mack, especially experiencing how all the different departments contribute to getting finished goods out the door,” said Mack Intern Nicole McCarvill, a mechanical engineering major at Stony Brook University, in Stony Brook, N.Y. “It was pretty cool to see how my efforts to organize a manufacturing line had a direct impact on operations, making work easier for others and improving productivity.”

This year’s program was funded in part by the Vermont Department of Labor’s 2021 Vermont Internship Program. Designed to connect Vermont employers with student-interns from regional technical centers or postsecondary educational institutions, the program helps develop the region’s workforce by giving students a chance to build careers in the state.

“The state of Vermont shares Mack’s commitment to giving these young professionals an opportunity to see how rewarding a career and a life in Southern Vermont can be,” Somple noted. “As we all strive to recover from the pandemic, retaining young professionals in, and attracting them to, Vermont is critical to the strength of the industries that do business here.”

To date Mack has hosted over 100 interns, with more than 20 returning to full-time positions after graduating. The Company’s most recent recruits include Manufacturing Engineers, Andy Romack and Benjamin Vadakin, and Accounts Payable Specialist, Austin Hawley.

Romack is now based in the Company’s Headquarters facility in Arlington, Vt. He previously served as a Design and Tooling Engineering Intern, becoming familiar with Mack’s processes and culture while assisting in the production of injection molded parts and medical devices. This included designing a masking solution for parts requiring paint and EMI shielding. He has a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester, in Rochester, N.Y., where he received the Biomedical Engineering Society Award for outstanding presentations.

Former Manufacturing Engineering Intern, Vadakin, also is based at Mack’s Headquarters. During his time as an intern, Vadakin contributed to process development on complex electromechanical devices through interactive work instructions and on-site training methods. He also implemented numerous project management systems to help optimize product launches and track team defined metrics.  He has bachelor and associate of science degrees from Vermont Tech in Williston, Vt., and previously served in the United States Marine Corps.

Hawley, currently serving as an Accounts Payable Specialist, first returned to Mack full-time as Manufacturing Clerk after previously serving as a Manufacturing Intern in 2019. During his tenure, Austin supported multiple manufacturing lines by reconciling pull requests with inventory, facilitating delivery to the line with in-stock materials and initiating purchase requests when out of stock. He has a bachelor of business administration degree focused on management and marketing from Castleton University, with a minor in economics.

About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Will Kendall is President and CEO. For more information, go to www.mack.com.

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