Internships
to make the leap. “You have very little
to lose and a lot to gain. Worst case, you
have a miss and maybe don’t get as much
accomplished as you planned. Best case,
you find your next director of real estate.”
Continued from page 37
rewarding to watch Wholey grow from
an intern to a key player in the company
overseeing the site selection process.
“As an alumnus of Bates College in
Lewiston, Maine, I am a big believer in the
value of a liberal arts education. Several key
members of the Taymax team, including
CFO Sean Cahill (Bates), VP of Marketing
Michael McDonough (Middlebury), VP
of Operations Abdel Reid (Harvard) and
Director of Strategy Eric Darbe (Bates),
have similar educational backgrounds,”
explained Kelleher. “Our internship
program is designed to give individuals
from similar institutions an opportunity
to gain exposure into how we run our
business while also furthering their resume
for whatever comes next.”
Often, interns with Taymax come on
board to work on special projects with the
finance team as well as assist Wholey in
building out data models for the site selec-
tion process. Through the years, roughly
seven interns have passed through the
Taymax office, all contributing something
to the company.
“While not every intern ends up
working for us full time, we do benefit
from their work in a couple of key ways.
First, you get a college-educated resource
who can can help you with a specific
project at a lower cost than an actual
graduate looking for full-time or contract
work,” said Kelleher. “Beyond this, you are
also gaining insight into how people in one
PF Raleigh frequently sets up booths at career
fairs to recruit students looking for their next
opportunity.
of our target demographics are thinking
about our business. It’s a great opportunity
to cross-pollinate ideas with a bright,
younger mind as they learn about our
business and share their ideas and insights.”
Students are often found through
career development programs at local
schools and are brought on board for the
summer. Many interns work breaks and
holidays and all are paid an hourly wage in
addition to being provided a membership
to PF. Taymax also strives to help students
with their career goals by completing
necessary documentation for course credit
and providing recommendations.
Kelleher notes that, just like in
traditional hiring practices, finding quality
talent and interns who are realistic about
the role and the day-to-day work is the
biggest struggle in maintaining an intern-
ship program. But, for individuals who are
willing to put in the work, their motivation
can lead them to gain experience with every-
thing it takes to run a successful business.
For other franchisees considering
internship programs, Kelleher urges them
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PF Raleigh Provides
Management Fast Track
For PF Raleigh, teaming up with
college students is a fairly recent develop-
ment. The company, like Sunshine Fitness
Management, generally attends career fairs
to recruit quality team members.
“We look for young talent that
exemplifies everything Planet Fitness
stands for. Resumes are then screened, and
interviews are conducted to find the perfect
applicants,” said Courtney Denicourt, HR
generalist with PF Raleigh, which is owned
by CJ Bouchard. “Our hope is to show
students that Planet Fitness is a formidable
option for post-grad employment.”
Once students have been selected for
the 10-week program, they are put through
management-level training. Participants
are trained in both staff and management
responsibilities, as well as business and
career progression best practices.
“The goal of this internship program is
to develop individuals who can directly join
our team as management post-graduation,”
explained Denicourt. “If the student does
not join our team, they still walk away with
the experience and skills to be successful in
whichever path they choose.”
During the inaugural 2017 fall
semester, over 100 students applied for
one of two internship positions with PF
Raleigh. Those selected received compensa-
tion, as well as credit hours if needed.
“Bringing in students not only grows our
management team, but also helps us create
programs and methods that lead to internal
career progression opportunities for all of our
employees,” said Denicourt. “Our team is
always looking for ways to better our business.
With internships being a great opportunity to
help develop young individuals, we decided
what better way to help bring in great talent.
Internships are a great way to show students
why the perfect management position is with
Planet Fitness.” G
Christina Cannon is the PFIFA
communications manager and asso-
ciate editor of Geared Up. You can
contact Cannon at 678-797-5165 or
[email protected].