VHEDC and UpTurnships: A Strategic Partnership
I
n 2018, the VHEDC entered into a
strategic partnership with nonprofit
UpTurnships that will benefit
participating businesses. UpTurnships,
created in 2014 by marketing
professionals Julie Burrows and Libby
Trader, prepares under-resourced
college students for success through
training, coaching and paid internships
during college.
UpTurnships works with area colleges
to recruit candidates and prepare
them for work experience; it provides
professional development and
mentoring throughout the entire
experience. Students receive support
from experienced business professionals
who have over 330 years of business
experience and who volunteer as
coaches.
Participating businesses benefit by
extending their recruiting reach and
strengthening a pipeline of untapped
diverse talent. Through the new
VHEDC partnership, VHEDC investing
businesses can hire candidates at a
discounted participation fee. Typical
participation fee for the business
can range from $2,250 to $1,750.
Candidates are college sophomores
or juniors in a wide variety of majors
including business majors (marketing,
finance/accounting/economics, HR,
project management, applied math/
analytics, Computer Science/IT and
engineering).
Twin Cities’ businesses that have
partnered with UpTurnship include
Thrivent Financial, Sun Country Airlines,
US Bank, Anchor Bank, Xcel Energy and
Fabcon Precast.
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Northeast Metro Business
Ling Becker, former VHEDC Executive
Director, says, “Finding interns and
executing internship experiences can
be challenging for companies. Through
this new partnership, businesses will
be able to recruit from a broader
range of candidates and have the
confidence that the student will have
tremendous support. In addition, it is
a great opportunity for area business
to diversify their workforce with highly
motivated, yet under-resourced
students who are overcoming significant
challenges. When the chance arose for
VHEDC to be a partner, it was obvious
to our board that this is a tremendous
resource to offer VHEDC investors.”
The VHEDC committed $500 to three
Northeast Metro businesses to offset
their participation fees for summer 2018
internships.
David Sinchi:
SCHWING
America, White
Bear Township.
SCHWING
manufactures
industry-leading
concrete pumps,
mixers and genuine
parts for distribution to customers
in North America. Sinchi, a senior
at St. Thomas University majoring in
electrical engineering, learned to utilize
SolidEdge, a 3D design and simulation
software used by SCHWING to design
electrical harnesses. He worked under
the direction of experienced SCHWING
employees: Craig Kinney, Electrical
Designer, and Clint Martinez, Controls
Engineer.
Emerson Badio:
MidWestOne
Bank, White
Bear Lake.
MidWestOne,
based out of Iowa
City, has branches
in five states.
Badio, a junior at
the University of Minnesota’s Carlson
School of Management, is majoring
in finance and minoring in marketing.
At MidWestOne, Badio was a Credit
Analyst Assistant, determining whether
customers are eligible for loans and
updating the financial information
of borrowers. He worked alongside
Todd Hovland, Market President and
Commercial Lender, and Jenna Myer,
Senior Portfolio Manager and Credit
Analyst.
Mohamed
Mohamed:
Innovize, Vadnais
Heights. Innovize is
a contract medical
manufacturing
company.
Mohamed, a senior
at Concordia
University majoring in computer
science, was an IT intern. He worked
alongside Senior Systems Administrator
Brian Fahning. Mohamed’s high school
experience at Ubah Medical Academy
in Hopkins prepared him to successfully
navigate the medical side of the
company.
upturnships.org