Main RMI Number
408-554-4960
SCU - St. Joseph's Hall
Room # 108
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Retail Management Institute Newsletter - Fall '07
Internships with .........
Hardware Benefits From a “Girly-Girl”
by Stephanie Kutz ’08
Stephanie Kurtz ’08 interned at Orchard Supply Hardware in San Jose.
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I wasn’t sure what to expect from my internship at Orchard Supply Hardware. After all, I am a complete “girly-girl” who loves pink and can't tell the difference between all the tools to save my life. I wasn’t sure I would be a good fit with a hardware company because of my lack of experience in home improvement. I ultimately decided to pursue this internship for two main reasons—the interview and talking with the past interns.
During my interview for the position, I was pleasantly surprised by OSH’s unique evaluation tactics. This was the only interview I had that gave a case study rather than the “traditional” interview questions. I also spoke with Quyen Le and Jacinth Meskers, who had worked the previous summer as OSH interns. They both raved about the quality of the internship program and the responsibility they were given at the company. This aspect appealed to me because I knew I would be able to impact OSH through my internship.
The project I worked on over the summer was to research and develop an inventory management program OSH was interested in exploring. My supervisor, Matt Ferring, the director of planning and allocation, worked with me throughout my eight weeks to ensure I was on track to develop a business case for a final presentation. At first I was very overwhelmed by this project due to the short time-frame. Matt and I developed a timeline for the summer and I knew I had my work cut out for me. Miraculously, I somehow finished my research, analysis, and business case in seven weeks to give my presentation to the Senior Leadership Team at the beginning of the final week. Without Matt and some great people throughout the company, I wouldn’t have pulled it off!
Throughout the summer I was exposed to many aspects of OSH that were equally, if not more valuable than the project itself. I joined the Associate Recreation Committee, a group of employees that meets weekly to plan events for the employees, giving a “break” from work every now and then. This allowed me to meet new people in all of the departments I might not have met otherwise. Another unique experience I had was attending lunches with all the members of the Senior Leadership Team. Josh Shumsky, another OSH intern, and I were able to go to lunches with each individual SLT member throughout the summer. These lunches gave us a great chance to ask questions and receive advice from the well-experienced executives.
Above all else, the best part of my internship was meeting the people who worked at OSH. From the first day, I felt welcomed into the OSH family because of how friendly everyone was. This summer hardly felt like work because it was so much fun and I highly recommend OSH to anyone, even a “girly-girl” like myself.
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Back to Newsletter - Fall '07
Retail Management Institute - Santa Clara University
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