Summer Student Spotlight – Royal East
At Royal Containers, we recognize the trend of younger employees and need to better understand how to recruit Gen Z and how to connect the next generation to the corrugated industry in a meaningful way.
To do this, we place an emphasis on hiring 5-8 summer students each year, helping them build important skills and teaching them about all-things-corrugated.
Meet the Summer Students of 2022
Kylie
This is Kylie’s first summer here. At sixteen, she is excited about entering her grade 12 year at summer’s end. Until then, she is joining us in a hybrid position as an administrative assistant and employee on the Gluer machine in the plant. When asked what she likes best about working at Royal Containers, she said:
“The people. I just love the way everyone just connects [with each other] and how they feel at home here.”
Her favourite memory while working here this summer has been “doughnut day,” a guilty pleasure that office staff has been known to engage in.
According to Kylie, one of the most important things that she is learning is:
“Appreciation for plant workers, the heat they have to deal with, and the toll it takes on their body. And the physical strength it takes to work in there! My people skills have also improved by working the phones when I am in the office. I will use this skill after the summer in future jobs where I have to interact with all different kinds of people.”
Claudia
This is Claudia’s first summer at Royal, joining the team as a project coordinator specializing in developing ISO-approved work instructions for both plants. She has made a great addition and will be missed when she returns to Wilfrid Laurier University to finish her last year of her Bachelor of Business Administration. When asked what she likes best about working at Royal Containers, she said:
“The overall company culture. Since my first day, everyone was very welcoming and helpful. There is a huge open-door policy here so you never feel afraid to ask for help or speak to somebody when needed.”
Her favourite memory was when one of our customer service reps accidentally had her banana eaten by another staff member. She remembers the day was full of laughs and sleuthing about who could possibly be the infamous “banana thief.” Claudia explains some of her learnings:
“This past summer has shown me what I enjoy doing and where I could end up. On one of my days here, I dipped my toes into consulting and that was my best day so far! I have really strengthened my communication skills as I have had to interact with a bunch of people in the office and the plant and needed to adapt my conversations to best fit their needs and what outcomes I was trying to attain.”
Kieran
This is Kieran’s second summer at Royal Containers, working on both the 66” Martin and Gluer machines during his time here. After this summer, he is headed back to school to finish his grade 12 year, looking forward to his upcoming football and lacrosse seasons. When asked what he likes best about working at Royal Containers, he said:
“The flexibility. I am usually busy with my athletics and this company is really great about giving me the times and days off that I need.”
Kieran’s favourite memories are the summertime Ice Cream Truck days. He notes that these days make him feel like a valued employee at Royal Containers. “It’s a nice break, especially on hot summer days.” When the work term concludes at the end of summer, Kieran plans on using the teamwork skills he has learned in other athletic and academic settings.
Hannah
This is Hannah’s second summer as a human resources intern. After summer ends, she is heading back to Queen’s University to finish her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Employment Relations. She is excited about her future plans to pursue a career in HR. When asked what she likes best about working at Royal Containers, she said:
“The people. Every morning on the way to my desk, those who I pass by always say hello or strike up a conversation – and I can tell they genuinely care about the answer. There is always a lot of laughter here which makes Royal a fantastic place to work.”
Her favourite memory while working here this summer has been celebrating the retirement of Paul Haggerty. To celebrate his 36 years of dedication to Royal, she purchased a cake that got slightly “smushed” during transport. She remembers laughing a lot as she and her co-worker tried to fix the cake. When asked about what she has learned since starting Royal, she said:
“Royal Containers has taught me a lot about Human Resources and about how to come up with creative solutions to different problems. In this role, I have had the opportunity to research and help develop new policies, brainstormed and developed presentations on potential employment engagement initiatives, and moonlighted on our social media. I have learned how to screen resumes for potential candidates and how to organize company events such as our annual BBQ and monthly Ice Cream Truck days. I will definitely use these skills in other positions I go into, especially ones within an HR field.”
Luke
Luke has been working at Royal Containers for four summers, acting in various positions. After three summers working in the plant on the 66” Martin, Luke is enjoying his summer as an administrative assistant. In the fall, Luke is heading back to Humber College for the second year of his Business Administration degree. When asked about what he likes best about working at Royal Containers, he said:
“I love how it’s a good environment. There are so many friendly and helpful people who work here.”
His favourite memory while working here this summer has been the recent pie-in-the-face fundraiser for Royal’s partnered charity: Harvest Hands. He found it hilarious to watch his previous supervisor from his time in the plant, Vlad, get pie’d in the face! Throughout his employment, Luke has learned lots about:
“The importance of all different departments working together to achieve a common goal. I have learned to better my organizational and communication skills to help achieve these goals as a valued team member. I will now be able to use these skills at school, especially with group projects.”
Jenna
Jenna has worked at Royal Containers for four years during the summer months, and in the last year, part-time during the winter. This summer she is the continuous improvement project team lead but has also worked as a finance and accounting co-op student, and administrative assistant. She is looking forward to her last year at Guelph University in her Bachelor of Commerce degree program. Post-grad, she is excited about learning more about the various business sectors to find a career that best suits her. When asked what she likes best about working at Royal Containers, she said:
“I love the culture and how welcoming everyone is, especially to newcomers, it is one of the reasons why I keep coming back. Working in a positive environment has cultivated such positive working relationships between employees that allow us to continuously learn, grow and add value to the organization as a whole.”
Her favourite memory while working here this summer was when she and the rest of the ISO audit team were taken out for lunch by the company’s CEO, Kim Nelson. Jenna explains her cumulative learnings over the past four summers:
“Going into my fourth summer, I feel as though my level of professionalism has improved each year. This can be attributed to the various meetings I partake in, presenting to executives, as well as the additional responsibility I have assumed as I continue to gain experience. Moving forward, I will continue to use this skill to create various opportunities for myself and further develop positive working relationships as I become a fully functioning member of society.”
