At Morrison Container Handling Solutions, we believe in investing in the future, and that starts with building strong foundations through hands-on experience. This summer, we welcomed a talented group of interns who brought fresh perspectives, a hunger to learn, and a drive to make an impact.
Carefully selected from a wide range of disciplines, our 2025 interns have jumped right in, collaborating across departments, tackling real-world projects, and contributing to the continued success of our customers and our company.
Our internship program reflects Morrison’s long-standing commitment to education and workforce development. We do not just offer exposure – we offer opportunity. Interns at Morrison are active participants, working on real projects that have real impact on our business, gaining meaningful experience while shaping their own professional paths.
We are proud of the passion and dedication this year’s interns have shown. Keep reading to learn more about their work, their stories, and what they have taken away from their time at Morrison.
Engineering
Franklin Carter
University: Valparaiso University
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year in School: Senior
Department: Engineering
Hobby: Sports, Traveling, and Gaming
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
Interning at Morrison last summer was an incredible experience. I was drawn back by the company’s strong focus on innovation and good treatment of its employees.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
We use a different system than we did last summer when I interned here. The new system is more efficient but was challenging to learn while also trying to meet customer needs. I was able to overcome this by being patient, taking plenty of notes, and asking plenty of questions.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
I would tell them not to be scared to ask questions, also to write things down since we work with a lot of numbers.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
I enjoyed working on part orders for aftermarket parts this summer; by processing these orders it allowed me to see many systems that Morrison has created and communicate with various departments daily.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
Professionally, this internship is helping me grow my computer skills through the daily use of AutoCAD and Microsoft applications. Working with these tools consistently has improved my efficiency and familiarity with industry standard software, which is essential for my development as an engineer.
Nicholas Wszolek
University:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Major:Mechanical Engineering
Year in School:Junior
Department:Engineering
Hobby:Guitar and Drums
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
I was drawn to Morrison because the focus on custom solutions aligned with my goals of working in design. I have been surprised by how many different departments I got to work with during training. This helped me get a better understanding of the company.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
I am working on a kind of unique project, so sometimes I don’t know who to go to with questions. I approached overcoming this by networking with coworkers more. People are always happy to help when I have questions.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Meeting everyone and learning names is valuable, since there is a lot of collaboration between departments at Morrison.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
My project this summer has been to streamline the process of making product manuals. I have been enjoying it because it allows me to be creative when implementing changes.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
This is my first summer internship, so finally being able to apply what I’ve learned in school to a real work environment is valuable for my career.
Russell Atkinson
University:Pensacola Christian College
Major:Mechanical Engineering
Year in School:Senior
Department:Engineering
Hobby:Weightlifting
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
I was first made aware of this internship a year ago by one of my college professors, Caleb Knepper, who used to work here. Something that surprised me about the company was the scope of jobs that Morrison accomplishes. From macaroni and cheese to shampoo to carbonated beverages, Morrison is up to the challenge.
What’s one challenge you have faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
One challenge I faced was knowing whether to figure something out on my own or ask another engineer for advice. Usually, the questions I face can be answered by looking at other projects. However, sometimes I don’t know where to look or have some difficulty understanding. I really appreciate the support I have gotten from the engineering team, but I would especially like to thank Essence Burns and Eric Stevens for their patience and assistance over the entire internship.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
The advice I have for future interns is give 100%. Whatever team you get placed on, they understand that you are new and have a lot of learning to do. What matters most is effort. Your colleagues will have patience with every mistake you make, every question; they are so good about that. What they will not have patience with is laziness. They will immediately be able to tell when you are not giving 100%. Work hard and your team will see the effort you are putting in.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
The project that stands out most is the very first one I worked on. It was very repetitive, which was good as I started out. I learned though, that no matter how many times you have done a task, you cannot afford to stop paying attention to details. I made some minor mistakes on the very last step because I hadn’t stayed vigilant to the minor things.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
This internship is teaching me a lot about communication. I am learning how to be a part of a team, the company structure, and the workflow that comes with it. Morrison has done a great job integrating interns into the process from beginning to end.
Ayan Hossain
University:Purdue University (West Lafayette)
Major:Industrial Engineering
Year in School:Senior
Department:Engineering
Hobby:Playing guitar/doing music, videogames, table tennis, and robotics.
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
Morrisons experience working with custom built container handling solutions intrigued by interests from the very start. My interests in robotics ties well with the engineering solutions that are created when working here. My personal connection with the people who work here and have worked here has led to my curiosity to this place from way before I joined. What surprised me about this experience so far is how welcoming the work culture is, the vertical relationships between interns, workers, and managers are not easy to distinguish due to the friendly and welcoming nature of interaction that is fostered in the office, which is definitely a new experience for me and I am grateful to experience it.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
One challenge I’ve faced is getting out of my comfort zone to make changes and ask questions in the workplace. When I joined about 2 months ago, I was hesitant to ask too many questions or make changes that I thought to be improvements, however over my time here I have realized that change is welcome here when it is providing benefits long term. If I can make a change and prove that it makes a positive difference, that change will be validated. The way I realized this is just talking to the people who may or may not be in my department to understand their mindset to make changes.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
My advice would be advice I received from my mentor here, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone who I’ve interacted with here at Morrison shares a very similar mindset that fosters creativity and experimentation for a better outcome. The more questions you ask, the more comfortable you are and the more your presence will be known to the people you are working with.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
My favorite project so far has been a prototype job for a large CPG, going through design and iterations that involved failures, and then finally seeing the hard work pay off when the screw successfully operated has been one of the most satisfying moments.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
Professionally, this internship has given me the confidence to have a voice in an existing organization. Not only does it allow me to transfer and hone the practical skills that I have learned from college, but it teaches me new skills in learning how to apply them. College allowed me to prepare; Morrison allowed me to execute. Personally, relationship building both horizontally and vertically with the people around me has been one of the most valuable takeaways from this experience. From engineers to managers to technicians, the mindset of a welcoming workforce is shared across everyone, I never felt like an intern when I was here but more of a new member in a team. Professional and personal growth were only possible because of the work culture here.
Production
Alexander Latinovich
University:Purdue University Northwest
Major:Mechanical Engineering Technology
Year in School:Junior
Department:Production
Hobby:Fishing
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
I was seeking hands-on experience working with machinery and experience with the design/manufacturing processes which is something I couldn’t fully achieve from a classroom. What surprised me the most was how supportive everybody was with helping me learn. Everyone seemed happy to help and happy to pass along all the knowledge they could.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
One challenge I’ve faced during my internship, was my fear of failure. I was scared to get something wrong or mess up a part. To overcome this, I realized that messing up was all a part of the learning process and that those mistakes are what would help me learn and become better.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
I would tell them to be curious and to ask as many questions as possible. Everyone here is very supportive and likes to see each other progress and get better.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
My favorite task to work on was a timing screw that needed to be designed but I didn’t yet have the knowledge on how to design it. I ended up getting help from the other engineers who were super helpful and happy to help me learn. It stood out to me because although the other engineers were busy with their own tasks, they still took the time needed to help me without making it seem like I was bothering or interrupting them. It was the first time at a job for me where I had felt like no one around would just watch you fail, instead they will all try and help you.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
This internship has provided me with so many opportunities to grow and learn new things. Professionally, I have learned how to work in a fast-paced, high-standards environment where precision and time are vital. I’ve also gained valuable technical skills with tools and machinery, which I believe will help me with my future in engineering. Personally, this internship has helped me better my communication skills, especially while working with a team. It has also taught me how to learn from my mistakes and how to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.
Bill Thorner
University:Purdue Northwest
Major:Mechanical Engineering
Year in School:Junior
Department:Production
Hobby:Working on mechanical projects including my 46-year-old car.
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
I applied here because my last job was going to let me go if I didn’t go full time and do an apprenticeship, which was not a realistic expectation for a full-time college student to fulfill. The amount of freedom here is particularly surprising.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
Balancing school and work at the same time can get a little strenuous and dull, but so long as you keep your priorities straight and get enough sleep it seems to work out.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Don’t lose sight of that fact that you are an intern, which means you are here to learn. Learn whatever you can, whenever presented with the opportunity.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
The random maintenance tasks I find myself taking part in are usually very enjoyable. I’ve gotten to repair the Burgmaster turret drill, a blanking lathe, and the horizontal bandsaw, all of which deviate from the average day and present their own unique challenges. The service trip to Nestle I got to take was also quite notable and enjoyable; it was out of the ordinary and enjoyable because of that.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
This internship has given me opportunities to grow my professional skillset on numerous occasions by providing a wide variety of tasks to accomplish; on a personal level I believe it has improved my ability in general to get along with people and be more social.
Paige Harrison
University:Purdue University Northwest
Major:Mechanical Engineering Technology
Year in School:Senior
Department:Production
Hobby:Designing, Manufacturing, Racing Off-Road Vehicles, and Welding
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
Jim Higley spoke with me at PNW and asked if I would be interested in working here. What surprised me the most was how easy it was to fit in here and get to know everyone.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
One challenge I faced during my internship was learning how to check jobs fully without missing anything. I overcame it by asking questions to Norman or Nicole if I couldn’t figure something out.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Try to get to know as many people here as possible because you never know when you may need help or have questions.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
I enjoy working on parts orders. I never know if it will be easy or if it will be a little more complicated to figure out.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
I think this internship has helped me understand how certain designs look good in CAD but are unrealistic to make in real life. Also, it gives me a better understanding of designing assemblies with manufacturing and assembly in mind. It has given me problem solving skills with the ability to adapt if issues happen to occur.
Jordan Kieper
University:Purdue Northwest
Major:Mechanical Engineering Technology
Year in School:Sophomore
Department:Production
Hobby:Video Games
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
What drew me to Morrison was the hands-on part of building the machines. What has surprised me is how much more assembly does than just build the machine.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
One challenge I have faced is that I did not know how to tell if the timing screws were timed properly so I ran a slug of containers through and I made adjustments to the timing to get it better and when I thought it was finally timed properly I got one of the other guys in the shop to come check it.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Some advice I would give to a new intern would be to not be afraid to ask questions.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
The job that stands out for me is for a large packaging company because it is the first job that I started on and took to completion, and it was my first FAT.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
I think it has helped me grow personally because before I was afraid to ask for help, but this job has taught me that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.
IT
Cortez Jackson
University: Business & Career Service
Major:N/A
Year in School:Graduate
Department:IT
Hobby:Streaming and Video Games
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
When I took the tour, I was amazed by all the machines and nice people, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of Morrison. I was surprised by everyone’s amazing attitude and willingness to help.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
Learning the sales system was challenging, but thanks to all the help and support from the IT team I learned very quickly.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or even have a friendly chat, even if it feels like you’re having a bad day there’s always someone there to help.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
So far working on the sales system has been my favorite task, designing and making changes to the different layouts and forms has been fun.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
I’ve gained extensive knowledge in the Power Platform to the point where I can make my own system if I ever have to or decide to.
Controls
Cooper Ray
University:Purdue University Northwest
Major:Electrical Engineering
Year in School:Junior
Department:Controls
Hobby:Working on my Ford truck.
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
My friend Bill helped me get the job here at Morrison, I was looking for work related to my field a few summers ago.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
Learning how to work with engineers in the office.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Be open-minded and take your time with your work.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
I love making panels, I also got to go on service to work on proximo in Lawrenceburg Indiana.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
I love the amount of real-world practical knowledge and experience that I have gained.
Marketing
Joseph Colangelo
University:Penn Foster
Major:Graphic Design
Year in School:Graduate
Department:Marketing
Hobby:Drawing, Video Games, and Make/Listen to Music
What first drew you to apply for this internship at Morrison, and has anything surprised you about the experience so far?
I was looking for a great start to my career with an internship and the overall scope of Morrison’s projects and customers drew me in. I like to make things, whether it’s art or technical designs, and Morrison likes to make things, too. It was impressive to see the growth of Morrison and the wide range of abilities the company holds. There was so much to take in and there still is, and that’s exciting.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced during your internship, and how did you approach overcoming it?
Stepping into the professional workflow and procedures of Morrison has been the hardest part. Before my work here, I was self-employed as a freelance designer and now I am required to work under Morrison’s calendar and rules. With more work to do, I have been keeping organized with notes and spreadsheets to stay on target, as well as asking every question that pops up.
What advice would you give to someone starting their first day as an intern at Morrison?
Ask questions. It never hurts to ask and I’m sure it will benefit you, even if you must ask more than once. I’d rather double check than be confidently wrong.
What’s been your favorite project or task to work on, and what made it stand out?
So far, reworking all the company brochures has been the most fun to work on. I’ve not had the opportunity outside of school to create brochures for anyone/company and it was a new format to tackle, which I’m always down for a challenge.
How do you think this internship is helping you grow professionally — or even personally?
Professionally, it is preparing me for my first steps in a professional setting, and it’s introducing me to a new workflow that will help for future projects/endeavors. Personally, it presents many opportunities to improve my people skills, and reinforces my passion for art and design, which I engage in inside and out of Morrison daily.
