2022 News

Intern Spotlight

Intern Spotlight
06.06.2022

Baker Group has a record number of interns this summer, working across all business units and departments. Here’s a chance to get to know them:

Alexus Lawler

Business Unit/Department: Safety

College: Iowa State University

Year:  Senior

Major: Industrial Engineering

Hometown: Estero, Florida

Why did you pick Baker Group?
For me personally, I really enjoyed how friendly and nice everyone was. It helped with my nerves a ton during my interview. The company values also stuck out to me and the way the company works with its employers to create a safe and fun working environment. I also knew that by choosing this company I would be able to meet a ton of new people and get involved in the internship program as much as I can.

What are you looking forward to most about your internship?
Having the opportunity to go to the different job sites and gain experience through that. I’m also just excited to be here and eager to learn.

What do you hope to get out of your summer internship with Baker Group?
I hope to see how a normal company functions, gain a greater understanding of what safety is and does for a company and how it impacts different sites. Ranging from how the desk work to how being out there varies and works together.

What are your future plans/goals?
I plan on pursuing my last year of schooling and start applying to all jobs possible to see where things take me. But the next step after college is definitely to find a good starting job.

Tell us about your family …
I have two little brothers who I am very close to. When I’m back home with them, we love to hang out together playing video games or playing baseball. My dad is also a big baseball guy and really enjoys his weekends relaxing with us. My mom enjoys art and is always cooking something good! Home cooked meals are definitely missed.

What do you like to do outside of school/work?
Outside of school and work, I like to go hiking, cook/bake, go on road trips and just see friends.

What have you done for fun lately?
At the beginning of May I was able to go to Wisconsin Dells. I had never seen an indoor waterpark; it was a lot of fun, and I got to spend it with good people.

Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to? Why?
So far, my favorite place I have traveled to was Colorado last summer. My friends and I got to go hiking and explore the mountain areas before heading home for the summer. We all stayed in a cabin together and took the long drive together there and back, which was the most challenging part, but we did it.

How would your friends describe you?
Depending on who you ask, I can often be described as the mom friend and very reliable.

Cody Knutson

Business Unit/Department: Mechanical

College: University of Northern Iowa

Year: Senior

Major: Construction Management

Hometown: Huxley, Iowa

Why did you pick Baker Group?
I picked Baker Group because I like the values the company has and all the great resources the company has to offer.

 What are you looking forward to most about your internship?
I am most looking forward to seeing the whole process from start to finish of a job, instead of just learning about it in school.

What do you hope to get out of your summer internship with Baker Group?
I hope to gain skills that will help me in the future become a better employee and to get a better understanding of the construction process.

What are your future plans/goals?
My future goals are to have a family and to have a good job so that
I can financially support them. I would also like to travel to different countries to get a better understanding of different cultures and values.  

Tell us about your family …
My mom is a marketing specialist at Mercer. My dad is a project manager here at Baker Group on the electrical side of things. My sister is an inventory manager at Accumold in Ankeny.

What do you like to do outside of school/work?
Outside of work I like to play video games, play board games with my friends and watch sports. I am a huge Cyclones, Vikings and Celtics fan.

What have you done for fun lately?
Just last fall my dad and I took a trip down to Norman, Oklahoma, to watch the Cyclones play the Sooners in football. It was a really fun time even though it didn’t turn out the way that we wanted it to.

Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to? Why?
My favorite place that I have traveled to is Europe. It was my favorite because when I was in high school, we had two foreign exchange students stay with us — one for a school year and one for half a school year. When when we went to Europe, we met one of the exchange students and their family in Switzerland and stayed with them for a couple nights. We then went to Germany where the other exchange student was from and stayed with him and his family. His family took us to different parts of Germany and to Paris, which was super cool to see the Eiffel Tower and other cool landmarks there.

How would your friends describe you?
My friends would describe me as a funny, generous guy who also cares a lot.

Autumn Osia

Business Unit/Department: Marketing

College: Drake University

Year: Graduated in 2022

Major: Brand Communication

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Why did you pick Baker Group? 
I wanted the opportunity to try something new and see how I can apply what I learned about journalism and communications to get experience in the marketing realm. I like what Baker Group has to offer someone starting fresh in the "real" world and I'm excited to see what I can do with the team!

What are you looking forward to most about your internship?
Previously I have worked in communication departments of organizations in the non-profit sector, so I am excited to see what I can learn from working for a company like Baker Group.

What do you hope to get out of your summer internship with Baker Group?
I'd like to learn more about marketing plans, video marketing, content creation, branding and more about Baker Group itself.

What are your future plans/goals?
My future plans are to continue my education in Brand Communication and see what opportunities I can make for myself in the process. 

Tell us about your family …
I am the oldest of six siblings. My mom works in travel and my dad works in sales. 

What do you like to do outside of school/work?
I like to book photo shoots to practice my hand at photography/editing, and I also love live music. 

What have you done for fun lately?
I just moved into my first place off campus since I worked in Res Life all through college. I'm having a lot of fun decorating and making the place my own. I've also been watching Ozark recently and it is crazy good.

Where is your favorite place you’ve traveled to? Why?
My favorite place I've traveled to has been Nashville. I love the landscape and have a lot of good memories road tripping with my friends there. Visiting the mountains in Colorado has been at the top of my list of places I want to go; I just haven't had the time yet.

How would your friends describe you?
A lot of my friends think I am bubbly and funny. Recently I've been described as someone who will stop 20 times on a short walk to the car to answer questions from my staff at school or say hi to someone I haven't seen in a while. I'm not sure if that is a good thing because I know it makes me late sometimes, but I really think it's important to stop and give someone your attention when they need it.

About Baker Group

Baker Group is a commercial and industrial specialty contractor based in Ankeny, Iowa. With more than 1,000 employees, Baker Group is the Midwest’s premier full-service specialty contractor providing mechanical, industrial, sheet metal, electrical, building automation, process automation, security systems, fire alarm systems, parking/revenue controls and 24/7/365 service. For more information, call 855.262.4000 or visit www.thebakergroup.com.

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