PRESTON, MD - Choptank Transport is a rapidly growing third-party logistics firm with a national footprint, headquartered on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Since its partnership program began with Salisbury University (SU) and the MASMI Sales Program in 2014, Choptank has become a popular choice for student’s seeking summer internships. But SU is not the only school that participates in the program.
Lizzy Foos is a business administration major and will be a senior this fall at Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia. Foos was selected to intern in Choptank’s busy recruiting department. “My dad drove a gravel truck back in the day, and I liked the idea of an internship that provided a behind the scenes look into transportation,” said Foos. “I loved the way the company promotes its core values. I also did my research on social media, and their Life@Choptank Facebook page, which gave me some insights into the company’s culture. It looked like a fun place to work.”
Jack Wheatley is from Easton and will graduate in 2020. “I like the freedom and responsibility I have been given to do my job,” said Wheatley. “I appreciate the fact that, although I am an intern, I am given the same job responsibilities as the full-time sales representatives.”
Several of the interns agree that the most challenging part of the sales job has been the cold calling, a required task to be an effective salesperson in the freight brokerage business. “You face a lot of rejection with potential customers, but with the internship, it is getting easier and easier to overcome,” said Janna Teat, who will be graduating this fall at Salisbury.
“Sales is much harder than I thought, and it is different from what we learned in class,” said Sabria Allen, who is working out of the Baltimore office and will graduate in May 2020. “In class, we focused more on a face-to-face sales strategy instead of phone call sales. I like the fact that I have a personal mentor at Choptank who sits right next to me so whenever I need help, he is right there to answer any questions.”
The vice-president of human resources, Pam Hutchinson, is pleased with the growth of the program at Choptank. “It offers students valuable, hands-on experience, working in a busy office culture for one of the nation’s top logistics companies. The work is challenging, and those mentoring our interns are great at engaging new talent. We’ve had quite a few that have chosen to make this their career after graduation.”
For young career seekers, Choptank’s intern program is a valuable reference to enhance their resume. Choptank offers full-time employees other related benefits such as tuition reimbursement and student loan debt paydown.
