1. ChelseaRank
ProgressLakeshore Internship
Personal Statement
My internshipwithProgressLakeshore beganinMay 2014, andright fromthe start I knewI was
up fora challenge.Thisnon-profitorganizationwastobe undergoinganame change from “Economic
DevelopmentCorporationof ManitowocCounty,”toa much simpler,“ProgressLakeshore.”Withthe
rebrandingof thisbusiness,manychangestookplace.Thesechangesincluded:anentire website
transformation,differentemail addresses,editedformsanddocuments,alteredresolutions,redesigned
printmaterials(brochures,posters,etc.),andanew logo.
As an internsteppingintothese changes, myresponsibilitiesentailedhelpingthe Executive
Directorand CommunicationsManagermove everythingovertoa new name,a new system,and—
ultimately—anew idea. The organizationevolvedfromthe perceptionof “EconomicDevelopmentinthe
ManitowocArea,”to “AcceleratingBusinessSuccess,”the notionof helpingbusinesses(bigandsmall)
thrive totheirfull potential.
My favorite partfromthe experienceas DirectorAssistantInternwasattendingthe Strategic
PlanningMeetingwithboardmembers,countyofficials,andanexperiencedkeynotespeaker.This
meetingsetnewgoalsforthe year,guidedbusinessplans,andintroducedwhatthe ideal Manitowoc
communitycouldlooklike,aswell asthe businesspartnershipsthatcouldmake ithappen.Itmade me
realize howfortunate we are tolive here,withthe resourceswe weregiven tosucceed.We have Lake
Michigan,the Carferry,Lakeshore Technical Collegeindustrial businessclusterprograms,atwo-yearUW
Systemscollege,advancementsinagriculture,andcommunitysupportfornew endeavors.
Afterthe meeting,Iwasexcitedtobe evenmore involvedinthe LakeshoreIndustryCluster
Initiative.Thisprogramincludesaspectsof manufacturing,agriculture,energy,andtourism, joining
forcesto findopportunitiesforadditional businessgrowthanddevelopment.Myduties forthisprogram

2. were toupdate and maintainthe website,databases,andfiles.Ialsohelpedinorganizingmeetingswith
each branchof the initiative. Itisan excitingideathatwill onlythrive inthe future asitexpandsinto
otherregions.Iam proudto be fromthe communitywhere itfirststarted.
Aside fromhelpingmanage thisprogram, Ihelpedwithcomputertaskssuchasdesigning
propertypromotionspostcards,editingbrochurestobe displayedinpublic,researchinggrantsand
financial incentives fornewbusinesses,writingresolutions forboardmeetings,constructingvarious
lettersof support,andorganizingalistof investorstoprovide additional informationtoour
organization.Ialsolearnedmore aboutWordPublisher,Outlook,andExcel,ConstantContact,and
variousotherprograms.
I tookpride inknowingthatI was interningforanorganizationthatwasn’tseekingany
monetaryprofit. ProgressLakeshore’sgoal is tohelpbusinessessucceedandthrive inanywaypossible.
Whetherbyprovidinggrantoptions,informationaboutavailablelots,ormerelybyhelping withthe
start-upprocess,the staff wasinvestedinanyone needingresources.Iknow the impactof this
internshiponthe communitywassignificant,because the whole organizationisasupportsystemfor
ManitowocCounty. I learnedaboutareasof the communitythatwere struggling,andwhatProgress
Lakeshore didtoraise awarenesstoothercommunity leaders.
Thisinternshipwasworthwhileineveryway possible,andhelped define mycareergoalseven
further.Iam interestedinthe Communicationsaspectof businesses,includingwebdesign,written
documents,andproposals.Withthisinternship,Ihadreal-worldexperience indraftingletters,
resolutions,andguidesthatwill be usedbyProgressLakeshoreasresourcesforothers.Workingclosely
withthe CommunicationsManagertaughtme how to successfullybalance everythingthatgoesinto
ensuringabusinessrunssmoothly.Ilearnedaboutnew computerprogramsthatexpandedmyinterest
for webandgraphic design,andlearnedaboutcurrentgovernmentalissuesaffectingourlocal economy.