Salute to Harvest

Harvesting talents with local interns

- BY DONNIS HUEFTLE-BULLOCK General Manager

BROKEN BOW - The leaves have started to change color, we have had our first frost and area Ag producers are getting underway to harvest their crops, though not in full swing like you typically see this time of year.

With this Harvest publicatio­n, how about thinking of a different kind of Harvest for the Custer County Readers? That would be the “harvest” of our best and brightest - area youth who have left the area for a higher education, returned and found employment in their field. In a sense, you can say with their return, we are harvesting their education to keep this area viable.

Levi French is now the Mechanical Engineer at Sargent Pipe. French graduated from Broken Bow high school in 2013 and graduated from Texas A&M in the winter of 2017 with an engineer’s degree. As a college student, he came back to do an internship at Sargent Pipe his sophomore and senior year in college. Besides Sargent Pipe, French did internship­s in engineerin­g with BD in Broken Bow and Cessna Aviation in Wichita, Kan.

He began his employment with Sargent Pipe in 2018. Luke Wassom, Sargent Pipe Manager, said of French, “He is the most successful intern we have had.”

Instead of just shadowing

Wassom, French was given a problem the company was currently having with a project and told to come up with a solution. By the end of the summer, he did just that. With the help of the shop crew it is a machine the company is still using. When asked about his internship relating to his education, French said, “College equals learning how to learn, problem solve, core knowledge. Real world equals learning how to apply those skills.”

French left Nebraska for his education. What he likes best about being back is the people, and being involved in the community.

“I like being involved in the community and being able to give back. I also appreciate recognizin­g a familiar face wherever I go to the store, out to eat or just around town.” French said. “I’m not sure what the future holds. I have some big plans but I want to be able to make sure that I am happy and doing what I love, and that I’ve made a positive impact on Sargent Pipe, as well as the community.” Now French is mentoring other college students as they intern at Sargent Pipe.

Wassom was asked why Sargent Pipe got involved in an internship program.

“I was doing the Leadership Custer

County program with Melissa Garcia. She asked me what issues we were having at our company. I said, ‘Work force,’ and she asked me what we were doing about it,” Wassom said. Sargent Pipe got involved with the school and now the company is always a stop with the CAPABLE program.

Wassom also stated they have a much younger work force now because of their involvemen­t; students are exposed to the opportunit­ies that are here in the work force.

Amber Ross, 2016 Callaway graduate and a 2020 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, is hoping that she, like French will be able to return to a rural community close to home.

For the past two years, Ross has been a Rural Futures Intern. In 2017 she interned in the community of West Point and 2018 in Columbus. In 2019 she returned to Custer County as an intern through Ogallala Commons with Custer Economic Developmen­t Corporatio­n (CEDC).

Ross would like to see more business

es offer internship­s for students. Connecting students to rural communitie­s is very important as well as showing them once they finish their education there is employment for them.

There are nine individual communitie­s in Custer County. “You know if you see 4 County, you have a friend,” Ross said. “County Fair is a good example of county pride.”

Ross felt it was a great advantage to come back to Custer County this summer. “Throughout my college career, I have had several experience­s in other communitie­s,” Ross said. “During those experience­s, I worked with some of the most passionate people. Each person had their own reason for doing what they do but they almost always have something to do with a strong connection to the community. That is why I was so excited to come work at home; I am passionate about Custer County. Working in my home county gave me an advantage I’d never had; I was more excited to make a difference in the place that had helped shape me into the person I am today. I can’t thank this community enough for all their help this summer.”

Andrew Ambriz, CEDC Executive Director, said Amber’s experience was a plus. “Amber has had a great amount of experience in community developmen­t for as young as she is and she made it clear during one of our coffee meetings, that she wanted to come back here,” Ambriz said. “She mentioned the Youth Leadership Custer County program through CAPABLE and how it showed her the value that her community had.” Ambriz added it’s important that communitie­s do what they can to make coming home attractive.

“Whatever opportunit­ies we have and can create for our young people to pursue their choice career, it’s our job to enable it,” he said. “Having her (Amber) here this summer allowed her to see Custer County through a different lens and introduced herself, not as the kid from Callaway, but as a profession­al and, in that challenge, it absolutely elevated her confidence and desire to come back here.”

Looking forward to graduation in 2020, Ross has a bright future because of her experience over her summer internship­s. She hopes to work in economic

developmen­t which could be through tourism, Chamber work or as a director of economic developmen­t. Even if it is not in Custer County, it will be in a rural community that she will use her talents.

Another Callaway graduate to intern in Custer County is Isaac Stallbaume­r of Oconto. Currently a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he spent his summer at Sargent Pipe in the Engineerin­g department.

Stallbaume­r was introduced to Sargent Pipe though a tour with the CAPABLE program. One of the major things he learned this summer was drafting and notation.

“It was neat to design something and it was built on the shop floor,” Stallbaume­r said.

Looking to his classes at UNL this year, he will be studying some computer programing which he did this summer at Sargent Pipe. You could say he should have a leg up on the class!

Chaten Edgren of Holdrege, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also found an internship at Sargent Pipe this summer. As you read this, you might even ask how the students know there is an internship out there?

It might even be said an internship is for a go-getter. You could say Edgren is that. His brother has a good friend from high school whose dad works at Sargent Irrigation in Holdrege. He found out about the internship through that friend. For his lodging in Broken Bow, he had a friend at college from Broken Bow, Court Kaelin, who also is an Agricultur­al

Engineerin­g major. Kalen was doing an internship out of state this summer so Edgren was able to stay with Gordon and Jana Kaelin since they had an open room!

The way Edgren was able to do his internship at Sargent Pipe was asking the right questions to the right people.

Edgren said, “It is cool to learn the process for problem solving that Levi goes through, thinking through the solution and narrowing down what they will do, then checking with the customer to see if they felt it would work.”

Riley Petersen a 2018 Broken Bow graduate seeking his higher education at Northeast Community College, also spent his summer at Sargent Pipe. He built impellers, couplings, spacers, bearings just to name a few. Prior to working at Sargent Pipe, he already knew drafting and tolerance.

Petersen plans to finish a drafting degree by May of 2021. The practice was good for him this past summer at Sargent Pipe. “It was a good place to work,” Petersen said.

Matt Ambler graduated from Broken Bow this past May and started at Northeast Community College this fall. He is studying for a degree in Wind Energy. This past summer he helped build drilling rigs at Sargent Pipe.

It is experience like what Custer Economic Developmen­t Corporatio­n and Sargent Pipe offers these young people that will allow communitie­s in Custer County to “harvest” back home some of the best and brightest, giving them employment and giving the area a chance to continue to strive.

 ?? Donnis Hueftle-Bullock ?? At left, pictured in Levi French’s office at Sargent Pipe are, from left, intern Chaten Edgren, intern Isaac Stallbaume­r and Levi French.
Donnis Hueftle-Bullock At left, pictured in Levi French’s office at Sargent Pipe are, from left, intern Chaten Edgren, intern Isaac Stallbaume­r and Levi French.
 ?? Donnis Hueftle-Bullock ?? At right Riley Petersen, an intern at Sargent Pipe, operates a CNC lathe to machine an impeller.
Donnis Hueftle-Bullock At right Riley Petersen, an intern at Sargent Pipe, operates a CNC lathe to machine an impeller.
 ?? Courtesy ?? Rural Future Institute interns are pictured above at the Ross Farm of Callaway with local friends and family. From left: Stephanie Ross; Theresa Klein, Rural Futures Institute; Megan Coan, Intern; Dr. Helen Fagan, Rural Futures Institute; Andrew Ambriz, CEDC; Hailey Walmsley, Intern; Amber Ross, CEDC Intern; Vaughn Ross; Alix Ambriz; Samantha Guenther, Rural Futures Institute; and Zander Ambriz.
Courtesy Rural Future Institute interns are pictured above at the Ross Farm of Callaway with local friends and family. From left: Stephanie Ross; Theresa Klein, Rural Futures Institute; Megan Coan, Intern; Dr. Helen Fagan, Rural Futures Institute; Andrew Ambriz, CEDC; Hailey Walmsley, Intern; Amber Ross, CEDC Intern; Vaughn Ross; Alix Ambriz; Samantha Guenther, Rural Futures Institute; and Zander Ambriz.
 ?? Donnis HueftleBul­lock ?? Left, Isaac Stallbaume­r measures dimensions of a pump impeller casting.
Donnis HueftleBul­lock Left, Isaac Stallbaume­r measures dimensions of a pump impeller casting.
 ?? Donnis Hueftle-Bullock ?? Above, Matt Ambler, an intern at Sargent Pipe in Broken Bow this summer, drills holes in flanges to be used in the well drilling process.
Donnis Hueftle-Bullock Above, Matt Ambler, an intern at Sargent Pipe in Broken Bow this summer, drills holes in flanges to be used in the well drilling process.

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