BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott College is a pioneer in requiring comprehensive internship experiences for undergraduate students in every program of study. Nicholas Grimbilas (Strafford, N.H.), who is a sport management major and member of the men's golf program, has turned an internship with TaylorMade Golf into a full-time job with the company upon graduation. Here's a look at Grimbilas' journey with TaylorMade.
1) Why TaylorMade?
I chose Taylormade because it has been one of my favorite companies in the golf industry. Prior to working for them, I had played a lot of their product and still do to this day as I believe it is a top golf product manufacturer in the world.
2) What was the process like to obtain your internship?
The process for me obtaining this internship was a little unique. I was working at my first internship during the summer of my freshman year and one of the reps for TaylorMade was doing a fitting day at our club. It just so happened to be one of my coworkers from the previous year. He gave me all the insight into what the company was about and what the job entails. Sales have always been my passion and that first internship showed, although I really enjoyed my time there, being a Head Golf Professional was not what I wanted to pursue after school and I wanted to try the sales route. I had a conversation with my former coworker and he introduced me to my current boss. We had a conversation on the phone and a couple of weeks later offered me the position.
3) Describe your overall internship experience.
My internship experience at TaylorMade has been great. I did my second internship there during the summer after my sophomore year and really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I wanted to work for the company after I graduated. I was able to secure a second internship at TaylorMade for my semester-long internship and along the way, was offered a full-time position as the Lead Experiential Representative after I graduate. I really believe the internship experience at Endicott is something that not many schools have to offer. It gave me insight into what I did and did not want to do with my life and I couldn't be happier with joining TaylorMade as a full-time employee after I graduate.
4) What have you learned from your internship?
What I have learned from this internship that will carry me for the rest of my life is the ability to communicate with people. I learned from day one of this internship and my previous experiences, that how you treat people, customers, or clients, goes a long way. Connecting with people is something I take pride in and it was a skill that I wasn't sure I could understand. Through these internships, I was able to connect with people, and talk to them in a professional manner whether it was talking about products or a conversation regarding the similarities that we had. I learned how to communicate with people and understand that communication is the foundation for building relationships.
5) How will this internship help you in your career moving forward?
As stated earlier, this internship here has gotten me a full-time position. I will be starting full-time during the latter end of my semester-long internship and that will carry through the rest of the year.
6) What skills were you able to apply from your academic background at Endicott directly to this internship?
Skills that I was able to apply from my academics were number one, communication, and number two, which will be the most important to me moving forward, will be how to manage a team. Part of my new position entails being the leader of a small group of individuals who will not necessarily work under me, but work collectively to reach our target goal for our Northeast territory this year. Learning how to manage a team, something we learned in Dr. Gentile's class, are notes that I still have and will look back on if I find myself in situations where things may not be running smoothly. These two skills along with many others that I learned here at Endicott will help me succeed in this new role although I am nervous about it, but am excited about the challenge.
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(Photo Credit - Brian Foley)
