July 16, 2019, WEST PALM BEACH, FLA – The BDB brought together summer interns from across the nation to show them why Palm Beach County is the perfect place to start a career and enter the workforce. Over 45 interns from over 30 different BDB member companies participated in a panel presentation at Banko Cantina yesterday. The panelists included four young, successful leaders in the workforce from diverse industries, moderated by a millennial from the BDB. Douglas Whipps of Daszkal Bolton shared that he started out as an intern at the company he’s currently employed at and worked his way up at the accounting firm. Javier and Paula Cue of Pratt & Whitney talked about the positive work-life balance in Palm Beach County as a married couple living here and working in the Aviation/Aerospace/Engineering industry. Diana Ngyuyen of Florida Power & Light talked about how there’s so many different job opportunities and departments at Florida Power & Light, highlighting that it’s not just electricity jobs. For example, there’s marketing, finance, law, infotech, etc.
The panelists all shared their story about what brought them to Palm Beach County, what’s kept them here, and why they like living and working in the area. “In order to work hard, you have to play hard. Palm Beach County has the best environment for that,” said Douglas Whipps of Daszkal Bolton. “Treat everyday like it’s an interview,” said Diana Ngyuyen of Florida Power & Light, as she shared advice to the interns. The BDB’s education initiatives came full circle when a participant said she attended the Claim Your Future Showcase a couple years ago, an event showing high school students the possible career paths available in the county. She is now an intern for Bank of America.
“This new series is a great way to provide soon-to-be professionals with a broad group of peers,” said Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board. In fact, the group was so broad that interns spanned from local Palm Beach County academic institutes to out-of-state schools like Yale and Harvard University. They were all within the same age group interning for the summer in different industries throughout Palm Beach County.
Together, BDB members are ensuring that the future of Palm Beach County’s workforce will choose to stay here over competing locations and retain top talent as they start their careers. One more final event is planned for the end of summer.
