Topics of Interest: H-E-B, Procurement, Financial Planning, Internal Consulting
What were you doing in your role?: As a private grocery business, H-E-B has a uniquely diverse set of capabilities. As a Grocery Procurement intern, I had the opportunity to touch many different departments and processes. A few experiences I particularly enjoyed include private label product testing, educational store walks, one-on-one meetings with department leaders, and participation in weekly performance recaps. I spent most of my days, however, heading two individual projects. Under the condiments desk, I analyzed a product segment that unexpectedly over-indexed store growth during the pandemic. After identifying its unique growth drivers, I put together an execution and marketing plan intending to capitalize on what worked so well in 2020. My second summer project erred on the creative side. Working under the pet buyers, I conducted a competitive analysis on a set of private label sub-commodities and then developed future recommendations for an upcoming project in the pet department. My assignments as an intern were not only challenging and stimulating, but they also aligned with my interests and strengths. H-E-B does not give “frilly” work to interns, which makes the experience extremely exciting and rewarding. I walked away feeling like my contribution mattered.
Biggest lesson you learned or ways you grew from this internship?: I took away two primary lessons from my summer: first, reach out, reach out, REACH OUT! From internal consulting to financial planning to Own Brand development, H-E-B’s partners boast some of the most remarkable talent and vast experience. Naturally, these people are busy – they won’t just email you for a chat. It is the intern obligation to seek them out and learn as much as possible within those ten weeks. Meeting such incredible people this summer was my favorite part of the internship. I walked away with ten times more knowledge and inspiration than I would have gleaned otherwise. I learned the value of reaching out to successful people and asking them about their stories. No matter how intimidating it may appear, do it! My second lesson came from my evaluation at the end of the internship. I learned that “school Ella” has different strengths and weaknesses than “workplace Ella,” and it is essential to recognize those differences. While I would consider myself an out-of-the-box thinker in most situations, I was rated below average on the “innovation” scale in my evaluation. Now recognizing my “workplace Ella” tendency to provide precisely what my managers ask of me, I will enter future jobs remembering to welcome innovation and not shy away from raising tough questions.
What did you like most about the internship?: I would be remiss if I did not highlight the incredible people at H-E-B. The respect that partners have for one another blew me away. As an intern, I did not acquire a list of emails to add to my network, but I found a group of individuals I now call friends and supporters. The people at H-E-B are incredibly diverse, but they all share a few commonalities: they’re humble, grounded, and endlessly supportive.
Anything else you want to point out to other students about your internship experience?: Please do it! You won’t regret it.
Learn more about H-E-B’s 10 week internship program on H-E-B’s internship webpage.