Noah Dahllof, a business administration major at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), got a behind-the-scenes taste this summer of the economy’s circulatory system – shipping. Dahllof was an operations intern at Trinity Logistics, where he coordinated deliveries of freight all over the country.
He said the internship has opened his eyes to the significance of the transportation industry.
“Without companies like Trinity, stores would be without the goods they need to sell,” Dahllof said. “I’ve also learned just how important a good work atmosphere is. At Trinity everyone cares about each other and they are willing to answer any questions I may have which makes it a fun place to work.”
The logistics company, which was founded in 1979, arranges freight solutions like shipping, warehousing, and supply chain software for customers who need large volumes of products shipped across the country or even internationally. It’s headquartered in Seaford, Delaware, and has six other regional service centers throughout the South and Midwest.
Trinity works regularly with customers in the food and beverage, chemical, construction, and manufacturing industries. Dahllof started most days by making calls to ensure that products are getting to their final destination, and in the afternoon he books upcoming loads.
“We ship literally anything you can think of but some we ship quite often are dry goods and fresh fish. We ship candles to Yankee Candle often and this week we delivered souvenirs to Busch Gardens in Florida,” he said.
His most memorable day was when he booked his first shipment, from West Chester, Ohio to Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Even on the first go-round, he successfully talked the trucking company down on the price to carry the load.
Dahllof, whose hometown is in upper Delaware, chose this internship, in part, for its location in southern Delaware, where he’s spent the last few summers.
“The beach is 20 minutes from my house, which you can’t beat,” Dahllof said.