The Label Experts at Electronic Imaging Materials know a lot about what makes things stick—including talent. A number of our team members got their start as interns before sticking around in full-time roles. Interns have long played a role at EIM, bringing new energy and ideas to the company while building work experience and professional skills.
This National Intern Day, we’re shining the spotlight on internships at EIM.
Interns at EIM
To date, Electronic Imaging Materials has hosted 50 interns across fields ranging from operations and distribution to marketing and product development, in roles lasting as little as six weeks to over a year. Many of our interns have returned multiple times to continue their experience.
The majority of interns come from Keene State University. Of course, it’s just six miles down the road and two of our staff members are adjunct professors. Keene State even recognized our commitment, honoring us with its Outstanding Service Award in 2022.
Keene State isn’t our only source of interns. Students have also come to us from schools like the University of New Hampshire and Boston University. We also occasionally take on high school interns. Illustrating this is our current cohort:
- Jason N: Distribution Intern and current Keene State College student
- Camille B: Efficiency Organization Intern and current high school student
One benefit of internships is that they open doors to professional opportunities, and a number of our interns have walked right through them into full-time positions. In fact, five of our current employees got their starts at EIM as interns. That means 10% of past interns are currently working at EIM!
- Cecilia Robinson, Senior Products and Innovation Specialist, got her start as a Products Assistant Intern and has been with us since 2015.
- Briana Leighton, Prepress Technician and Safety Coordinator, joined the Label Experts as a Graphic Design/Prepress Intern and has been a valued member of the team since 2018.
- Suzanna Edwards, Prepress Technician, launched her career at EIM as a Graphic Design/Prepress Intern and has been a Label Expert since 2021.
- Elena Babushkina began her journey with the Label Experts as a Graphic Design Intern and now serves as a Graphic Designer. She’s been part of the team since 2022.
- Catherine Casey joined the Label Experts as a Short Film and Video Intern in 2024 and now serves as our videographer.
It’s common to view internships through the lens of how the interns benefit, but it’s safe to say hosting interns has strengthened our organization.
Valuing EIM Interns
Attracting talent is always a challenge—even more so in more rural areas like those surrounding Keene—and internships are an excellent way to introduce talented students to our operation. In addition to building career skills, professional connections, and their resumes, our interns also build their bank accounts. All of our internships have been paid.
EIM wants its interns invested in their positions, and one way to ensure that is to invest in them. We’re committed to ensuring internships are mutually beneficial. Interns devote their time, energy, and skills, and we make sure to compensate them for it. Over and over again, our interns have demonstrated that if you value them, they’ll see a future with you.
Real Work and Responsibility
EIM is proud not only of our history of employee interns, but of giving our interns meaningful work experiences. You won’t find EIM interns fetching coffee or making copies. Rather, interns at EIM work hand in hand with our team of Label Experts on projects shaping the future of the business.
The scale of some of the projects our interns have tackled is impressive. In 2021, a team of Keene State College students worked with their professor and our contractor to develop expansion options. While the expansion never occurred—due to a large number of staff shifting to remote work—many of the concepts they proposed were incorporated into the redesign of EIM’s office space, transitioning it from a traditional layout to an open-plan office.
In 2023, we had a Products Intern and Excel wizard assist with several initiatives, including some that are still used today. For example, creating a forecasting tool to track label inventory and building a resource that works like a product finder.
Most recently, we had a Digital Marketing Intern execute a comprehensive website audit. They immersed themselves in our web pages, reviewed competitors, and identified opportunities for improvement. They concluded their time with EIM by presenting to our directors, highlighting potential site upgrades and suggestions for improving the overall digital experience for our customers.
Of course, this is just a small sample of the exciting projects that EIM interns have completed over the years.
Building a Lasting Connection
It’s no wonder EIM builds lasting connections with its interns. From treating interns as valued team members to engaging them in impactful work and opening doors to future opportunities, EIM interns contribute significantly to our business and culture. New ideas, positive energy, unique talents, and fresh perspectives are just a few of the reasons why interns are integral to EIM—both in the present and in the future.
In the end, whether you’re scrolling through videos on our YouTube page or ordering samples, there’s a good chance a past or present intern had a hand in shaping your EIM experience.
