We Are the Storytellers

By: Katie Hudson

In the marketing department, we say we have the best job—we are the storytellers. We have the opportunity to take your accomplishments, your grit, your passion, your story and share them with the world. However, “storytelling” does not encompass all the hard work it takes to successfully run a marketing department, and as an intern on the Keeley Companies Marketing Team, I can attest to that first hand.

I came into this summer with few expectations, being that it was my first internship. Nonetheless, my experience exceeded anything I could have imagined. From the start, I was assigned important projects and given the trust and guidance I needed to be successful. I was more than a team member—I was a fellow Keeley’n. I was not a temporary intern with tedious tasks to complete, but a valued member with important insights and opinions, completely relieving my nerves of not knowing much about the industry.

As the summer progressed, the opportunities for an intern at Keeley Companies appeared endless; whatever I had a passion for or a desire to try, Keeley set me up with all the necessary tools to take my shot, knowing full and well I could fail miserably. Yet, the motto of Fail Fast. Fail Often. Fail Forward. that Keeley preaches encouraged me to try anyway and learn from the outcome.

Days filled with meetings, brainstorms, and projects pushed me to think as creatively and efficiently as possible to deliver the best story. Fun job site visits, exciting professional achievements, and terrible tragedies all occurred over the course of this summer, and there was very little downtime as we strived to serve the companies to our greatest ability. We laughed until we cried as we took, “there are no bad ideas in brainstorming” a little too far sometimes. We sat quietly as everyone worked diligently to meet deadlines. We served our community with big smiles, knowing that we are all simply here to make the world a better place. We became a closer team, every member whom I will miss dearly.

The story of a Keeley Companies Intern is a unique one, for the atmosphere of this company is truly something special. You feel it the moment you walk through the doors for the first time, and it never fades away. You become a family, holding each other accountable and rooting constantly for each other’s success.

Although the summer has ended, the valuable lessons learned here—both professional and personal—will stick with me forever.