If getting an internship in a new city is overwhelming, traveling over the Atlantic Ocean for one is over the top. Jeffrey Adams (Phi-Iota ‘19) doesn’t see it that way, though. He took no hesitation in accepting an offer to spend six weeks in Milan to learn more about the company that would soon streamline his career.
Adams admits, he got lucky. After Arcitell launched in 2017 through a joint venture between Belden, Inc. and Acell Technologies, Inc, his father was named the CEO. He was still completing a degree in Business Administration at Shepherd University at the time but expressed interest in pursuing a professional career with the company. Soon, Adams landed a job to support him through his last year of school and beyond.
Arcitell sells a product named Quora, a cladding material designed to replicate the look of brick and stone at a lower cost than the original material. In addition to the price difference, it eliminates the need for long hours of installation with its lightweight, panelized design. Arcitell is simplifying the construction process and providing a more cost-effective way to achieve a specific aesthetic design while working with world renowned chemists for a product without trade-offs.
These chemists are the only few in the world able to develop Arcitells unique product and they just happen to be a 12 hour plane ride away. While working part-time, Adams was invited to learn more about the chemistry behind the product and frequently began traveling to Italy with the team. After spending a week sitting in meetings to, hopefully, excel his career with the company, he was invited back for a six-week duration.
“About three weeks before school, he [Founder of Acell] expressed interest in me and invited me to come live with him. I talked to my dad and it just made sense to do it. The only thing in the way was school. I reached out to the business lead of my school and we worked out how to get 15 credits online. Then, I was off to Italy in September” explains Adams.
After only a few days, Adams began to understand that this opportunity was worth far more than anything available to him in the U.S. He spent each moment learning from their staff chemists and taking notes to understand the science behind what he is selling. In addition, Adams shadowed high profile meetings with companies unrelated to Arcitells technology to broaden his horizons. Along with the excitement of his new internship, the shift from American culture had some unexpected differences.
“You are not allowed to work over 40 hours per week; they are all about family and home life. What I loved from being there is that I got to see what life is actually like. I expected a culture shock when I got there and it wasn’t that way. There are people I feel connected too that I didn’t event work with” says Adams.
Although he feels connected with his colleagues in Italy, nothing breaks the connection of brotherhood. Making the decision to accept the internship was encouraged by his chapter, but their senior year was not the same without him by their side. Even without the first semester of memories, Adams believes his years in Lambda Chi had a huge impact on him.
“While I was in Lambda Chi I grew a lot as a person and learned a lot about leadership. I was Alpha when I was a sophomore, that alone taught me so much about leadership and working with a group of people. It carried me into the workforce and taught me how to be a better man. I credit that to who I am today.”
Without or without his brothers just a few doors down, Adams is thankful for the friendships and experiences the impacted him during his undergraduate career in Lambda Chi. Adams is currently working for Arcitell full-time and hoping to work his way up onto the marketing team.
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