P1 2025 Interns Share Their Experience

Fastest summer ever! The 2025 P1 interns had a full summer with project work, learning how different parts of the industry work through site visits, serving the community, and having fun with team building activities.

TOURS: MCAKC Training Center, Midwest Machinery/SPX Cooling; Jorban-Riscoe, P1 Fabrication Shops, and Project Kansas (Panasonic Battery Plant)
COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEER: Nourish KC, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, MCAKC Charity Field Day

LEARNING: MCAKC Industry Orientation; Safety Orientations; P1 MEP 101; Estimating 101; PM Training; Breakfast with Leadership
FUN AND TEAM BUILDING: Sporting KC Game; Gameshow Battle; Golf Outing

Bombe Eca, P1 Construction, Reporting to Team Leader Carey Minihan
"Interning with P1 Construction has been an amazing experience. P1 has some of the best team members, and everyone was helpful and welcoming. This was my first office internship, since I’ve always worked in the field. I didn’t realize how much planning, scheduling, and behind-the-scenes work goes on in the office to complete a project. During this time, I became more comfortable using Bluebeam and learned how to read drawings better. I also saw how important good communication is between the office and the field. My favorite project was the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, KS. I worked on the takeoffs for all the drawings and I got to see how different parts of the project come together. It was cool to see the plans turn into a real building.

Josh Jones, P1 Service, Reporting to Electrical Division Sales Manager Jeff Gardner
The best part of my intern experience at P1 has been visiting job sites. I did the most hands-on learning when I was on-site for a project, whether it was at a huge job or a smaller job. Since I’m studying mechanical engineering, everything about electrical has been new to me. Learning how systems work and how to estimate, bid and install them was very interesting. The experience and exposure to both construction and service during this internship was great and I learned a lot about the industry. The theory you learn in school can only get you so far and this real-world experience will be invaluable going forward. My favorite project was at Cleveland Chiropractic University where we are currently replacing their main distribution. I coordinated with one of our electricians to see what it would take to complete the project, created a schedule and plan for carrying out the project, and then presented it to the client.

Andrew Hoffsommer, P1 Service, Reporting to Service Projects Sales Manager Casey Rohaus
I enjoyed working in-depth on multiple projects, estimating, reviewing, and designing, alongside our project managers, as well as visiting work sites and working with our technicians. I learned a lot of the language used in the HVAC industry I did not know when I started, and can now communicate effectively about different HVAC systems. My favorite project was the First United Methodist Church HVAC upgrade. I got to be on-site in McPherson, sat in on a meeting with the church board, reviewed the site for changes needed to our engineering drawings, worked with our engineer in the creation of new drawings based off our notes, and saw the continuous estimating for the project based on the changes made during the process. I am hoping this internship will lead to a full-time position with P1.

Dillan Emch, P1 Construction, Reporting to Team Leader Jason Quattlebaum
Working closely with the PEs and PMs has greatly improved my interest and understanding in mechanical construction. This internship has helped me learn about the construction world. Engaging with the MEP systems will help me when I return to my classes at Kansas State University next fall and spring. There have been a lot of takeaways, tools, and knowledge I’ll be using for the future projects that come my way.
I enjoyed working on the Children’s Mercy Hospital Procurement Room project, seeing the work happening on-site and helping to plan for future scheduled events has been really neat.

Steven Mesa, P1 Construction, Reporting to Project Manager Brady Kyle
The best part of my internship has been visiting different vendors and learning about their products and operations. These experiences gave me a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into construction projects beyond the job site. My supervisor, Brady, has been an excellent mentor throughout the summer, helping me overcome the steep learning curve as I became familiar with many new concepts. Networking with vendors, fellow interns, and company leaders has also been invaluable in helping me navigate the industry and build professional relationships. Knowing that I’ll be returning to school in mid-August with this hands-on experience and these connections gives me greater confidence and a clearer perspective on my future career path. My favorite project was the safety audit walk-through at the new KU Jayhawks football stadium renovation. It was exciting to see the progress firsthand, and the improvements being made are impressive. Once completed, I believe it’s going to be one of the best stadiums in the Big 12.

Jacob Bacus, P1 Construction, Reporting to Construction Technology Manager Jeff Peterson
The best part of working at P1 has been both the autonomy and support. I was trusted with actual projects to work on, approaching them at my own pace and learning as I went. But when I needed help, resources, or advice I always got it. I worked on developing tools for the VDC department to use in Revit. My favorite one was a Hanger Placement tool. For any given section of pipe, it allows the user to highlight that pipe and automatically place the hangers that they have specified based off a spreadsheet. It took me several weeks to fully develop but was very satisfying to accomplish. Later when I visited sites like Project Kansas, I could see these hundreds of hangers in person and better understand how my tool helped designers. As someone studying computer science, I knew very little about the construction industry coming in. While here, I learned the basics of how we model projects, what being a construction contractor entails, and how the company works top down.

Ryley Besler, P1 Construction, Reporting to Senior Project Manager Caleb Smith
Throughout this experience, I didn't meet a single person who wasn't willing to explain something to me if I asked. They were more than willing to stop what they were doing to help. And the exposure to different types of construction is something I don't think a lot of internships provide. A big misconception I had was that the electrical trade was just conduit, conductors, panels and transformers. I didn't think of things like IO Modulus and PLC's. Just seeing the complexity of the electrical trade has blown my mind. My favorite projects were Emerson jobs with Caleb Smith, and Reser's with Jared Brock. With both of those projects I was “turned loose” and allowed to be productive using my skills while also improving on my weaknesses. Seeing the inside of Reser's was mind-boggling, and I can’t believe how well Bryce and Jordan know that place inside and out!

Alex Scheier, P1 Construction, Reporting to Operations Managers Danny Farnan and Rick Drake
The best part about being an intern at P1 this summer has been getting to see all of the moving parts that make a construction project come to life. We have been able to visit vendors and unions, learn about estimating, safety, and project management through audits and job site visits. I've learned how to estimate a project, submit a bid, and create a budget - all the things that need to happen before a project even begins.
The internship will help because I have gained an insight into how I, as an engineer, can make the jobs of construction workers easier. My favorite project to work on has been the KU football stadium. It’s a large project I can look at years from now and be proud of the part I played in its completion.