This has been one wild and crazy summer at Roundpeg. I can’t believe it’s already August. In just a few days our interns will be back in school and things will change all over again as we move into the fall.

As my first summer (as a Vice President) at Roundpeg draws to a close, I wanted to look back at the last three months and reflect. I have learned so much about this job, myself, and the people I’m in the trenches with every day.

This summer started off with a bang. The company is growing so fast, we brought on an unprecedented four interns, each with their own unique talents:

Emily Beck was our PR intern, and a great counterbalance to all of our worrying all summer. In addition to interning here, Emily took several classes at IUPUI. Her ability to balance work and school really impressed me.

Heather Ousley, our graphic design intern, came onto the team as a highly sought-after free agent in the middle of the summer. Since joining Roundpeg, Heather has seamlessly integrated herself into the fiber of the company. She has done a fantastic job not only assisting Taylor with graphic design work, but also never being afraid to branch out and learn new things or ask questions.  (We are excited she will continue part time through the fall semester as well.)

Dan “Baby D” Lipson was a great addition to the team this year. Even though he’s only in high school, Dan was able to spearhead both video and Facebook fan page marketing efforts. We couldn’t have asked for a better “first high-school intern”.

And finally, my pride and joy, Kelly Rogers, was our marketing intern. Kelly showed up in May excited and willing to do whatever we asked, and hasn’t stopped since. She’s has take on each challenge with a positive attitude and even branched out and worked directly with our Vice President of PR, Allison, on public relations projects.

I would like to think we taught the interns a thing or two, but in the end, I think I learned much more from them than they learned from me. I learned how to teach, how to manage, and how to levy criticism with praise. I think Taylor and Allison learned some of the same things.  Neither Allison or I had much management experience before the summer, but Taylor-the consummate professional was always there to show me better ways to lead.

There were times this summer that things got crazy…really crazy. Whether it was the overwhelming amount of projects, technical failures, or growing pains which come with being part of a fast-rising company…everything brought us closer.

When my back was against the wall, Allison was at my door offering words of encouragement. When I got stressed out over a deadline, Taylor would never let me lose perspective. And that, folks, is the very definition of a team.

We’re wrapping up the summer next week with a company trip to Bub’s Burgers. Bub’s offers a one-pound burger  I will tackle in an attempt to become a Carmel legend. I’m looking forward to ending the summer with a bang. Whether it was Adventures in Dining, a Facebook fan contest, or designing a photo reenactment of Taylor’s close encounter at the State Fair, I’ll always look back fondly on this summer. And I hope the rest of the team will, too.