Internship Highlight: Zach Whyte

Zach Whyte is a third-year double major in supply chain and information systems and accounting at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. This summer, he’s gaining hands-on experience in logistics operations as a Transportation and Logistics Management Intern with NFI Industries. Read on to learn more about Zach’s role, the tools he’s using, and the lessons he’s taking with him into the future.

Tell us about your internship – what company are you working with, and what kind of projects or responsibilities are you taking on this summer? 

This summer, I’m interning with NFI in the Transportation Management department. I've been heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of one of their largest accounts. My responsibilities include generating daily carrier reports and resolving any issues, developing business analytics dashboards, contributing to process automation initiatives, and supporting a variety of ongoing operational tasks. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with the team, where I have gained valuable hands-on experience in real-world logistics operations and learning how to respond to challenges as they happen.

What tools, technologies, or platforms are you using in your internship, and how are they helping you learn or solve problems?

At NFI, I’ve worked with a range of tools including Power BI, 3GTMS, Excel, Google Suite, and Slack. I have used Power BI and Excel to help me organize, analyze, and automate data reporting processes. I’ve become well-versed in 3GTMS, a transportation management system that has given me a deeper insight into the logistics of freight movement. Additionally, learning to use Google Suite and Slack effectively has helped me stay organized and communicate efficiently across teams. I’ve also picked up professional email management and thread organization techniques, which are skills I’ll definitely carry with me back to school and into my future career. 

What have you learned so far during your internship that surprised you or challenged your expectations of the supply chain field?

One of the biggest surprises was how critical communication is in the supply chain world. Throughout my internship, I’ve had to coordinate with carriers, shippers, receivers, customers, and internal team members to resolve various issues. I’ve seen firsthand how miscommunication can lead to avoidable problems, which taught me the importance of clear, consistent, and proactive communication. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is to over communicate when resolving issues and never assume anything. 

How do you think this internship experience will impact your future career goals?

This experience has been incredibly impactful in shaping my career goals. I’ve developed a range of professional and technical skills while increasing my industry knowledge that will help me moving forward. Experience using common tools and software has made me more confident and capable in a professional setting. I’ve also learned how to navigate a corporate environment and practice business etiquette. The knowledge I’ve gained at NFI has helped me connect classroom concepts to real-world applications, and I’m excited to bring that perspective back to my studies at Penn State and think about how what I am learning can be applied to real-world situations. Beyond that, I’ve built strong daily habits—like waking up early and staying productive—that I hope to maintain long after this internship ends. 

If your internship experience had a theme song or motto, what would it be and why?

My motto for this internship experience is something my manager always uses to describe working in logistics, "control the chaos". Coming into this opportunity, I thought logistics was just moving something from point A to point B, but it is really about controlling the chaos between point A and B and after being here a short time I can say there is always a lot of chaos. There is always something new every day.