HEAPY goes all in on UC’s talent pipeline

Halburnt is studying electrical engineering in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. But through co-ops, he divides the year between dedicated classroom instruction and full-time employment at a business in his chosen field.

Halburnt chose to work for the Dayton, Ohio-based engineering and consulting firm HEAPY, one of nearly 1,800 worldwide employers who hire UC students for co-ops and internships.

And lately HEAPY has been going all in with UC co-ops.

“We started with five co-ops in our program at five office locations. This year we’re looking at 68 co-op students and 35 are from UC,” said Meredith Smith, co-op program leader at HEAPY. “UC is our biggest pipeline for co-ops.”

HEAPY has provided engineering services for a myriad of construction projects, from fire stations to medical centers to museums and airport terminals. 

“We recruit from a wide variety of engineering disciplines,” she said.

Smith credited UC’s talented co-op advisers for making HEAPY feel like a valued business partner.

“They’ve been instrumental in building up our reputation on UC’s campus. They do a great job building relationships to make co-ops successful,” she said.

The company is such a strong believer in co-op that it opened an office in UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub where co-op students can work closer to campus, Smith said.

“That’s why we put an office in 1819 — to be closer to that talent,” she said. “The foundation of our company is co-ops.”

UC created the nation’s first co-op program in 1906. Engineering Dean Herman Schneider organized its first class of co-op students, calling it “the Cincinnati model.” It’s a recipe that has proven effective in the century that has followed as generations of students pair classroom learning with employment.

What makes a good co-op candidate?

“Hard work, genuine desire and curiosity,” Smith said. “Showing you have the work ethic. And putting yourself in situations where you’re not necessarily comfortable. That really makes for a successful co-op.”

UC student Madi Mahan worked two of her five co-op rotations at HEAPY in Columbus and Tampa, Florida.

“I’m passionate about one day becoming a project manager who looks over the entire scope of a building,” she said.

Mahan grew up in Columbus where she had a talent for math and science. She decided to study architectural engineering at UC.

“I’ve always been interested in architecture — the feeling you get when you walk into a new building,” she said. “I also like historical buildings and thinking about how they’re still standing after 800 years.”

At UC she got involved in a UC student group called the Architectural Engineering Institute, where she served as president. She traveled to two national conferences in the role.

“Very few schools outside of UC offer architectural engineering. I don’t know why because it’s pretty awesome,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do something more on the problem-solving side of engineering where you’re performing calculations.”

Previously, she worked in structural and mechanical engineering for Cincinnati-based companies Hixson Architecture, Engineering and Interiors and KZF Design and in electrical engineering for Buro Happold based in Chicago.

“I wanted to travel and I knew I could do that through UC’s co-op program,” she said. 

The best part about working in co-ops, she said, is getting the experience to make informed decisions about where to launch her career after graduation.

“I’m glad I went to UC. I saved so much time in figuring out what I want to do with my career. Now I’m confident I know what discipline I want to go into,” she said.

Co-op student Halburnt is working on HEAPY’s health care construction projects. His area of focus: mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

“I’ve always been interested in understanding what goes on behind a building’s power systems,” Halburnt said.

HEAPY has trusted him with more responsibility in each of his five co-op rotations, he said.

“I’m actually leading one project,” he said. “There are challenges that come up and you have to think about how you’re going to go about it.”

Halburnt said he likes how the practical experience at work combines with what he is learning on campus in his classes.

“It sounded good to get actual experience in work — and a break from classes,” he said.

College classmate Braden Addis, of Greenville, Ohio, is studying mechanical engineering technology. At HEAPY, he has been working on plumbing design.

Addis played sports in high school and loves going to UC football and basketball games. He chose UC because of its co-op program.

“I’m learning as much as I can on co-op,” Addis said. “It’s been a huge benefit in getting experience. And it is extremely useful to get an income because I’m paying for college.”

Featured image at top: UC co-op studentes Owen Halburnt and Braden Addis collaborate at HEAPY. Photo/Mary Dwyer/UC