JONESBORO, Ark. — Hytrol intern, Joseph Branch has been selected as Arkansas State University’s Intern of The Year. Branch worked under Hytrol’s Manager of Process Development Ed Tanner and was tasked with creating a document management system to deliver important information to Hytrol’s employees.

“I am honored to be Arkansas State University’s first Intern of The Year. I’m very thankful that God allowed me the opportunity to receive this award and I know that I wouldn’t be in this position without Him. Special thanks to Ed Tanner for treating me as a genuine member of the Hytrol team and Natalie Shew for helping me complete the application,” said Branch.

Branch created an infrastructure that allowed over 1300 employees to easily access and locate documents directly related to their work area. The system distributes the most recent version of a document and is kept up to date with the current information.

“Joseph’s contributions are extremely beneficial to Hytrol’s inter-organizational communication and documentation processes, which directly support our company’s ability to maintain its growth. Hytrol facilitates meaningful internship experiences like these because we want both the student and the company to walk away with a real deliverable,” said Shew, Hytrol’s manager of academic partnerships and Branch’s site sponsor.

Branch is a senior in computer science at Arkansas State University, where he learned to apply his academic knowledge to the manufacturing industry.

“In my computer science classes at college, we are taught to break a problem down, figure out the steps needed to solve the given problem, and then visualize the program running. Although my internship at Hytrol wasn’t directly related to programming, I knew I could use the same thought process to tackle the challenge at hand,” said Branch.

With help from Branch, Tanner and his team were able to create the first formalized, published document management system and complementary communication structure ensuring employees have the information they needed to be successful in their jobs.

“Working with Joseph has been a privilege. He is an excellent worker and an outstanding young man. He is always open to feedback and dedicated to improving, not only our company but himself,” said Tanner.

“We want to see our students complete high impact practices, such as internships. These experiences will lead to placement in the workforce sooner. Joseph went above and beyond at Hytrol and has made a departmental and companywide impact. Career Services is extremely proud of his accomplishments”, said Arkansas State’s Career Services Director, Tiffany Johnson.

Branch will be graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and after graduation plans on pursuing a master’s degree.

For more information on Hytrol, visit www.hytrol.com.

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About Hytrol:

Hytrol designs and manufactures advanced conveyor systems for its customers. For more than 70 years, Hytrol has focused on creating innovative, customized conveyor solutions that help companies achieve their goals.