Mikaila Whenry – Marketing & Design Internship

I am Mikaila Whenry and I am currently an Interior Design/Marketing Intern at Martins Flooring. I started this semester solely as an interior design intern and it slowly evolved into me becoming heavily involved in Martins flooring social media and community communications. I work with both Cindy Beebe and Tammy Evans, alongside other co-workers in different departments to get a better understanding of all that goes into designing and installing products for homes and companies.

Martins Flooring is a company that predominantly focuses on flooring, with specialties in tile and window fixtures. Leaving me to gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of home or business. My everyday tasks can vary depending on the day or even month. When I first started I was asked to write social media posts for Martins Flooring’s Facebook. I could go around collecting anything that I wanted (if there was a sale, I would have to grab a sale item) and create a mood board, then I would do research on the items and write up a description. When I started the Fivepointville office (the one I work at) was renovating their showroom. Now that it is done, I have been given the task of writing extensive blog posts about the designs and products, while capturing photos of every element.

Early on in my internship, I was given the momentous task of helping plan Martin Flooring’s 38th-anniversary family fun day. I contacted vendors, booked activities, and gathered volunteers. I also worked on creating emails that would go out to all of Martins Flooring’s email lists. I have been allowed to sit in on some great meetings. Every Tuesday I am part of the marketing and sales meeting where Tammy and Cindy touch base for the upcoming events for the week and month. Last week I was able to attend the meeting for the Lancaster Chamber held in Martins Flooring. At this meeting, they talked about the housing crisis in Lancaster and solutions for affordable housing and growth in our community.

Although this is a lot of Marketing, I am starting to find more ways to learn about interior design. I have started shadowing meetings with the building team when they meet with clients and fellow interior designers. Through these meetings, I have had great conversations with interior designers and clients that really sparked my passion for design. I also planning on going out with the estimating team to see how they measure and draw up plans for upcoming projects.

I have truly been enjoying my time at Martins Flooring. From getting to know the staff, to learning more about different career paths and what it takes to run a business, I have already gained so much knowledge. I cannot wait to dive more into interior design, as that is still what I am planning on doing for my career. Although learning about marketing, has helped me solidify that I also want to get a greater education in business. I am sure that the future of this internship holds great things and I cannot wait to see what they are.