At Associated Asphalt, we believe in investing our time in the workforce of tomorrow. We make connections with the rising workforce by offering internship opportunities to local college students seeking to get real-life experience at a large corporation. This summer, we hosted two interns in Roanoke; one at our corporate headquarters and another at our Roanoke terminal. Get to know Marla and Thomas and hear about their experiences during their time at Associated Asphalt.

Meet Marla Moock, Operations Intern

Marla Moock spent her summer as an intern in the Operations department at our Roanoke Terminal. As a Virginia Western Community College student, she’s double majoring in Mechatronics and Science and plans to graduate next Spring. While Marla works locally, her work impacts the smooth operation of all of Associated Asphalt’s terminals across the Eastern United States. Her biggest project has been updating and organizing inspection sheet timelines for all of the terminals to make sure that all equipment and safety measures are meeting standards.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but it’s been a really great experience,” says Marla. “Everyone is really helpful and I feel like I’m actually making an impact with my tasks.”

Outside of her internship, Marla continues to use her keen interest in science at the Science Museum of Southwest Virginia. She works as a museum attendant and even has her own exhibit on display. Marla leverages her knowledge of chemistry and biology to grow colorful crystals on organic matter like cow skulls and starfish. We can’t wait to see what amazing work she’ll be able to do after graduation!

Meet Thomas Gibson, IT Intern

Thomas Gibson has been supporting our Information Technology team as an intern while pursuing his Associates degree in Networking and Cyber Security at Virginia Western. In this role, he supports IT with minor troubleshooting issues surrounding employee computers, network integration, and has been onboarding new computers for use as part of our technology upgrade initiative.

“I’ve really enjoyed assisting the team with small issues and having the opportunity to find ways to prevent them rather than just fix them,” says Thomas.

Thomas’s interest in computers sparked in high school when he was introduced to CISCO network configuration. The way computers can be customized and set up to communicate in different ways was the kind of challenge Thomas was interested in pursuing. He is set to graduate this December and we wish him the best of luck in his future career!