Recently out of high school, Logan was eager to begin a career path that didn’t include further education. After being referred to Peckham’s Youth Summer Employment Program, Logan jumped at the opportunity to learn job skills and began a four-week internship at the Meijer store in DeWitt. When the internship concluded, Logan went through the interviewing and background check process with Meijer and accepted a full-time position. Peckham is currently providing 90 days of retention support to ensure that Logan has a successful start to his career.
Logan attributes his seamless transition from an intern to a full-time role to the valuable insights he gained during the program. “(Peckham) helped me out with a lot of stuff I didn’t know,” he explained. “That’s… why I’m here right now.”
Logan’s work includes corralling carts from the parking lot and returning them to the store and bagging groceries and merchandise, while maintaining a cheerful, professional rapport with the customers. Notably, he’s also training to become a cashier. As he continues his career journey at Meijer, Logan’s next goal is to explore opportunities in the produce or general merchandise department.
Store Director Kristine Schaeding described Logan as spirited, energetic, and always fun and friendly. “He puts smiles on people’s faces, both from our team and customer perspective.” According to her, Logan has really blossomed since joining Meijer. “He’s come out of his shell; he’s more confident in taking on a new challenge.”
Logan’s commitment extends beyond his workplace. He aspires to contribute not only to Meijer but also to his community. He credits his parents for their unwavering support, including carving time of their busy schedules to drive him to work when necessary. Logan feels very supported by his colleagues at Meijer, and that they “want you to learn all the jobs. That’s what I did,” he continued, “and it’s worked out well for me.”
Logan believes working at Meijer has helped him mature and to become more professional. While he enjoys lighthearted joking around with his fellow team members, when it comes time to get the job done, that’s his number one priority. It therefore comes as no surprise that Logan wants his Meijer colleagues to recognize him as a hardworking individual who continuously strives for improvement.
Reflecting on his journey, Logan acknowledged that just six months ago he could not have envisioned himself working at Meijer alongside such remarkable people. As Kristine explained, the partnership between Meijer and Peckham, which began with Peckham proposing the idea of offering workforce opportunities to students, has been instrumental in helping Logan and others like him develop essential life and interpersonal skills. In her opinion, Logan’s colleagues at Meijer are learning as much from him as he is from them.
Logan’s success, coupled with Meijer’s satisfaction with how everything’s working out, is just one of the reasons Kristie said, “We’re really looking forward to being able to partner again in the future.”
