By Andrew VanderLaan
If I could give future interns one piece of advice, it’s this: When you step into Kent, be ready to run.
I came to Kent as a marketing intern, thinking I understood deadlines and content writing. What I didn’t understand was what it meant to market for a top-five trade contractor. In this world, the stakes are different. The competition is massive. And standing out is required.
From day one, the bar was clear: Kent’s marketing is national stage storytelling. Every post, video, or feature needs to show why this company is in motion and why you want to work with—or for—us. I learned quickly that “good enough” doesn’t live here. The team pushed me every step of the way to sharpen my writing and think beyond the DFW market I was sitting in. The key was repeating the question: How does this piece move Kent forward?
This meant taking simple project updates and turning them into narratives about scale and expertise. It meant learning to capture what Kent does AND why it matters in the race to win work against some of the biggest players in the industry. It meant ensuring every blog post and caption stood out in a sea of billion-dollar competitors.
Finessing my work to meet the standard was the most rewarding part of the gig. I gained experience marketing in a world where growth is the goal, and the speed never lets up. I learned that great content starts with curiosity, gets refined by high standards, and earns attention because it’s rooted in real people doing work they’re proud of.
To the next intern: if you want comfort, this isn’t it. But if you want to grow, to test yourself against a high bar, and to walk away knowing you’ve helped a company with a national footprint grow even bigger, this is the place.
Kent doesn’t, and won’t, slow down. Once you’ve had a taste of moving at this pace, you won’t want to either.
