Drew Schultz was lost.
For most of his life, Drew, a senior at Northwood University, could count on two certainties: baseball and farming.
And while both remain huge parts of his life – Drew is a pitcher for Northwood’s baseball team and his family owns D & D Schultz Farms in Linwood, Michigan – the question of what he should do with his life post-college twisted into a question mark.
“I was so lost,” Drew admitted. “I knew I loved baseball, but the chances of me going pro were less than one percent. My parents were like, ‘You’ve got to have a backup plan.’ So, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll study business,’ but I didn’t know what I actually wanted to do.”
Then he became an intern at Garber Management Group.
Now he’s found the career path he wants to pursue for the rest of his life.
Farm to Field to Road
Drew is no stranger to hard work. He grew up on the family farm.
“We farm cash crops, so I worked for my family, which was nice,” he said. “There were three generations working at once. Working at the farm taught me a lot about work ethic.”
After high school graduation, Drew used his deeply ingrained work ethic and athletic skills to secure a spot on the Delta College baseball team. He also earned an Associate’s Degree in Business.
Then he caught the attention of Northwood University’s baseball program. He received an offer to join the team as a pitcher.
While playing baseball was a no-brainer, a big question lingered in the back of his mind.
“I was excited about playing baseball, but I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I decided to pursue a General Management degree. But it felt like a scary situation: not knowing what to do with my life. I said to myself, ‘OK, you need to figure this out. It’s time to grow up.’”
Taking a Chance
With uncertainty of what career path to pursue haunting him every day, Drew scrolled through LinkedIn.
That’s when he saw that Garber was looking for interns.
“I had already known about Garber because I live right down the road from the Linwood dealership, and I’d always heard it was a great company,” Drew said. “I thought, ‘Alright, let’s just throw a resume at this.’”
Two weeks later, Drew landed an interview with Erika Ardouin (Director of Recruiting) and Ty Mier (Controller).
Drew said he was immediately impressed.
“My first impression of the company was that they were honest and genuine,” he said. “They told me what to expect. They had great values. I was like, ‘If leadership in this company is this honest and genuine, then it has to be a great company.’ The first 10 minutes weren’t even about the internship. It was about me: who I was, where I came from, baseball. They cared about me and I didn’t even have the internship.”
Drew got hired on as a summer intern from June to August 2021. He didn’t know what to expect, but he was ready for anything.
“I Was Meant to be Here”
To put it simply: Drew liked his internship at Garber. A lot.
“I fell in love with this company,” he said. “I was able to see where I fit into the organization. This internship is the better version of school. Interning here gives you the most real-life, hands-on experience. It honestly leaves me speechless how great it has been. It’s the best experience I could have asked for.”
As a summer intern, Drew rotated two weeks in different areas of the company. He was able to rotate throughout departments to see every facet of the Garber organization, including:
- Payables
- Receivables
- Legal
- Deal Team
- Dealership locations
At the Garber Chevrolet Midland dealership, Drew job-shadowed nearly every position, including: lot car manager, new car salesman, used car sales associate, sales manager, customer service and F&I. He also washed and detailed cars.
He loved it all.
“It blew the doors open for me as far as opportunities for growth,” he said. “It made me realize all of the opportunities that are available here. Across the board, everyone seems to love the culture and what this company stands for. It’s so consistent.”
He said Garber internships really allow interns to see the big picture.
“As an intern, you get to see the company from the inside out AND the outside in,” he said. “An internship at Garber is amazing. It’s about seeing the big picture of Garber. They’re so good with customers. At Garber, you know it’s going to be handled and handled right.”
Now that he is graduating, what’s next for Drew? Does he still feel uncertain about his future?
“I can’t see myself anywhere else now,” he said. “I fell in love with this company. It makes you want to get up in the morning. The company helped me find my way in life. I was honestly so stressed and unsure about my future. Garber helped take a huge monkey off my back.”
