Bridging the Gap Between College and Business
By investing in future professionals, FWF helps bridge the gap between education and career success.
Fifth Wheel Freight (FWF), a third-party logistics and transportation company based out of Grand Rapids, was founded in 2012 by Brian Bennett. Since then, it has continually ranked as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America. In 2015, the business expanded its headquarters from Lansing to Grand Rapids. One major reason for moving their operations to West Michigan was the abundance of quality young professionals with a passion for success, like those from Grand Valley State University.
Brian Bennett, FWF owner and Executive Chairman, continually emphasizes the value of university partnerships and community investment to his internal teams. "The core of what we do boils down to service, and a large piece of that is service to our community," Bennett said. "In this community, it's easy to connect the dots back to Grand Valley.
Internship Opportunities
To tap into the student talent pool at Grand Valley, FWF began offering paid internships to students from all backgrounds and majors. “A lot of folks who come into this industry don’t have sales or supply chain degrees,” Kelsey Orchard, Director of Marketing and Communications at FWF, and a GVSU grad herself, shared. "What FWF looks for in interns is the passion to learn and the determination to succeed. And with those traits, the sky is the limit."
Internship opportunities like this bridge the gap between textbook knowledge and the real-world experiences many students are faced with upon graduation. For Jared Woodside, Director of University Partnerships at FWF, providing experiential learning to Grand Valley students is a highlight of his job. “We can be a bridge for resume review, cold call practice, and other kinds of professional advice to assist university faculty in polishing students and preparing them for the professional world,” Woodside said. “We truly love to help develop students.”
Future Focused
FWF took their commitment to Grand Valley and to the West Michigan talent pipeline a step further by becoming the lead donor of the Seidman Experiential Learning Lab. Through practice with faculty, staff, and community partners like FWF, students will leave the lab gaining interpersonal engagement, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, communication techniques, and collaborative teamwork experience. “The learning lab gives students access to our team for free,” Orchard said, “we want to be a reliable resource.”
With the speed at which business technology advances, providing hands-on experience to students is just as essential as lectures and textbooks are. By bringing current business professionals onto campus, the learning lab will benefit students and faculty alike.
“We’re giving students another opportunity to build themselves up professionally,” Woodside said, “through their sales prowess or just through knowledge in general.”
For Grand Valley students, learning is a lifelong pursuit that encompasses the classroom and beyond. FWF’s efforts to provide experiential learning opportunities to students through their internship program and through the Seidman Experiential Learning Lab help Grand Valley graduates navigate the world of business in West Michigan.
“The people who succeed here have that internal fire,” Orchard said. “As long as you have that, it’s a win-win situation.”