From plant equipment to inventory control, APAC Mississippi/Tennessee interns spent the summer examining ways to make everyday operations more efficient. They shared those findings Aug. 4 at the 2026 CRH Midsouth Intern Presentations in Flowood, Mississippi.
The event brought together interns from APAC Mississippi/Tennessee, APAC Alabama and Barriere Construction to present projects based on the work they completed throughout the summer. The agenda also included a safety minute and an “Internship to Industry” panel.
The two days began Monday evening with a social hour and dinner, giving interns and company leaders time to connect before the presentations the next morning.
Four APAC Mississippi/Tennessee interns took the stage with projects tied to different parts of the business:
- Ayden Thompson, a construction engineering student at Louisiana Tech University, evaluated sand pump performance to find ways to improve equipment efficiency.
- Rylan Outlaw, a Mississippi State University civil engineering student, studied Astec’s Dropzone camera system and its potential to improve loadout safety and reduce downtime.
- Laine Dupuis, who is studying finance at Louisiana Tech University, compared stripping operations, focusing on production, fuel use and equipment performance.
- Cal Strait, a supply chain management major at Western Kentucky University, studied how increasing inventory drone flights could improve data consistency and reduce variances.
The program opened with a safety minute from Barriere Safety Intern Madelyn Toole, followed by a welcome from Paul Albrecht, Director of Training and Development. Intern presentations took place in two sessions, with an “Internship to Industry” panel between them.
APAC Alabama interns Evan Taylor and Matthew Hetzman presented projects focused on project handoffs and electrical phase monitoring.
Barriere Construction interns Adrian Yocupicio-Romero, Bailey Anderson, Rhett Bordelon, Anthony Fernandez, Tyler Clark, Brayden Perrin and Madelyn Toole also presented. Their projects covered fuel allocation, equipment idling, fleet maintenance, Rototilt attachments, employee training, automated start-stop systems and safety preparedness.
For APAC Mississippi/Tennessee’s interns, the event provided a final opportunity to share the results of a summer spent working through real operational questions and developing recommendations based on what they observed in the field.
Congratulations to our 2026 APAC Mississippi/Tennessee interns on completing the summer program and representing the company at this year’s Midsouth presentations.