Former Intern Models Success for Next Generation
Darrin Cotton, district supervisor for White Castle Systems, Inc., knows how to climb the corporate ladder. As his company’s point person for more than two dozen young people hired through Youth Ready Chicago last summer, the 27-year-old serves as an excellent role model for the next generation of successful businesspeople.
Although Darrin is advancing through his company’s chain of command at a relatively young age, he would tell you that everyone who works for White Castle’s legendary Slyder® hamburger enterprise or its manufacturing operation serving brands from Bosch to Maytag has the exact same opportunity.
White Castle began recruiting employees for locations throughout Chicagoland through Mayor Daley’s Youth Ready Chicago in 2000, and has since hired hundreds of kids ages 16 to 21. Most of the interns have remained with the company in one capacity or another.
“About 97 percent of our Summer Jobs kids stay with us, both as permanent employees and when they go to college,” Darrin said. “Some are managers now. One is an assistant general manager. Last year, we built a new location near Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, and we have a former intern who now works there during the school year and in Chicago near her home during college breaks.”
There are many similar examples. The company keeps all of their college students on the payroll so they can return to work during spring and winter breaks to help pay for school, Darrin said.
The jobs offered by White Castle through the Summer Jobs Program have set many bright futures in motion. “With the exception of perhaps the legal department, every promotion at White Castle is from within,” Darrin said. “You have to have worked somewhere in the company to advance to another area.”
After obtaining employment through the Summer Jobs Program, first at a community health center and then at the Chicago Park District, Darrin began working for White Castle at age 16. By 18, he was a general manager, overseeing an entire operation with about 40 employees. In January of 2008, Darrin was promoted to district supervisor.
All of the young employees begin as “team members” in the company’s fast-food restaurants. They are trained to perform a variety of tasks, including running the cash register, food preparation, interacting with internal and external customers, and janitorial work.
In addition to the guidance the interns receive from supervisors on the job, White Castle’s area managers often dedicate time to personally show young employees opportunities for growth within the company and what a day in the life of a boss is like.
“We like to spend a day with the kids. They get to drive around in the car with a district supervisor and area manager, visit our regional office, visit the warehouse,” Darrin said. “We believe in giving back to the communities we serve – working with people who patronize our business. Without our customers we wouldn’t be here.”
The company plans to stay involved with Youth Ready Chicago, Darrin said. In fact, he’s hoping to hire even more interns next year.