A Time of Learning and Growth

• Featherlite
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• News

September 10, 2026 - This past summer, Featherlite welcomed four interns to its team: Tristan Farber, Dylan Schultz, Mitchell Schmauss and Randy Fravel. Representing different colleges and backgrounds, the interns brought fresh perspectives and new ideas to Featherlite.

"We focused on hiring intern candidates who had a genuine passion for the products we make," Director of Human Resources Shannon Westin said. "We've found that the most successful people in their careers with us have some level of passion for our products, whether they're interested in racing, trucks, trailers or something similar. That passion really drives success and innovation, and it was something we looked for throughout the interview process."

Throughout their internships, each intern had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, work alongside Featherlite employees and contribute to projects that supported the company's ongoing initiatives. Here's a look at Featherlite's 2026 summer interns and some of the work they took on during their time at Featherlite.

Dylan Schultz | Industrial Engineering
College: Iowa State University

Dylan Schultz joined Featherlite as an industrial engineering intern while pursuing his degree at Iowa State University. Dylan chose industrial engineering because he enjoys the systematic approach to solving problems and the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects.

During his internship, Dylan worked closely with Featherlite's industrial engineering team and gained firsthand experience with the processes and challenges involved in a manufacturing environment. His key projects included automating the interiors schedule, extrusion optimization and completing 5S projects.

Dylan also played a key role in organizing and optimizing the space in the Plant 2 Machining Center. This included creating improved magnetic labels for materials in the warehouse portion of Plant 2 to make organization and identification more efficient.
In addition, Dylan had the opportunity to work with the new FOM machine and help prepare for the arrival of Featherlite's new laser cutter.

"This is my first internship, so I didn't have a great idea of what actual engineering was like so getting this hands on experience and learning a lot about manufacturing and just how the whole process works is going to be a huge help for my future career," Dylan said.

The internship allowed Dylan to build on what he has learned at Iowa State while developing new skills through real-world projects and collaboration with the Featherlite team.

"At college we do a lot of team-based projects and that's definitely translated over to my internship here at Featherlite," Dylan said. "You're always working with other people whether it be operators, fellow engineers; it really takes a whole lot of people to get a project done."

Randy Fravel | Mechanical Engineering
College: Iowa State University

Randy Fravel returned to his hometown of Cresco this summer while completing his internship at Featherlite. A mechanical engineering student at Iowa State University, Randy has developed a particular interest in 3D CAD modeling and has gained hands-on engineering experience through his involvement with Iowa State's SAE Baja team.

At Featherlite, Randy put his engineering skills to work on projects that focused on improving processes, products and the overall manufacturing experience. He also came into the internship with a little more familiarity with Featherlite than the other interns as his father has worked at the company as a welder for more than 30 years.

One of Randy's projects involved extrusion optimization, where he worked alongside fellow intern Dylan Schultz to identify ways to optimize extrusion profiles for the new FOM machine, with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing material waste.

He also worked on improving the rear frame on the 8191 stock boxes, which included manufacturing the frame on the FOM. Another project involved designing a new welding table for the Model 4400 Series escape doors, and he also designed a sheet prep station for the interiors team. Randy also collaborated with Dylan on magnetic part labels for the warehouse.

"I've enjoyed the experience of seeing all the different sides of the plant and learning all the different processes of welding, machining and assembling," Randy said.

His internship provided an opportunity to see how the engineering concepts he has studied in college are applied in a manufacturing environment and gave him additional experience to take with him as he returns to college and into his future career.

"Growth wise it's been really great working as teams, working with Dylan and Tristan and going out to the floor and talking to operators and everybody," Randy said. "Everybody was definitely willing to help when I asked, and it was really great seeing that."

Tristan Farber | Engineering Technology Management
College: University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Tristan Farber joined Featherlite as a design engineering intern while pursuing his degree in engineering technology management at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, with emphases in drafting and construction management and a minor in business administration.

Tristan originally began college as a mechanical engineering major before discovering that he preferred the hands-on problem-solving side of engineering. His coursework and involvement with Formula SAE have given him experience with engineering decision-making, material selection, component analysis and validation. His internship at Featherlite provided his first opportunity to work in a design engineering role in an industry setting.

During his internship, Tristan focused on standard horse and livestock trailers. His projects centered on strengthening the connection between engineering and manufacturing, identifying opportunities for design improvements and cost savings, and improving engineering processes, standardization and future design capabilities.

One of his key projects was working on the 3D model development for the Model 8127 livestock trailers. Through this project, in addition to advancing Featherlite's opportunity for future 3D modeling, Tristan was able to identify opportunities to improve manufacturing and product quality.

Tristan also reviewed horse and stock trailers to identify opportunities to standardize components. The project ultimately focused on the hitch, with the goal of reducing costs, minimizing the number of part numbers and identifying components that could be stocked through automated min-max inventory systems rather than made to order.

"It's been really fun, and I'm glad that I've been able to provide hopefully something that's meaningful," Tristan said.

Through his time at Featherlite, Tristan was able to apply the technical skills he developed through school while gaining a better understanding of a career in design engineering in a manufacturing environment.

"I think the biggest thing that I've learned is communicating with the shop floor and realizing that the shop floor people are some of the most important and knowledgeable people when it comes to your manufacturing process and being able to go to them as a resource," Tristan said.

Mitchell Schmauss | Finance & AI
College: University of Northern Iowa

Mitchell Schmauss brought a business-focused perspective to Featherlite this summer as a finance and AI student at the University of Northern Iowa. His interest in business and the stock market led him to pursue his field of study, and his internship gave him an opportunity to explore the corporate side of the business and gain firsthand experience in accounting and finance.

During his internship, Mitchell worked on a variety of projects that gave him a better understanding of how accounting and financial information support different areas of Featherlite's business. His responsibilities included data entry, daily summary reports and invoicing projects.

One of Mitchell's favorite projects was a fixed asset project. He took inventory of the welders throughout the facility and organized the information into an Excel spreadsheet. Mitchell particularly enjoyed creating and organizing the information and having the opportunity to take ownership of the project and work through it independently.

Mitchell also worked on an efficiency tracking project, helping track efficiency and identify opportunities for improvement across Featherlite's production lines.

"I really enjoy the accounting and finance side of things, so the internship has helped me in in the corporate and professional side of things, and it has helped me pay attention to the finer, smaller details because one detail messed up could really impact a big project," Mitchell said.

His time at Featherlite gave Mitchell a broader understanding of the business world while allowing him to develop skills and gain experience that he can carry forward throughout his college career.

Building Experience for the Future
The interns' fresh perspectives and willingness to learn made them valuable additions to the Featherlite team throughout the summer.

"Mitchell was a great asset to our finance team," Accounting Supervisor Jordyn Thomas said. "He was able to take a project, run with it and work independently while always maintaining a positive attitude. His willingness to learn and take ownership of his work made him a valuable part of the team."

Director of Engineering Ryan Johnson said, "Internships are important because they give us an opportunity to bring in new talent, develop the next generation of employees and keep Featherlite moving forward. At the same time, our interns bring fresh perspectives and new ideas that help us improve our processes and products."

"What's impressed me the most about our interns this year is not only the impactful projects that they were doing, but it's also the motivation, the work ethic and the willingness to want to perform to their max potential throughout their short time that we had them here with us," Industrial Engineering Manager Blake Lawston said.