Pioneers' Opem providing power during Internship
Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team was excited for the 2020 season; looking to build off a school record for conference wins (14) and a conference tournament appearance in 2019. Looking for more power in the middle of the line-up, second year head coach Chad Harris felt he found the piece with College of DuPage transfer Dan Opem.
Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team was excited for the 2020 season, looking to build off a school record for conference wins (14) and a conference tournament appearance in 2019. Looking for more power in the middle of the line-up, second year head coach Chad Harris felt he found the piece with College of DuPage transfer Dan Opem. The catcher from Glen Ellyn, Illinois was coming off a season at DuPage where he started 21 games, hit .418 and drove in 24 runs. Harris was expecting the electrical engineering major to provide a spark for the Pioneer offense.
The Pioneers started the season 3-3 while Opem started five games, but due to COVID-19 the season ended after the Pioneers took three games from Eureka in Memphis, Tennessee. Opem stayed focused on his academics and applied for an internship at Menards and he spent the summer in Plano, Illinois working at the Menards Distribution Center. Menards is a Wisconsin-based company that has stores in 15 states throughout the upper Midwest. It has 11 distribution centers that supply the 350 plus stores with hardware and home improvement supplies.
To be successful, student-athletes have got to be disciplined and find balance between academics and athletics. Their daily schedule involves morning or night lifts, classes, studying, practice and games. Successful student-athletes have a plan, show good time management skills and adapt when issues pop up. During the internship, Opem's time management skills and ability to adapt were tools he used often.
"Dan is going to be successful at whatever he decides to do in life," Harris said. "He's just got that leadership quality that's a characteristic that someone has or they don't. Dan definitely does."
"There was no typical day," he said. "I worked in the maintenance department which takes care of the whole cross dock and warehouse. This was everything from shipping, to receiving, to packing. When maintenance gets called it can be anything from a problem with a conveyor or an electrical panel to a broken forklift. We had issues with robot faulting and being asked to add circuits to make things run more efficiently. Things always changed and we had to adapt to the situation to fix the problem."
Playing baseball gives Opem the drive he needs during the internship and when he needs a break from school. "Being a student-athlete has given me a reason to not give up during long nights and given me a team to fall back on," he said. "If I need an escape from the classroom, it's nice to have teammates support you, even if the escape is only a few hours. Being a student-athlete has created a drive and determination to get things done and have success."
Opem's interest in electrical engineering dates back to Glenbard South High School. "Throughout high school I was involved in many circuits, computer-aided design (CAD) and wood working classes," he said. "I knew that I would end up in engineering, but it was a coach my freshman year of college who helped me to see I really enjoyed the challenge that electrical engineering brought."
Opem has only been on campus for one year, but his education in the classroom provided him with the knowledge to be successful. "My circuit classes taught me to be able to think through the series and parallel circuits," he said. "Being able to trace circuits allowed me to be helpful when it came to looking at the electrical components at Menards."
Whatever career path Opem takes, his employer will be happy. "I hope employers call me when they see Dan's resume come accross their desk," Harris said. "I'll tell them I don't care who your other applicants are, you'll be missing the boat if you don't give him a shot. Dan lifts everyone else around him up and you'll be better because you hired him."
As the summer comes to a close and students move back to school, many will make a run to the local Menards to buy cleaning supplies, tools and other things to put a stamp on their living arrangements. When Opem and his roommates make the trip, he will know that his small part in the large corporation allowed those supplies to be at the store.