Intern-to-Associate Journey with Dustin Shipley

Please introduce yourself. What is your current role at Toyota? How long have you been with the company? 

Dustin: So, my name is Dustin Shipley, the Logistics Manager. I’ve been at the company for eight years. 

Dakota: I’m Dakota Mackey, and I’m the Logistics Intern. And I’ve been here since May. 

Dakota: Tell us about your Toyota internship experience. What year did you intern, and what was your role?

Dustin: Yeah, so I interned in the summer of 2018. I was in the Production Control Team. We actually had two people at the time, so we were partners throughout all of our projects. And we actually did three separate projects through packaging, transportation, and some system analysis. 

Dakota: Looking back on your internship, what were some of the most valuable lessons or experiences you gained? 

Dustin: The biggest thing is just how to be a professional. So, before coming to Toyota, I was just a manual laborer, or whatever little side job or quick gig to get some money. So, being in a professional setting, learning how to be a good contributor in meetings, how to lead meetings, how to present things in emails, and how to properly say things to people was a huge part of my learning experience as an intern.    

Dakota: What inspired you to return to Toyota after your internship experience?

Dustin: Yeah, so I wasn’t actually able to directly come back to Toyota; they didn’t have an opportunity for me. So, I had to wait nine months where I was in a different position. Good company, good people, but I learned more in the three months I was at Toyota than I did in the entire nine months I was at that company. And they had a lot. Here, we have a lot more growth opportunities and a lot more just experience and knowledge that you can gain.  

Yeah, once again, it really helped me prepare as a professional. How to lead meetings, like I said, but also gave me that foundational knowledge of about manufacturing, but TPS principles as well. So, I was able to come in, kind of hit the ground running, where as a lot of new hires, they have to struggle through that initial process of figuring out where I need to go, or how does manufacturing do, production control, or transportation, or logistics.    

Dakota: During your internship, what relationships or professional connections did you build, and how have those connections supported your career journey? 

Dustin: Yeah, so like I mentioned, I was an intern in the Production Control team. I was able to build a lot of those connections, even before I came back into the role. So, and then with that being said, a lot of those connections ended up moving to different groups within Toyota. And, I was about to continue those growth opportunities by having those connections in all those different areas.   

Dakota: What advice would you share with current or prospective Toyota interns who are looking to make the most of their experience? 

Dustin: Yeah, I say this to every intern or new hire that comes into the building, ‘Say yes.’ I like to reference the movie with Jim Carry movie Yes Man, where he just says “yes” to everything, and things just end up working out. That’s what I did. Anytime someone needed something, I would say “yes.”

“Hey, can you work on this?”

“Yes.”

“Hey, can you help with this project?” 

“Yes.”

And I said yes so many times, I think I annoyed people, and they sent me to Japan for a year! And that was a really cool experience. So, you just say yes to everything, and just try to be a sponge.  

Dakota: Dustin, thanks for sitting down with me. I really appreciate it.  

Dustin: Yeah, thank you.

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