Casey’s Tour: An Inside Look for Two Students

An inside look at Casey’s

What do Casey’s, Communication Studies, the last name Cooney, and collegiates all have in common? Besides all starting with the letter ‘c’ all four were linked together in a recent unique event. Shane Cooney, current employee at Casey’s corporate office in Ankeny, recently hosted a tour of Casey’s Store Support Center for two collegiates from Communication Studies. Shane is an alumnus of the Communication Studies program who wanted to pay it forward to help current students in his program so they could learn more about communication in his corporation. Shane tells us, “I truly enjoy serving others when I can.” This desire led to Shane’s offer to host two of the program’s current students at his workplace. (Note: Shane also participated in our Speed Networking Event earlier that semester!)

Who were the students and how was their experience?

Madison Lewis and Elena Heerema were selected by the Communication Studies program for this very special visit. They found the inside look at Casey’s corporation to be both meaningful and eye-opening. Madison gave props to Shane, saying, “I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to tour Casey’s headquarters in Ankeny. Shane Cooney was an exceptional tour guide, ensuring we were comfortable and maximizing our experience.” Elena likewise shared affirmation for Shane’s work as host, telling us, “Shane was such a passionate, enthusiastic, and well-informed tour guide. He offered great insights and gave life career road tips.”

Shane shared some specifics with us about this visit, as he took a moment to expand on how he planned this event, telling us: “When deciding what would be most useful for the students, I considered what I would have liked when I was their age. Applying and interviewing will be very important for them in the coming years, so I arranged for them to meet two of our very talented recruiters. Since they’re majoring in Communication Studies, I also thought meeting our HR Communications Specialist would be interesting and helpful. Finally, both had an interest in HR in general, so I arranged for them to meet one of our experienced HRBP’s.”

One-of-a-kind culture

Shane’s aim was to provide Madison and Elena with an inside look at communication in a corporation to aid them as they prepare to enter the workforce equipped as experts in the practice of human communication. Madison attests that this goal was met, stating: “Throughout the tour, we gained a lot of insight regarding interviewing, resumes, and negotiating salaries. These lessons, coupled with the one-of-a-kind culture of Casey’s, made the experience very special.”

Because Casey’s is a well-known organization in central Iowa, and communication in organizations is an important focus of the courses and learning provided in the Communication Studies program, this tour seemed like a perfect match. Elena Heerema greatly appreciated the inside look at communication in a local organization, saying, “Company culture and values were something I’d never really considered as crucial, but different facets were stressed in such fascinating ways that now I don’t think I’ll ever be able to ignore the culture of a prospective job.” In addition, Elena highlighted for us how she now understands that the communication theories, concepts and skills she is learning in her courses in Communication Studies are directly applicable as she enters the workforce, declaring, “The Casey’s Store Support Center tour was amazing! All five people with whom we spoke heavily emphasized building soft and transferable skills, and that is particularly helpful to me as I begin to venture into the professional world.”

Thank you, and an alumni opportunity

We want to express our sincere appreciation to Shane Cooney and Casey’s for providing this collaborative behind-the-scenes tour. Shane’s tour is another example of the altruistic actions of the exemplary alumni of our program, who are always finding new ways to give back to their alma mater major and to aid our current Communication Studies students. Shane’s inside look at Casey’s, combined with the excellence of this company, made such an impression upon Madison that she closed by saying: “Now, whenever I see a Casey’s convenience store, I’ll always be reminded of the wonderful people that have made the Casey’s company such a success!”

To all our Communication Studies alumni out there, we invite you to consider hosting current students from our program for an inside look at communication in your organization! Shane tells us he truly enjoyed this experience, stating, “Overall, it was a great time showing them around the building, introducing them to leaders and team members, and sharing the amazing culture that Casey’s has created!”

Any Communication Studies alum interested in hosting a career tour for a small group of the program’s current students should contact our alumni coordinator Dr. Todd Jenks (drjenks@iastate.edu).