Meijer brings career pathways and people-first leadership to CMU students

Students recently had the opportunity to meet with Meijer Human Resources Market Manager Courtnie Sanchez, who visited Grawn Hall to talk with business students about the wide range of internships and early-career roles available across the company. From corporate offices to store leadership to supply chain operations, Sanchez emphasized that Meijer looks for students ready to learn, lead, and make an impact in the communities they serve.

Founded in 1934 and still family owned four generations later, Meijer has grown into one of the largest privately owned companies in the United States, operating nearly 500 locations across six states—including stores, distribution centers, and express locations.

“We’re now on our 4th generation of the Meijer family being involved in our organization,” Sanchez said. “We try to be a one-stop shop and keep everything in-house so we only answer to ourselves on if we’re making the right decision.”

Understanding a uniquely structured, privately owned business

During her visit, Sanchez shared how Meijer’s ownership and structure offer students a different kind of business learning experience.

“Privately owned allows you the ability to see what doing the right things for the right reason based on your own profit lines look like versus working through a publicly traded company,” she said. “It gives you the difference of businesses. You see a lot more public companies than private companies these days, and you learn what those nuances are.”

Because Meijer maintains its own creamery, nut processing center, bakery, supply chain network, merchandising teams, and more, students gain exposure to the full lifecycle of a retail operation—from sourcing and logistics to finance, marketing, and store leadership.

Sanchez noted that this structure gives interns a broader view of how business decisions are made and how different departments work together.

Internships across retail, corporate, and supply chain

Meijer offers summer internships for juniors and seniors, including students graduating in the upcoming summer.

Roles fall into two main categories:

Retail internships — Store leadership and operations

Students work directly in Meijer stores, learning day-to-day operations, people leadership, customer engagement, merchandising, and decision-making at the store level.

Corporate internships — Grand Rapids campus

These internships span more than 20 departments, including:

• Finance
• Accounting
• Legal
• Human resources
• Merchandising
• Supply chain
• Marketing
• IT and data-focused areas

“Right now on our job platforms at jobs.meijer.com, we have all the internships available—whether that is something that you’re interested in from a corporate aspect or working within the field,” Sanchez said.

In addition to hands-on learning, interns complete a real project, gain leadership skills, and meet with Meijer executives throughout the summer.

“You hear right from our CEO, who started as an intern at Meijer,” Sanchez said. “He was a pharmacy intern and is now our CEO and president. You’ll hear from a vice president who started as a cart pusher and is now second in command. And you get to meet someone from the Meijer family. That elevates the experience.”

 A company rooted in service and community impact

Sanchez emphasized that Meijer’s long-standing commitment to community investment is central to the organization’s mission.

“We donate at least 6% of our profits every year back into the communities that we serve,” she said. “Our core focus is: are we putting into the communities more than just being somewhere to provide food and resources?”

This people-first focus is reflected internally as well—through development, mentorship, and opportunities for long-term growth.

“I was very introverted and uncomfortable interacting with people when I first started,” she shared. “The roots that I built with a company who supports building their talent, making sure they’re developing people, doing the right things for the right reason—that helped me find the right career with many different opportunities versus feeling like you have to have it all figured out.”

How to connect with Meijer

Students interested in internships or entry-level career opportunities can explore openings at: jobs.meijer.com

Internship positions for summer 2026 are currently open, and Meijer continues to be a strong CMU campus partner—providing students with access to leadership, mentorship, and hands-on business experience across one of the Midwest’s most recognized brands.