A college student from Purdue University Fort Wayne has joined the staff of the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center. Mitchell VanBrocklin, who resides in Woodburn, is working part time at the center as a 2018 summer intern, assisting clients with marketing and business plans. As a graphic design major and business minor at Purdue Fort Wayne, the internship will provide an opportunity for him to acquire career-related experience and learn more about the formation and operation of a small business.

“Working at the SBDC will expose me to the many different types of businesses there are and will show me how unique each process is to the many different clients that stop by,” VanBrocklin said, noting that “I also get to use and work with what I have learned so far through my college education while introducing myself to concepts that I will learn in my years to come.” He said his ultimate career goal is working in advertising and “doing something in the ‘business of sports’ world.”

VanBrocklin grew up in the Fort Wayne area and is a 2016 graduate of Woodlan High School. He studied for one year at Marian University in Indianapolis, where he majored in marketing. While there, he participated in a group project that required him and his group to create a product to sell, write a 25-page business plan and participate in a “Shark Tank”-type competition. He transferred to Purdue Fort Wayne this spring and anticipates completing his degree in 2020.

In addition to working at the Northeast Indiana SBDC, VanBrocklin serves as a customer service associate for a local Lowe’s Home Improvement store. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, hanging out with friends and volunteering for church mission trips.