The city of Indianapolis is fortunate to be home to many fine institutions of higher education, such as the University of Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Marion University to name just a few. Though, at Level365, we have a special love for Butler University. In addition to its being a cornerstone and integral part of the Indianapolis landscape; it has a beautiful, centrally located campus and a great basketball team with back-to-back Final Fours in 2010 & 2011. Our COO & Partner, Tom Burdick, and our President & Founder, Jim Johnston strategically seek Butler students that will accelerate the company vision forward. However, without the Butler University internship program, Level365 may have never been…
The Butler Ties That Bind
Part of the Level365 story ties directly to the Butler internship program through the Lacy School of Business. In 2000, Tom Burdick was a senior at Butler and participated in the internship program through the school. Jim Johnston had started a company called DSLIndiana and found himself in need of extra help; realizing that it would be the perfect real-life learning environment for an intern. The internship went so well that Jim decided to hire Tom as the company’s first, official full-time employee; even before Tom had graduated.
In 2005, the two went separate ways to pursue different professional interests. However, they kept in touch because of a strong friendship that had formed from working together. It was the previous broadband internet customers from DSLIndiana that kept Jim and Tom connected professionally. These customers wanted recommendations for business voice service and wanted it from the two people they trusted. The team was completed by Sean Cheesman, who had worked previously with Jim at an Information Technology firm. The discussion to form Level365 was quickly underway.
Over the past several years, Level365 has transformed into a cloud-based, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) offering to businesses through enterprise voice solutions. Level365 provides complete, customized, and scalable solutions. These solutions seamlessly integrate your voice communication needs among desk phones, computers, and mobile devices.
The Butler Internship Program at Level365
Fast-forward to the Fall of 2017, the Butler internship program has come full circle with Level365 hiring our first two interns from Butler’s Lacy School of Business. In addition to providing them a holistic view of a successful and growing small business, we also tasked them with specific goals. One intern is responsible for research to expand our brand. The other tracked, coordinated, and curated our Social Media efforts. Even though more than 15 years have passed since Tom was an intern, it feels comfortable, familiar and natural for the company to host interns through Butler. The program is a win-win for both the students and Level365. Students are given hands-on, real-life experience and Level365 benefits from a fresh perspective, a willingness to learn and new ideas.
Level365 is continuing the Butler internship legacy. Each semester since, the company brought on board two interns. We’re excited about what’s in store for the upcoming semesters, and the future of our internship program overall.
Our interns have done a fabulous job! We are looking forward to replicating another intern success story like the one that ties Tom and Jim together and is such a core part of our company story. Go DAWGS!
About Level365: Level365 offers a complete Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution with
