Coming full circle: Purdue alumni mentor Boilermaker interns at Miller Poultry
At Miller Poultry, a broiler production company located in Northern Indiana, Purdue Agriculture alumni aren’t just building careers — they’re building futures.
Brandon Alley, service manager with Miller Poultry's sales department and animal sciences alumnus, says that "humble and hungry" are two words that are central to their core values.
“Those qualities are often found in Boilermakers. It makes Boilers a great fit at Miller,” Alley said.
With a goal to develop a quality protein product to feed people across the country, Alley and Kate Borders, animal well-being and compliance manager for Miller Poultry and an alumna of animal sciences, agree, “Poultry is the place to be.”
“People always think that to work in poultry, you must be out in the barns with the chickens, but that is not the case,” Borders said. “There are many roles in the poultry industry everything from sales, marketing, communications, finance and more.”
Along with being Boilermakers, Borders and Alley share another thing in common: a desire to prepare the next generation to pursue careers in agriculture by providing experiences and growth opportunities in the poultry industry. Their passion led to the development of the Miller Poultry Internship Program.
Kate Borders, animal well-being and compliance manager for Miller Poultry, working with chickens in a Miller facility. 
Brandon Alley, service manager with Miller Poultry's sales department, promotes careers in poultry at a Purdue University job fair. "I'm really proud of our internship program. We have made it a project-based program so that the students are getting tangible experiences in the field,” Borders said. “I'm proud of the interns who walk out of here with this experience."
This year’s internship cohort includes five Purdue College of Agriculture students from animal sciences, food science and agricultural economics. Over the past five years, their program has hosted 30 student interns, with 19 of those interns hailing from Purdue.
These types of business partnerships and internship opportunities are vital to the work being done in animal sciences at Purdue, says James Krotz, coordinator of the department’s career services and alumni relations. He explains that the department is committed to giving students opportunities to explore a range of careers, including in production.
Hear from students how their internship this summer at Miller Poultry helped them grow in their respective fields of study
"The Purdue College of Agriculture career fair is where I first learned about the internship opportunity with Miller Poultry. My internship has focused on studying coxae, which is this very interesting parasite that affects poultry’s intestinal lining. I chose agriculture because I have a passion for feeding the world and this internship is bringing me one step closer to achieving that goal.”
-Sisa Propst-Zuverza, junior in food science with a minor in animal sciences and sustainable agriculture in horticulture and landscape architecture
"The ability to have knowledge of so many different parts of an industry is important to me and is something that my various internship opportunities through connections at Purdue has provided me. My time at Miller Poultry this summer helped me round out my understanding of what's going on in every aspect of the operation from the beginning to the end. I am truly grateful for these experiences and the opportunities they have provided. I’m excited to put what I have learned into action in my future career.”
-Jacob Beadles, a senior in animal sciences
“My time at Miller Poultry has really helped me grasp what happens to produce a product that people can purchase in the store. I am grateful for the opportunity with this internship to learn everything it takes to make a high caliber product. I am confident that everything I learned this summer will greatly benefit me in my career in Ag Sales.”
-Riley Shepherd, a junior in agricultural economics
Paul Ebner, department head and professor of animal sciences, believes these learning opportunities are essential to student success.
“One of the greatest benefits of internships is that they allow students to see themselves in careers that may have never thought about. Miller Poultry does an excellent job of introducing many of our students to the great opportunities open to them not only at Miller Poultry but the poultry industry in general. It's really a model internship program and we are very grateful for the partnership and the numerous benefits it provides to our students,” Ebner said.
As the internships come to an end, the work continues for Miller’s Purdue alumni. Throughout the school year, they will share opportunities that the poultry industry provides with students at Purdue and other universities. From speaking to classes to participating in job fairs to serving as mentors, they each have found ways to give back.
"Now, as alumni, a lot of us at Miller are passionate about going back to help the students in the chairs we were in not so long ago,” Alley said. “It’s now our turn to give back in a way that others did for us,” said Alley. “Our time as Boilermakers has come full circle."
Transcript for Purdue Alumni Mentor Boilermaker Interns at Miller Poultry
[Visual Description]: The video opens with a wide shot of a Miller Poultry farm and processing facility under a clear sky. Packaged, fresh tray-pack chicken products are shown stacked neatly on grocery store shelves.
Kate Borders: "Miller Poultry is a broiler production company."
[Visual Description]: Close-up view of clear plastic-wrapped trays of raw chicken cuts bearing the Miller Poultry logo inside a refrigerated retail display case.
Kate Borders: "So that means that we are producing chicken for tray pack."
[Visual Description]: The camera pans across various cuts of packaged chicken breasts and thighs in the meat department of a brightly lit supermarket.
Kate Borders: "like what you would see in the grocery store primarily."
[Visual Description]: Wide landscape shot of a rural farmland setting with long white poultry houses. An Amish farmer in traditional attire walks along a perimeter fence near one of the barns.
Kate Borders: "We have about 80% of our growers are Amish,"
[Visual Description]: Exterior view of one to two long, modern poultry barns situated on a family farm with green pastures surrounding the site.
Kate Borders: "that means that they are producing out of 1 to 2 houses per site."
[Visual Description]: Interior shot of a clean, well-ventilated poultry house with white broilers eating and moving freely along automated feeding lines.
Kate Borders: "Poultry meat production is very consistent and is steadily growing."
[Visual Description]: Exterior aerial shot of the large Miller Poultry processing facility located in Orland, Indiana, with delivery trucks parked at loading docks and employee vehicles in the lot.
Kate Borders: "We are producing just under a million chickens per week out of our processing plant in Orland, Indiana."
[Visual Description]: On-camera interview with Kate Borders inside an office setting. A lower-third graphic identifies her name and title.
Kate Borders: "My name is Kate Borders."
[Visual Description]: Medium close-up of Kate Borders speaking, wearing professional attire inside the Miller Poultry office.
Kate Borders: " I'm the Animal Wellbeing and Compliance Manager for Miller Poultry."
[Visual Description]: Cut to footage of a technician in protective boots and clothing walking through a large poultry barn inspecting young broiler chickens.
Kate Borders: "When people think about jobs in the poultry industry, "
[Visual Description]: The technician kneels down to examine the health and activity of the flock on fresh wood shavings.
Kate Borders: " they think that you have to be in the barns, "
[Visual Description]: Wide view of the expansive broiler house floor filled with healthy white chickens.
Kate Borders: "and that's not always the case."
[Visual Description]: A grow-out manager holding a clipboard reviews environmental controls on a digital barn monitoring panel.
Kate Borders: "Obviously, those of us that work on live side,"
[Visual Description]: A technician converses with a local farm grower near the entrance of a poultry house.
Kate Borders: "we have a lot of broiler technicians, grow out managers,"
[Visual Description]: A young specialist holding a tablet checks the temperature and water lines inside the facility.
Kate Borders: "those types of roles available."
[Visual Description]: Transition to a bright corporate office setting. A marketing specialist reviews brand collateral and digital graphics on a desktop screen.
Kate Borders: "But also if you're interested in communications, marketing,"
[Visual Description]: Cut to an accounting department worker reviewing spreadsheets and invoices on dual monitors, followed by a sales manager speaking on the phone at a desk.
Kate Borders: "sales, accounting, those jobs also exist within the poultry industry."
[Visual Description]: Return to Kate Borders speaking during her interview in the office.
Kate Borders: "I actually started at Purdue as a biology major and"
[Visual Description]: B-roll of the Purdue University campus, showing students walking near Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences.
Kate Borders: "I switched to animal sciences."
[Visual Description]: Archival photos and clips of Kate working as a breeder technician, walking through breeder houses and checking nest boxes.
Kate Borders: "And when I came to Miller Poultry as a breeder technician,"
[Visual Description]: Kate walking through a facility alongside a summer intern, gesturing towards equipment and explaining daily operational procedures.
Kate Borders: "I saw that we were bringing on interns and we were giving them a lot of shadowing"
[Visual Description]: The intern follows Kate into different departments, observing quality assurance tests and live-side inspections.
Kate Borders: "experience and a lot of experiences getting to see"
[Visual Description]: Close-up of the intern taking notes on a clipboard while observing operations.
Kate Borders: "the different aspects of the industry, but not necessarily a project."
[Visual Description]: Kate and an intern sitting at a conference table reviewing project plans and data charts on a laptop screen.
Kate Borders: "So when I had an opportunity to bring on interns of my own, "
[Visual Description]: The intern works independently at a workstation compiling data and formatting reports.
Kate Borders: "I started to develop actual projects"
[Visual Description]: Cut to an intern wearing high-visibility gear and safety wear conducting research inside a production facility.
Kate Borders: "So many of our projects have a"
[Visual Description]: The intern uses a handheld digital measuring device to take readings along a processing line.
Kate Borders: "in the facility aspect that is really useful"
[Visual Description]: Over-the-shoulder view of the intern comparing real-time facility measurements against theoretical classroom notes.
Kate Borders: "to putting all the pieces together that they are learning while they're at school."
[Visual Description]: Close-up of an intern smiling while working alongside facility staff.
Kate Borders: "It's kind of an eye"
[Visual Description]: Fast-paced montage showing behind-the-scenes processing plant operations, quality assurance checks, and sanitation verification.
Riley Shepherd: "opening experience to like more of what actually goes on behind the scenes"
[Visual Description]: An intern inspects retail packaging labels and product specs inside a test kitchen setting.
Riley Shepherd: "so I can learn about the product before I have to sell it."
[Visual Description]: Cut to an intern interacting with team members across multiple departments, including distribution, logistics, and animal welfare.
Jacob Beadles: "The ability to have knowledge of so many different parts of an industry"
[Visual Description]: The intern participates in a group briefing with facility team leaders.
Jacob Beadles: "is so important to me, because I feel like"
[Visual Description]: Close-up shot of the intern actively asking questions during the meeting.
Jacob Beadles: "when you have an understanding of what's"
[Visual Description]: Wide view of the meeting room as team members review operational workflow diagrams on a large whiteboard.
Jacob Beadles: "going on in every aspect of the operation,"
[Visual Description]: The intern assists a senior supervisor on the plant floor.
Jacob Beadles: "you can really help anywhere."
[Visual Description]: Exterior shot of Purdue University's campus with students walking between academic buildings.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "School can only teach you so much."
[Visual Description]: Inside a Purdue classroom, students participate in a hands-on animal science laboratory session led by a professor.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "Although Purdue does a very great job of trying to make application"
[Visual Description]: Students work in small groups handling data loggers and evaluating sample specimens.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "baked into the experience,"
[Visual Description]: Transition back to the intern working on site at Miller Poultry, applying laboratory protocols in a commercial environment.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "and internships are where you really get to see,"
[Visual Description]: The intern points out key data markers on a tablet screen to a supervisor.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "this what I learned in the classroom."
[Visual Description]: Medium shot of the intern smiling while collaborating with plant personnel.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "Okay. How does this apply?"
[Visual Description]: The intern inputs gathered project findings into a shared database on a computer terminal.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "It helps you prove to yourself like okay,"
[Visual Description]: Close-up of the intern handing a completed report to a department head.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "I'm learning something. I'm helping."
[Visual Description]: Sisa Propst-Zuverza smiles on camera during her interview as background music swells transitionally.
Sisa Propst-Zuverza: "I can really take this information and go to a job."
[Visual Description]: Upbeat background acoustic music plays as the scene transitions to a supermarket meat section.
[Music Only]: [Uplifting acoustic guitar music plays]
[Visual Description]: On-camera interview with Brandon Alley standing in front of a retail store display filled with packaged poultry products. A lower third identifies his name and title.
Brandon Alley: "I'm Brandon Alley."
[Visual Description]: Brandon talks with a grocery store meat department manager, pointing out product placement and checking stock on refrigerated shelves.
Brandon Alley: " My job is to go to our retail stores and work with our retail partners at store level."
[Visual Description]: Historical photo of Brandon Alley during his early undergraduate days at Purdue University working in a clinical animal laboratory.
Brandon Alley: "Initially I wanted to be a veterinarian, so I sought out"
[Visual Description]: Transition shot of Brandon attending an agribusiness lecture and collaborating with student peers on business strategy charts.
Brandon Alley: "Purdue Animal Sciences, quickly realized that my passions lied elsewhere,"
[Visual Description]: Brandon presenting a project poster in an agribusiness seminar hall at Purdue.
Brandon Alley: "And so I went down the animal agribusiness track."
[Visual Description]: Brandon Alley standing at a lectern inside a Purdue Animal Sciences classroom, addressing a room of attentive undergraduate students.
Brandon Alley: "A lot of us here at Miller Poultry, being Purdue Animal Sciences alumni, go back,"
[Visual Description]: Brandon answers questions from students after class, handing out business cards and sharing advice.
Brandon Alley: "talk in classes, and help students connect the dots where they can get"
[Visual Description]: Cut to a group of Purdue students engaged in an informal networking session with Miller Poultry alumni representatives.
Brandon Alley: "plugged in in animal sciences and where they can eventually develop a career."
[Visual Description]: Brandon Alley speaking directly to the camera during his interview in the store aisle.
Brandon Alley: "What I'd suggest to interns is get out and just get experience doing something."
[Visual Description]: A montage of various internship activities: an intern shadow-testing environmental controls, reviewing logistics schedules, and analyzing feed ratios.
Brandon Alley: "You never know what industry is going to spark your passion."
[Visual Description]: An intern attentively listens as a senior plant manager points out key operational steps along a conveyor system.
Brandon Alley: "And then when you are in that internship, just be a sponge."
[Visual Description]: The intern takes detailed notes in a notebook while engaging with colleagues.
Brandon Alley: "Learn as much as you can."
[Visual Description]: Intern shaking hands with industry mentors during a company networking event.
Brandon Alley: "Take advantage of the people you meet."
[Visual Description]: An intern speaking with a mentor outside a grain processing facility.
Brandon Alley: "Keep their names. Keep their numbers."
[Visual Description]: An intern typing a professional follow-up email on a laptop computer.
Brandon Alley: "Follow up and be diligent about building those connections."
[Visual Description]: Cut back to Kate Borders speaking on camera, smiling with pride as she discusses the company's program.
Kate Borders: "I am really proud of our internship program."
[Visual Description]: A group of graduating summer interns pose together holding certificates outside the Miller Poultry headquarters.
Kate Borders: "I'm really proud of the interns that walk out of here with this experience."
[Visual Description]: Interns participating in a hands-on field activity, laughing and engaging enthusiastically with team leaders.
Kate Borders: "I'm proud of them having an open mind to seeing poultry."
[Visual Description]: Kate Borders laughing lightheartedly during her interview.
Kate Borders: "And I love it when I can throw a wrench in their plans,"
[Visual Description]: Final shot of an intern proudly wearing a Miller Poultry jacket while walking across campus. The screen transitions to an end card displaying the logos of Purdue University Department of Animal Sciences and Miller Poultry alongside website contact details.
Kate Borders: "and that they are considering poultry a lot more than maybe when they started."
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