Rough Country Summer Interns Put Their Skills to Work

Dominik Kimmel is a Design Engineering Technology major at Murray State University who expects to graduate in Fall 2026. He spent his internship with Rough Country’s Research and Development department.

During the summer, Dominik worked on about 23 projects. His responsibilities included developing new product ideas, designing UTV windshields and other components, and using a 3D scanner on vehicles and UTVs. His projects included windshields for Polaris and CFMOTO UTVs, forged tie rods, rock sliders, and accessory mounts.

He also learned Autodesk Inventor, worked with the Creaform scanner, and gained a better understanding of how projects move between Rough Country departments.

One of his biggest lessons came from learning to give the design process the time it needs.

“I learned to slow down on projects, take my time, and design the right products,” Dominik said. “I also learned it’s okay to mess up on some projects. That’s why they’re called prototypes.”

The experience also pushed him outside his comfort zone and gave him a broader view of the career opportunities available after college.

John Boughton is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Memphis and expects to graduate in May 2027. This was his second summer interning with Rough Country, where he worked with the East Court team.

John focused heavily on manufacturing support. He worked with other East Court interns to design more than 100 welding fixtures for robotic welding cells. He also gained experience with a roll-forming CNC bender, worked with the RB4 weld unit, and designed parts for Rough Country’s maintenance department.

Returning for a second internship gave John the chance to take on more responsibility and gain a stronger understanding of the manufacturing process.

“The biggest lesson I learned was that good communication is just as important as good design,” John said. “Working with welders, operators, maintenance, and engineers helped me understand that getting everyone’s input early usually leads to a better final product.”

His summer at Rough Country also helped confirm where he wants to take his mechanical engineering degree. John plans to pursue a career in manufacturing and product development after graduation.

JT Sinnett attends Murray State University, where he is studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He expects to graduate in 2028.

JT spent the summer working in Rough Country’s plastics plant. JT spent the summer working in Rough Country’s plastics plant. One of his primary responsibilities was helping the facility prepare for 5S certification and designing items needed to support that work.

His list of summer projects covered several areas. He completed a cost-savings report related to multi-cavity injection molds, designed tables and equipment supports, created injection mold setting documentation, designed fixtures for truck bed tie-down brackets, performed yield testing, worked on a Tacoma driveshaft design, and helped with a booth layout for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

JT also learned Autodesk Inventor, expanded his Excel skills, and learned how to weld and operate a plasma cutter.

His biggest takeaway was seeing the difference between designing something on a computer and making sure the design works once it reaches the shop.

“The design may look good and work on paper, but that doesn’t mean it always works in real life,” JT said.

The experience strengthened his interest in building a career in the automotive industry.

Luke Austin is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at Murray State University who expects to graduate in December 2026. He worked at Rough Country’s East Court facility, where he designed robotic welding fixtures and helped with their fabrication.

Luke’s projects included robotic and manual weld fixtures, reverse engineering bumpers for manufacturing, cataloging fixture locations, creating manual welder work instructions, and developing welding tests for prospective employees.

The welding test project became one of his favorite experiences because he followed it from the original idea through CAD design and into use.

“The most satisfying part was knowing that my weld test was being used and helping inform hiring decisions,” Luke said.

He also learned Inventor sheet metal, MIG welding, fixture building, and how to operate equipment including a press brake and tube bender.

Luke said his internship changed his perception of engineering work. Instead of spending all day behind a desk, he found himself moving through the facility and helping solve problems as they came up.

The experience confirmed his interest in continuing down an engineering career path after graduation.

Cameron Clark is a Manufacturing Engineering student at Murray State University who expects to graduate in Winter 2026. He spent his internship in Rough Country’s Research and Development department.

Cameron worked on content for Rough Country’s 3D vehicle configurator while also designing aftermarket parts and accessories. His projects included interior accessories, UTV components, and aftermarket chassis parts.

He also gained experience with 3D scanning and improved his modeling skills throughout the summer.

Cameron said one lesson stood out as he worked alongside Rough Country’s R&D team.

“Always be open minded, and don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Cameron said.

Some of his favorite moments came when he got to move beyond designing a product and see the next steps firsthand.

“My favorite memory was installing and testing parts, seeing my products released, and meeting people both in and outside of the company,” he said.

Those experiences gave Cameron new skills he plans to take back to school and eventually into his engineering career.

Jak Kowalczik is a Mechanical Engineering major at Murray State University who expects to graduate in May 2027. He interned at Rough Country’s East Court facility.

Jak’s primary responsibilities included designing welding fixtures for robotic welders, supporting improvements to manufacturing processes, and completing CAD work for the production and maintenance teams.

During his internship, he reverse engineered several bumpers using 3D scanning and developed parts and drawings for manufacturing. He also worked alongside other interns to develop more than 100 robotic welding fixtures. According to Jak, those fixtures removed more than 300 hours of manual welding labor.

His experience gave him a closer look at how different parts of Rough Country work together.

“The most valuable thing I was able to take away from this summer was a respect for the entirety of the manufacturing process,” Jak said. “Over the course of the summer I was able to see every step of the process, from product development to shipping and everything in between.”

The internship confirmed Jak’s interest in design while also introducing him to career opportunities within a manufacturing environment.

While the interns spent much of their summer designing, testing, scanning, welding, and solving production challenges, several of their favorite memories had little to do with a computer or piece of equipment.

Friday lunches became a tradition for the engineering interns. Luke and Jak both pointed to those lunches as highlights of their summer because they gave the group time to compare experiences, learn from one another, and build relationships outside their individual departments.

Their advice for future interns shared a similar theme: ask questions, stay involved, work hard, and be willing to try something unfamiliar.

For Rough Country, the internship program gives students an opportunity to learn while giving our teams a fresh set of ideas and perspectives. For the students, the summer offered something harder to get inside a classroom: experience solving real problems alongside the people who do the work every day.