Universal Data Incorporated teaches their interns lifelong skills that are useful across a variety of professions

0:00At Blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments, it's about you, your style, your space, your way. Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Because at Blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you. Visit Blinds.com now for up to 45% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost. This is Attorney Amida Zari from Zari Law. If you've been injured in an accident and feel like no one is fighting for you, it's time to fight back. Paul Zari Law at 888-828-Hurt, that's what one call you can put a proven legal team on your side. Zari Law has been serving the DMV for over 15 years, proudly fighting for our local community. I was born and raised right here in the DMV, and my team is made up of experienced, reputable local attorneys dedicated to fighting for injury victims just like you.

1:01Follow us on all social platforms at Zari.law. That's a-z-a-r-i dot L-A-W. Don't wait, don't settle. Fight back with Zari Law. With offices in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, my team and I are ready to stand up for you. Paul, 888-828-Hurt, that's 888-828-H-U-R-T, and let us fight back for you. Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coons. Well, many thanks, good sir. Here is my discover card. They accept a discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discoverers accept it at the places I love to shop. Get it with the times. With the times. You're playing the loot. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right? Discoverers accept it at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report. Welcome back, folks. We are joined by some folks in our Nola Coalition segment.

2:06You've heard me say this before. I truly enjoy this segment because we get to meet different makers in our community. We really give a damn that a given back to our community, the place that we call home, to make it a better place, and it's amazing some of the work that's being done, and I truly enjoy exposing this to all of our listening audience so that everyone has a better understanding of how many people really do care and want to be different makers in our community, and we're a bless that we have so many. And today is no different. We have Chad Perry, a president of Universal Data Incorporated in Anna Urban, who's the administrative specialist there at Universal Data Incorporated. Folks, welcome to the show. Hey, no, thanks for having us. Thank you for having us. So Chad, let's start with you. If you would, describe Universal Data Incorporated, what you guys do, what you all are about, and then we'll jump into the program. Yeah, so Universal Data is a local technology service provider.

3:08We've been in business for over 40 years. Our main goal is helping companies leverage technology, the way that it's supposed to be. However, their organization is a bit, that way they can use it to a competitive advantage for them. So as you know, technology is spreading it to all different parts of your business that touches almost everything, so making sure organizations know how they can use it, and how they can leverage it, and making sure it's properly leveraged. And that's not always easy, is it? We hear the word sometimes, and it's like, oh, yeah, no, it's not that simple. Yeah, yeah, we're the magicians behind the curtain sometimes. Absolutely. And Anna, if you would, what is your role at Universal Data Incorporated? So I've been at UDI for about five years now. I'm an administrative specialist, so some of my tasks include collecting our accounts receivable payments.

4:10I work on our software and hardware renewals, and I also help Chad with some HR initiatives such as this program, and helping onboard and make our interns feel comfortable. Yeah, she's kind of just driving forth behind some of this internship program that we had. Many of the things that we're doing, we couldn't do without some of the things that she has on the back end, just making sure the worst setup is properly there. The interns that we bring in are set up for success, so she makes things happen. So Chad, if you would, describe your philosophy, what brought you to the table to involve yourself with the Greater New Orleans Innovation Internship Program? So part of the internship program for innovation ink was, you know, ink as a whole. So if I can just be a cheerleader for them for a second, they're doing, and this is part of why you have this segment on, is they're doing some amazing things to help drive

5:10in our region forward. This internship program is just one of those things that goes beyond traditional economic development, and they're fostering an ecosystem of success for our region. So workforce development in this piece is a big piece of that engine. And what they've been able to do in this program successfully is find, it's foster connection between the business community and our workforce, and possibly even future business owners, where they can help people get their career started, get a better understanding of what they want to do with their career. So universal data does technology work, and I can speak to this first hand is my education and construction management, so I'm a far away away from where I've been. And so by allowing some of these young professionals to get hands on experience, it gets them to feel for what they'd like to do, what they don't like to do. One of the other things that GNOA has been successful in doing is identifying and screening

6:18people that want to better themselves, not just have a job, but have a career, and are willing to put the work to put themselves in position to build a career. So if you can, if we're bringing people in this door that have the intent to want to be the best of themselves and not just look for an eight to five job, you're really getting a mutual connection with those. So that's, I guess, me bragging on GNOA for a second, what kind of started us with an internship program as a whole is to make sure that we're part of the solution first and foremost. So many years ago, we were identifying kind of two things in our area, and this is the text base specifically, is that when we're speaking with students and people in these universities, I was here far too often that they were needing to go to work for some of these large, established tech giants, the Amazon, the ghouls of the worlds in order to make a living. They weren't aware, and I don't think the business community was doing a good job of educating

7:20them on the many unique opportunities that we have right here in the city, and even in the state, that they're allowed to provide a good living for them and their families. And also that they can stay here. If they want to stay here, they have a lot of opportunities to make a living, make a good living, not just get by, but to provide for their families by staying here, by connecting with some of these people. The other piece of that is that they weren't aware of those different, you know, these type of companies that we have here. So the companies that we have, they were finding it hard to get put in the door. They were finding it hard to get experience. And so some of the organizations say we need two, three years of experience, and you're finding it hard to often individuals not to think that's still a problem a day where they can't get that experience needed to take them next step. So by also developing an internship program or even an early career learning path, that

8:23allowed us to kind of start to help and do our small part in helping the next generation of our workforce getting there. So at the end of the day, it's just finding ways that we can be a part of the solution for our city and our region. Yeah, I mean, I loved when people tell those stories where there's these little nuances that we're not connecting the dots, right? But when you talk about this early career work path, you got this Catch 22 situation going on, you can't get on with some of these small to medium-sized company because they have a desire to have some with three to five years experience. So you're almost compelled to go somewhere else and then come back, and that could be a major disruption in your life as opposed to doing what you all are doing with this internship program, exposing folks, and then what I really like, Chad, that you mentioned, and this is the first time someone mentioned it, is that GNO Inc is actually doing a lot of the

9:27legwork on the front end to make sure that you're getting the right people that are there for the right reasons because you don't want to waste your time and money and you don't want to waste their time. You want this to be the best outcome for every minute of every day that they spend with you, and it seems like this really is choreographed to be an incredible path to success. I love the way that you outlined it. At Blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments, it's about you, your style, your space, your way, whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all. You'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Because at Blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than Windows is you. Visit Blinds.com now for up to 45% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost, rules and restrictions apply.

10:28This is attorney Amida Zari from Zari Law. If you've been injured in an accident and feel like no one is fighting for you, it's time to fight back. Paul Zari Law at 888-8-8-Earth, that's what one call you can put a proven legal team on your side. Zari Law has been serving the DMV for over 15 years, proudly fighting for our local community. I was born and raised right here in the DMV, and my team is made up of experienced, reputable local attorneys dedicated to fighting for injury victims just like you. Follow us on all social platforms at azari.law, that's a-z-a-r-i-dot-l-a-w. Don't wait, don't settle. Fight back with Zari Law, with offices in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, like team and I are ready to stand up for you. Paul, 888-8-28-Earth, that's 888-8-8-H-U-R-T, and let us fight back for you. Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter?

11:31Right. And the best part? They accept discover. Accept discover. In a little place like this, I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh, yeah, huh. Discover's accepted where I'd like to shop. Come on, baby. Get with the times. Right. So we shouldn't get the parachute pants? These are making a comeback. I think. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nilsen report. I appreciate that. Yeah, we've done this for many years, and we've seen if it's not the right individuals paired with the right organizations who have a mutual goal in mind, it's basically waste from that person's summer, or that person's waste in your summer, in the case that we have where they're not eager to put forth the work needed, they're not eager to learn and not just hearing, but understanding what's happening and bettering themselves.

12:32And I tell all of our staff, you know, if you want a job, this isn't the place if you want a career. Let's work together. Yeah. So Chad, either you or Anna, share with us some stories about some of your interns and you know, maybe some that have really influenced your organization in a very positive way and vice versa. So, as I was saying, we've done this for many years, we've learned kind of what works and what doesn't work for us. So our approach has changed over the years that we've created some of the, we've interviewed the individual to understand what their strengths are, what their interests are, and what their previous studies are. That way we can build a project, a summer project, where they are putting those skills, those learned skills to use, where they're putting their strengths to use, and where they're identifying a business need that we have that can leverage those skills to the

13:33better, betterment of our use. So I'll give you two examples is one, and this was about two and a half years ago in our world, AI is, you know, it's almost all people talk about now. So, about two years, that's when the whisper of AI was coming about, and the individual that we had was interested in learning more about the AI and the automation process. So we paired her with a couple of our automation professionals to create some AI-driven processes. And so through that work, she was able to deliver real-world, real-time AI automation processes into our organization, which we still use today, through the internship program. And she had done the initial internship program with six weeks, she had done such a great job that we extended the things to the entire summer. And then we were able to help, she went back to LSU for college, but we were even able to help her get a placement in their data center.

14:33And I'm happy to say that we still stay in touch at Tom and she's planning to graduate this coming May. Another one was, which was last summer, which was an individual out of a dillard university. She was more focused on data science and analysis. So we created a data mining project for her, where she can put some of the skills that she had to use. And some of the skills that she learned that the dillard had not yet taught her, she was able to learn those things and create some information that we were able to make decisions on based on that. We too extended her internship program, and some of the things that she then were about to take next semester at dillard, she was already ahead of the curve on that. And then to just add on to Chad's points, outside of the project works that we give them, we found that just having them immersed into a professional setting, which a lot of

15:33these interns haven't had experience with before, allows them to teach them soft skills that they can take along with them for the rest of their lives. So every day things we may take for granted, such as communication, working within a team environment, and properly preparing for the day ahead, we help, I guess, teach and allow them to experience that in the professional setting and allow them to take those skills that they've learned with them for their future careers. Yes. We're learning to be a professional. The universities can teach us a lot, but if we can help teach them how to be professionals, how to work on a team, how to communicate within that team, regardless if they stay in tech, regardless if they work for us or work for another organization, these are lifelong skills that they can take with them. Not only that, but allowing them to, I guess, network with other professionals can sometimes

16:36be valuable in their future. Visiting with Chad Perry and Anna Urban with Universal Data Incorporated, talking about their experience with the Greater New Orleans Innovation Internship Program. We hear that a lot about soft skills. It's interesting, when you have folks that come in, no experience, lacking in soft skills, I have to, I would imagine, for lack of a better term, that the fail rate or the lack of success there in being able to adapt to the culture of your organization, the success rate is probably not very high, right? Yes. If they don't have those skills, it's going to be tough to become a part of the team. Now there's things that we do to help introduce and kind of get them immersed into it. Some of it can be taught, some of it's a learned skill that they're just getting a feel for it and some of it's getting some of the intimidation out of the way with them.

17:40Being in a professional environment can be intimidating at times, but if we get, if we can foster that type of environment, they can start to see, hey, this is how professionals act. It's okay for me to start to ask questions to my peers. It's okay to say, I don't know, but let me find out the answer out. What has been something that has surprised you the most, either Chad or Anna? I think one of the features is bright with these students and these incoming interns. After our first year with this internship, I was personally thoroughly impressed with the curriculum being taught and the quality of students that have enrolled into these programs. They come in. They're extremely motivated, it's self-driven to make the most of their opportunity within this internship program, and it's just great to see how quickly they're able to catch on and become a part of the team. Yeah, so the first year that Jan Owing did this, they paired us with two students from

18:44ZA University. And that was our first experience with students from ZA here at the time. And these two young professionals, I'll call them, were extremely bright, extremely motivated. And their internship with us only lasted six weeks because they both had a second internship lined up at the latter part of the summer. One went to Google and one went to Microsoft. And that speaks volumes right there for kind of just the types of courses, some of the local universities are teaching. And some of the skills that these young professionals have in our inner and inner of the workforce with. Yeah, you know, go ahead, I'm sorry. I was going to say that, that's kind of what's, to me, the most exciting part is not what they're doing with us, not what they're doing in those eight to twelve weeks because there's only so much that we can get done with them. But it's a year, it's a two years later after they enter the workforce and they've been

19:47in the workforce to see what they're able to do. In some cases, they come back here and work, which is amazing. But if they don't come back here, I'm following and I'm keeping in touch with some of these individuals and they're doing some pretty cool things. Some of them even start in their own type of venture, which for us to be a part of that story is great. Yeah. Chad, I got to imagine your peers when you talk to them, I mean, what you're articulating here today is, you know, that you have no reservations about doing this, about engaging in this way. Experiential learning to me, I think, is incredibly important for these young kids. They get a better appreciation of what the expectations are of company owners and how to best fulfill and live up to the expectations. And, you know, once you've done it once or twice, you got a better feel. You develop, you know, a lot of confidence in what you're able to do. And if you have some self esteem challenges going on, it's a lot easier to overcome when

20:51you've had those early on successes and someone that's willing to spend a time with you. Yeah. Yeah. Part of what, you know, some of our peers have asked, you know, how are you doing this, you know, can you help explain to them? And part of us just doing something. If we sit on the sidelines and don't do anything, we're not being part of that solution. Right. We preach to the interns what we preach to the staff here is that communication piece. That first year, we didn't, we did a lot of things wrong. But as we're communicating with the interns, I understand where you're getting value, where you're seeing benefits, what's helping you and what you want out of your future career, we learn things ourselves. So it's about getting better each and every day, us as an organization, us as individuals. And if we keep that mindset out, we, you know, try not to be scared to fail. And if you do, just don't make those same mistakes again. Well, we are very fortunate that we have folks like you that want to make a difference in our community, the place that we call home, Chad Perry, Anna Urban, with universal data

21:54incorporated. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing the story. We really appreciate it. Best of luck to you. Okay. All right. Thank you for having us. Thank you all. We'll be right back folks. 504-260-1870. And when we return, we'll speak with Daniel Erspammer, CEO and economist with the Pelican Institute. Stay with us. At Blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments. It's about you, your style, your space, your way. Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Visit Blinds.com. The only thing we treat better than windows is you. Visit Blinds.com now for up to 45% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost. Rules and restrictions apply. This is Attorney Amida Zari from Zari Law. If you've been injured in an accident and feel like no one is fighting for you, it's time to fight back. Paul Zari Law at 888-828-Hurt, that's what one call you can put a proven legal team on

22:59your side. Zari Law has been serving the DMV for over 15 years, proudly fighting for our local community. I was born and raised right here in the DMV, and my team is made up of experienced, reputable local attorneys dedicated to fighting for injury victims just like you. Follow us on all social platforms at azari.law. That's a-z-a-r-i-dot-l-a-w. Don't wait. Don't settle. Get back with Zari Law. With offices in Maryland, DC, and Virginia, my team and I are ready to stand up for you. Call 888-828-Hurt, that's 888-828-HURT, and let us fight back for you. Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coons. Well, many thanks, good sir. Here is my Discover Card. They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop.

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