80 local youth work throughout the commercial real estate firm’s suburban portfolio

Beverly resident and Cummings Properties summer intern Jessica Martin (right) works with HR Generalist Sue Miller to create and distribute benefits information

Twelve Beverly students are among the 80 local youth who landed spots on Cummings Properties’ 2016 summer crew.

The young men and women, ranging in age from 15 to 22, mostly serve on the field staff, doing general construction work and property maintenance at the firm’s suburban locations, including in Beverly, at its Cummings Center and Dunham Road campuses.

A few summer employees, including Beverly resident and University of Massachusetts–Amherst student Jessica Martin, work in the Company’s headquarters in Woburn. According to the rising senior, who is studying operations management, the project management skills she has learned while working with numerous departments at Cummings Properties are “invaluable.”

“Paying attention to detail is key,” said Martin, who has worked two summers and during winter breaks with the firm. “If one person or department has not completed its piece, the rest of the pieces won’t fall into place.”

Many of the students start with the commercial real estate firm during high school to earn a steady paycheck and take advantage of the opportunity to earn scholarship funds. They return for the valuable skills and experiences and to be part of a team, according to Associate Division Manager John Dionne, who has been with Cummings for 19 years.

Half of the 2016 summer crew are first-timers, such as 2016 Beverly High School graduate s and twin brothers Colin and Casey Oliver. Colin has been working with the construction crew on the Elliott Landing luxury condominium project. He will be a freshman in the nursing program at Becker College this fall.

Casey, who works on the grounds crew, originally wanted the job because “the money is really good and we’re guaranteed 40 hours, which is unusual compared with other summer jobs.” After beginning, however, he found that he really liked the work itself.

“I look forward to going to work each day,” said Casey. “I really enjoy the landscaping; it’s good exercise.”

Casey leaves for Johnson & Wales University in Providence in September. The budding photographer will be in the entrepreneurship program, with hopes of one day starting his own photography business.

Upon hearing that Casey is a gifted photographer, Dionne said, “Well he’s a pretty good landscaper, too. He really took to it, and you can tell he’s a hard worker by the leaves stuck to his skin at the end of the day.”

For more than 40 years, Cummings Properties has had a strong tradition of employing local area youth as summer workers.