Rural Roots, Real Careers with Tractor Supply Company
September 21st, 2026
39 mins 24 secs
About this Episode
Most students picture one job when they picture Tractor Supply. Melissa Kersey, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, is here to widen the frame.
Melissa joins Ben Sterling and Graham Thomas to talk about what a career at Tennessee’s largest rural lifestyle retailer actually looks like: about 100 internships a year, co-op programs in engineering and IT that earn college credit, a dedicated college recruiting team that visits community colleges alongside four-year campuses and tuition assistance that now covers trade certifications for part-time team members.
She also explains why store managers are given funds to invest in their own communities, why she started her own career as an hourly team member at 14 and what she looks for in students entering the workforce today.
Listen now at tnachieves.org/news/tractor.
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