Tuesday, June 15, 2004
For some college students, painting offers more than just a summer job.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- When Dave Ecklund took his first summer painting job two years ago, all he knew was that it beat working in the sawmill back home.
This summer, with graduation just six months away, Ecklund is running his own Tuition Painters franchise with a goal of earning enough to pay his Penn State University tuition.
Thousands of college students will work as painters this summer, many employed by fellow students such as Ecklund, franchise managers for corporations that turned student paint crews into an institution.
"Looking back on it, it's the next best thing to my degree," said Ecklund, who started as a painter in 2002 on a Tuition Painters crew, then managed the State College franchise last year.
"Last summer, I ran a company with 13 people and did $137,000 worth of work. We painted around 86 homes last year," Ecklund said. "It might be the most impressive thing on my r & eacute;sum & eacute;."
Franchises
From coast to coast and into Canada, if there's a college nearby, there's probably a painting franchise. College Pro, the largest operator with more than 300 franchises across the United States and in Canada, and College Works Painting both operate in more than a dozen states.
There are a handful of regional players, such as Tuition Painters on the East Coast, College Craft in the Midwest and Student Painters in the Ohio Valley region.
There are some differences, but all work essentially the same way: In the fall, they recruit a student in each market to be the franchise manager.
Over the winter, that manager learns the ins and outs of the business, from paint chemistry and technology to developing a marketing plan. During the spring and summer, each manager is responsible for hiring their crews, purchasing supplies and scheduling and performing each job.
Brian Honeyman, president of College Pro's U.S. East division, said the average College Pro franchise did $80,000 in sales last summer, with five franchises topping $200,000.
"If someone does the franchise position, the learning curve is phenomenal," said Honeyman, who was a College Pro painter and franchisee while studying at the University of Calgary in Alberta during the mid-1980s. "The students who come back and continue, compared with their peer group they've really developed a tremendous set of skills. They're ready to run a big business."
Set a record
Ecklund's franchise set a Tuition Painters record last summer with $137,000 in sales, including work on some commercial properties, from an apartment complex to a bed and breakfast. With a year of management under his belt and a crew of 18, he hopes to top that this year.
Already he's added extra services. With a graphic-arts student on his team, he's been able to show potential customers what their homes would look like in different colors.
That's how Mack Schreiber settled on Brevity Brown, with French Roast trim, for his contemporary home on the outskirts of State College.
Schreiber, who owns a powdered metal manufacturing company in western Pennsylvania, said he sought out Tuition Painters because he felt good about helping college students. But he also called two other local companies for estimates.
"Their estimate came in about 10 percent under the others," Schreiber said of Tuition Painters. "And they've done a great job. They show up between 8 and 8:30 in the morning. They don't take a break. They move right along. They're certainly not a lazy group.
"It just goes to show you that there's still a lot of good kids out there."