Alex Romine

Software Developer at Granular
Industry: Software

College Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology

CWP: 2014 to 2015

"It gave me the skills and confidence to quickly transfer career types. "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Getting into the tech industry from scratch.

Emmy Zaatar

Assistant Designer at Vera Bradley
Industry: Design

College Major: Apparel and Textile Design

CWP: 2014

"I would say working at CWP did help with different aspects in the career I had now, most companies I interviewed for thought it was interesting a fashion major (then marketing) had a painting company. I feel it showed them my determination, work ethic, and how I want to be the best in any area of wok I put myself in."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

After everything, I was most proud to receive the Cleanest Business Award in the mid west region awarded by the VP, Taylor. Post-CWP, my greatest accomplishment is being an Assistant Designer at an amazing company.

Matthew Ondricek

Project Engineer at Alliance Construction Solutions
Industry: Construction

College Major: Construction Management

CWP: 2015 to 2016

"CWP gave me the skills to be able to hit the ground running in my career. I was able to have a head up in the interview because of my experiences and because of the interpersonal skills learned."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Landing the job I coveted most out of school over multiple applicants.

Nick Mistretta

Senior Web Developer at Scorpion
Industry: Technology

College Major: Computer Science

CWP: 2014 to 2016

"CWP gave me so many skills that set me up to be successful in my career. Immediately after graduation it gave me the skills to go on successful interviews and get job offers right away. I still use many of the skills that I learned from CWP every day."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Getting hired as an intern for my company, then quickly moving into a full-time role into a Senior position and being able to create some of the systems that an entire department use all tie into my proudest moment post-CWP.

Paul Odom

Broker at Merrick Real Estate
Industry: Real Estate

College Major: Finance

CWP: 2014 to 2017

"Going into sales, my CWP experience prepared me immensely with not only the technical skills of making sales, but the confidence and familiarity to really build a relationship with customers."

Harris Novick

Sr. International Account Executive at Chaikin Analytics
Industry: Software

College Major: Law and Business

CWP: 2009

"I still get recruiters reaching out to me because I did CWP."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Sold a million dollars in software.

Dane Mauland

Securitized Products Trading Analyst at Barclays Capital

College Major: Finance, Investment, and Banking; Real Estate

CWP: 2016 to 2018

"One of the questions I was asked in my final round interview was "The other three applicants are from schools like Harvard and Yale. Why should we hire you over them?" I was able to draw on my experience at CWP to answer the question and differentiate myself from the other candidates. Sure, they were from better schools, but I had proven myself in a challenging role with significant responsibilities. If they asked about my leadership style, I could give an example of when I was managing employees on multi-thousand dollar projects instead of just talking about how I was a shift lead at some summer job. If they asked how I prioritized, I'd give an example of how I prioritized the marketing, sales, production, and HR activities at CWP instead of talking about how I prioritized my studying for exams. If they asked about how I worked with others, I'd give an example of working with my clients during their painting project to ensure they were happy with the end result instead of talking about some group project. Having these real world examples set me apart and allowed me to land my dream job,"

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Landing my dream job at Barclays!

Curtis Nilsen

Assistant Store Manager at Sherwin-Williams
Industry: Management

College Major: Communication

CWP: 2016-2017

"The skill set learned was directly applicable and translatable to The Sherwin-Williams company. So much so I received the job offer 8 months prior to graduation. Having experience in the production side of the painting business makes my selling ability more effective than my peers. "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Placing 2nd in state and breaking that 100k mark.

Chuck LoGiudice

Store Manager at Verizon
Industry: Telecommunication

College Major: Finance

CWP: 2014

"My experience with CWP showed me how many different aspects there are to a management position. It allowed me to drastically improve my time management and prioritization skills. I learned how to work with people as well, including employees, coworkers, vendors, my managers, and most importantly customers. I think most importantly my CWP experience gave me the confidence to go into any situation and know that I can succeed. "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

My proudest accomplishment post CWP is becoming a Verizon store manager after just 1 year of being a sales rep/assistant manager. At just 23 I managed 7 employees and $1.5 million of sales per year.

Ben Kern

Owner/Founder at Kern Consulting LLC

College Major: Corporate Training and Development

"It certainly was a cornerstone for me. It led me into a managerial role, which led to me to learning new software tools, which led me to launch my own company."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Launching my own business and clearing well over six figures in my first year.

Freddy Hernandez

CEO/Founder; EVP Operations; Assistant Soccer Coach at FIH Realty; Angelitos LLC; Brother Rice High School

College Major: Finance/Business Management

"CWP provided the experience and references necessary to continue a career in leadership. I was able to get an internship with Target Corp where I worked for 6 years pre and post graduation in various leadership and operational positions. I eventually started my own business and became a partner in a few others thanks to the foundation CWP gave me as a 20-21 year old."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Starting my own company and being able to quit the traditional 9-5. In April 2020 I started my own Real Estate Investment firm and in December 2020 I went full time. I now own, manage a medium sized portfolio, well into 7 figures, that has given me the flexibility to live my life more on my own terms.

Taylor Sanford

Founder and President at Self Employed - Utah Roundnet and Premier Spike

College Major: Business Administration

"I've always been a little entrepreneurial, and had my hands in little projects here and there. After CWP, I worked at a marketing agency working with lots of different clients in all sorts of industries. But as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my career, I realized I couldn't just follow in the typical "sales path." If I could figure out how to be a painting contractor as a 20 year old with no experience, I could figure out how to run a business doing something I actually enjoy doing for the rest of my life. "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Quitting my day job to run roundnet/Spikeball tournaments full-time. My "work" day consists of hanging out at a park surrounded by dozens/hundreds of friends on a Saturday.

Devyn Favia

New Car Sales Manager at Schlossmann Honda City

College Major: Business Management

"CWP gave me the tools to go make an immediate impact in the sales industry after college. I was not afraid to take a job that relied solely on commissions because I knew I could be successful with what I had learned in CWP. I graduated May of 2018 and now I have been a Sales manager at one of the largest Honda dealers in the Midwest for just over a year! "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

My proudest accomplishment was becoming a Dad on October 1st of 2021.

Jack Schwabeland

Program Manager - Sales Enablement at Flyhomes

College Major: Economics

"CWP made me comfortable going door to door, so it was only natural for me to show up at the door of Flyhomes and apply in-person. A little while after I was hired, the COO told me that after I handed in my resume, the recruiter breezed it over and discarded it. He, on the other hand, had watched my interaction with the recruiter from across the office and thought there was something special about someone who shows up in person, in a full suit to apply for a job. So, he went over and looked at my resume. In a wonderful stroke of luck, he knew about College Works. When he told me this story, his exact words were "anyone who can make it at College Works can make it at Flyhomes." And so, I was hired. Flyhomes is a unicorn in the startup world. When I joined, we had well under 100 people. Today we have 1000. If I hadn't done CWP, my resume would still be in the proverbial trash can...or at least it would have stayed there til I knocked on that door again...again...and again!"

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

I had terrible money habits in college. Post-college, many of the organization and discipline habits I learned at CWP helped me develop a frugal mentality, save a big chunk of my earnings, and buy 2 homes in awesome locations.

Ally Becker

Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs
Industry: Finance

College Major: Bachelors in Marketing, Master's in Human & Health Sciences, Family Financial Planning

""My CWP experience shaped me to be the person I am and the values that I believe in. It taught me to be a better person to everyone, work harder but more importantly work smarter, appreciate the small wins but celebrate the big wins, and most importantly to ""go knock on one more door"". The extra 1% add to your current work/current situation will expedite your goals. For example, following up with a client promptly can make them trust you and add $5,000 of an add-on to the current paint job that you are producing and increase your business. By creating a network within CWP and keeping in touch with contacts even years after the internship, it provided me with the opportunity to connect and receive an interview at one of the most prestigious names in the financial industry right out of college. ""

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Post CWP, I had the opportunity to be the captain of the dance team at Iowa State University. I lead my team to second in the nation at nationals (in the Pom Division 1A Category) in 2021. While being a full-time athlete, I also was working full-time with a start-up company in Des Moines, IA and I was a full-time Master's Program student obtaining my Master's in Human & Health Sciences, Family Financial Planning. It is incredible at what you can do with your time if you prioritize it correctly and be present in the moment.

Joseph Boche

Sales Director at Obodo Technologies
Industry: Technology

College Major: Economics

"Immediately after CWP, I went into sales because it was the only thing I was good at in CWP. That same year I made $72,000 while I was still in college. Now I'm to the point where I'm training people and leading entire sales teams. "

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

I am 22 years old and I am a homeowner.

Michael Potter

VP of strategic accounts, founder & CEO, Founder & CEO at Adentro, Brookeside group llc, MBP NETWORKS LLC

College Major: Integrated marketing communications & theater

""Qualifications can be overrated, do not let fear or intimidation of not having the right credentials or background stop you. Dive in and start learning. You will close the gap faster than you ever imagined by showing up and starting each day with a positive attitude. Always ask for referrals, reviews and look locally first to leverage a network growth effect and urgency in a new market. Always be prospecting and creating pipeline for 3-6 months out.""

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Starting my own company and being able to leverage my personal network to help young founders achieve their vision by cutting their learning curb and avoiding early leadership and scale mistakes.

Ben Friberg

Owner/ Dentist at Owner of Thrive Family Dental
Industry: Medical

College Major: Doctorate of Dental Surgery

"My ability to lead my team and communicate with my patients were learned from my experience with CWP"

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

2022 Wilmington NC entrepreneur of the year award!

Kyle Emerick

2nd Lieutenant / Platoon Commander at United States Marine Corps

College Major: Finance & Economics

"It provided me clearing as far as what roles inside a business I want to pursue when I transition to being a civilian. Also, CWP provided me a platform to become comfortable with my management style."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Being an honor graduate for both military schools I have attended since I commissioned.

Nic Bair

Director at The Wiltz Group

College Major: Business

"Essentially, it created my career path. It gave me almost all the tools I needed for my current role."

What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

People always thinking I'm way older than I am when I talk about my past experience.