By Elizabeth Cloutman

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

Josh Huddleston said that soon after beginning college as a computer science major at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he realized business management was where his true interests lay.

This summer, the 20-year-old junior, a longtime Los Altos resident, has turned his dreams into a “real-world” experience, right in his own hometown. As an intern for College Works Painting, Huddleston had the opportunity to build his own house-painting business from the ground up.

College Works Painting is part of a 20-year-old, for-profit company that operates residential paint-contracting franchises in 11 states. Local branches are run by college students, who receive classroom and in-field instruction, as well as written materials and supervision by district managers.

“It’s a little more than getting your feet wet (in business). It’s more like jumping straight in,” Huddleston said. “Not many people my age … run their own businesses. Basically, the company provides support with fliers and a bit of advertising, but all the customers and all the recruiting (and managing) of painters, I had to do myself.”

Huddleston’s responsibilities began not in June, but in February, while he was still a full-time student, taking 16 units. Most weekends he would make the 600-mile round trip from Santa Barbara to Los Altos to receive training and recruit customers. “I was home six of the eight weekends that I could,” the business economics major said. “It took a long time driving, but I set up painting houses for the summer.”

With the money he received from residential painting contracts, Huddleston purchased his own equipment and materials and hired his crew of five painters. He is also responsible for managing his employees’ wages and workers’ compensation. “It’s really hard, but as long as you’re organized, keep yourself working daily and keep yourself on schedule, you can break things down into little tasks and be able to accomplish it fairly easily.”

Huddleston used these same time-management principles to keep a balance between school and the initial setup of his painting business. “Monday through Thursday, I stayed at the (university) library five hours a day … doing my homework,” he said. “I recorded my lectures to listen to on the car ride home … (On Friday evenings) I would try to do a (painting) estimate between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. I (would also) set up five estimates for the next day … walking door-to-door in between.”

Huddleston said he also received support and business advice from his mother, Christine Oster of Los Altos, and his father, George Huddleston of Burlingame, as well as his stepfather, all of whom have extensive business experience themselves. “Everywhere I look, I’ve got people that are helping me out if I’ve got any questions.”

As for the future, Huddleston plans to finish his bachelor’s degree in 2003 and, after working for a while, to earn a master’s degree in marketing, advertising or business management.

Huddleston’s painting career will end Sept. 10, when he returns to school, but he said he has gained a lot from the experience. “What have I learned? A whole lot of things, obviously: organization, how to deal with customers, how to deal with painters … and how to deal with people is to treat them how you want to be treated. My mom always told me this is the best way to deal with people.”

For more information, logon to: www.collegeworks.com.