JFK High grad hopes to paint town red, among other colors College student beginning work at own painting company BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Ruggiero has become an entrepreneur with the multimillion-dollar professional U.S. enterprise Tuition Painters. "It's a lot of work, but it's a great experience," he said. Ruggiero, a freshman studying business marketing at the University of Delaware, is in the beginning stages of running his own painting company. "We have an option on where to run the business and I have decided to come back to my home in Iselin and cater to all of Middlesex County," he said. "If anyone is interested, they can contact me." Tuition Painters was founded in North Carolina in 1996 with the goal of teaching students entrepreneurial skills and giving them the opportunity to practically apply the lessons they have learned in the classroom. Over 2,500 students have worked for Tuition Painters as district supervisors and have managed the painting of over 6,000 commercial and residential properties across theMid- Atlantic States and California. Ruggiero, a graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Iselin, traveled the two-hour drive from the University of Delaware campus to his home in Iselin on March 7 for his second weekend to advertise for his business. "Through networking, I had already five estimate appointments when I came home two weekends ago," said Ruggiero, who added that the estimates given are free. "I have nine estimate appointments this weekend." Ruggiero, who received help from his brothers Bobby, 18, and Chris, 16, said his first weekend home did not go as smoothly as he had hoped. "There was that snowstorm and we couldn't go out on Saturday," he said. "But I did book two out of the five estimates and made $4,000 in sales, which really got me motivated." The entrepreneur opportunity came to the college freshman at a general business lecture class he was taking in the fall. "This was the only opportunity that I saw open to freshmen," he said. "I already had experience working full time as a camp counselor at RainbowAcademy during the summer before college and also two to three years working at Models." However, Ruggiero said the experience running his own business and painting was a first for him. "I had very little experience before this," he said. "But during a 22-hour management conference I attended last weekend [at the Sheraton Inn in Columbia, Md.], they taught us paint technologies and conducted mock estimates … it was long hours, but it was well worth it." Over the winter, Ruggiero submitted his business plan for his company and started training in late January. Training continues throughout the spring working with a regional supervisor on marketing and selling jobs, learning how to estimate and recruiting a team of painters for the summer. "We will be trained by Sherwin- Williams [which has grown to be the largest producer of paints and coatings in the world]," he said. "I have seven people who are interested. All the painting is done during the summer, starting the first week of June and will be a full-time job for us." Ruggiero spent roughly 20 hours with help from his brothers over the two weekends he was home from school hanging door hangers attached with fliers, putting out lawn signs and knocking on doors. "I was nervous knocking on doors for the first time," he said. "But it really helped that I booked two estimates." Ruggiero's goal is to bring in $50,000 in sales. "I do have the option of doing this next year and I am interested since there really aren't many internships for sophomores also." Potential customers are reminded that a quality paint job is necessary to protect homes from the diverse New Jersey climate. Any peeling paint, exposed wood, or unfilled cracks will leave homes susceptible to early stages of dry rot caused by a combination of moisture and the sun. Tuition Painters' extremely high preparation standards ensure that the homes of their customers are well protected. They will manually scrape the loose material and fill cracks and joints with caulking. Customers will also get a two-year guarantee of quality and a $2 million liability insurance for the service done. Interested parties in Middlesex County can contact Jonathan Ruggiero at (732) 570-7464 or e-mail him at jonnyrug@ udel.edu. For more information, visit www.tuitionpainters. com or call 1-(866) PAY-4- COLLEGE.