by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Sauk Rapids will be spruced up good this summer with a new coat of paint, if Elizabeth Deloera has anything to say about it.
Well, more precisely, many of the homes will be spruced up, that is.
Deloera is now organizing a marketing campaign for her new business, “College Works Painting,” a project for her finance studies at St. Cloud State University, where she is a sophomore.
Deloera is currently an intern at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union in Sartell where she is a member-services representative, working in the lobby, at the drive-through facility and helping customers open new accounts.
Although she works in Sartell, she lives in Sauk Rapids with her mother. The two moved to this area from Florida about a year ago.
“My goal,” she said, “is to manage a company that does $100,000-worth of business.”
She started her direct-marketing campaign last week. It involves enlisting the help of others to go door-to-door with flyers, as well as other forms of advertising. She is also seeking professional painters or painters willing to be trained. She has been networking on the Internet and Facebook to help spread the word. She is hoping to hire college students so they can make some extra money this summer for their ongoing schooling.
“College Works Painting,” her business, will offer exterior painting of homes mainly in Sauk Rapids, although she will accept work projects from any place in the area, including Sartell.
“It’s important I get the word out to let people in this area know about the quality painting, reasonably priced, that I’m going to offer. We’re going to do a very thorough, professional job using the top brands of paint.”
Interested homeowners will have a chance to meet with a painter at their homes for a detailed estimate, and that estimate will be completely free of charge. The prospective customer is also free to decline the offer after an estimate is given.
Even the sound of Deloera’s voice is unmistakably energetic, upbeat and optimistic.
“It’s all about motivation,” she said. “I have a motivation to excel. There is so much a person can do here in America.”
Deloera credits her experiences as a student in South Africa for showing her, by contrast, how many chances to succeed exist in America compared to very poor countries. That knowledge, she said, energized her and forged a sense of motivation within her.
Her dream job is to open her own Mexican restaurant someday, which she will call “Taqueria Tito’s.”
Deloera, 20, who has an Hispanic heritage, speaks fluent English and fluent Spanish. On the SCSU TV station, UTVS, she served as an anchor for a Spanish-language segment of the programming.
Anyone interested in becoming a painter, helping do marketing or becoming a painting customer for “College Works Painting” should call Deloera at 320-291-5116. The best time to call is in the early morning or evenings due to her college classes and credit-union work schedule.
Elizabeth Deloera is an intern at St. Cloud Federal Credit Union in Sartell and is starting her own painting business as a school project this summer.