Alumni Directory

Andy Betourne

General Manager - LPC Titanium
PCC (Precision Castparts Corp)

School Information

School: University of Illinois

College Major: Engineering

 Years at College Works: 2007 to 2008

Career Information

Working For: PCC (Precision Castparts Corp)

Title: General Manager – LPC Titanium

Industry: ManufacturingWhat Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?

Growing my team’s annual revenue from $16M to $42M in 3 years.

College Works Career Impact

In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?

College Works Painting was a foundation for my career in operations.

How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?

College Works Painting was the catalyst on my resume that gave me an opportunity due to stick out above others. There are also lots of similarity between running a painting business and running a manufacturing team.

What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?

I had over 60 clients in 2 summers, none that necessarily stuck out above the rest. But for the most part I appreciated how easy my clients were to work for. It was a pleasure delivering a quality job and getting good feedback for both me and my crews.

What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?

Work smart, not hard. -Taylor Duncan. Finding ways to work efficiently to get a lot of work done by utilizing time management tools and the support of others.

How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?

Continue to be close friends with several managers and DM’s from both my years at College Works Painting. Most of the guys in my fantasy hockey league are from College Works Painting and I usually get to see that group every time I’m back in Chicago.

If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?

Painting the futures of successful students

Advice

What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?

Be ready to work, especially up front. If you put in the long hours in the spring and early summer, you’ll have a really enjoyable July and August while collecting big paychecks. Use your resources to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to be successful, that’s what DM’s are there for.

Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?

I think it’s a balance and really depends what you want to do in that industry. For me, I love operations and College Works Painting was the perfect prelude. However, if I were looking to hire an engineer for manufacturing, I’d probably look for someone that had a more technical internship. Regardless of industry choice down the road, I think the experience of running your own business in college is invaluable and can’t be replicated anywhere else. It sticks out on resumes and most recruiters like to see experiences that get students “out of the box.”

What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?

Manufacturing is a great field to work in if you enjoy the fast pace and multiple disciplines learned while at College Works Painting. In an operations role you’re constantly managing employees, customers, vendors, product quality, scheduled delivery, and cost.