Chris Ernest
- Director- Solutions Engineering
- Fusion Risk Management
School Information
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2009
Career Information
Working For: Fusion Risk Management
Title: Director- Solutions Engineering
Industry: TechnologyWhat Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?
Getting more job offers straight out of college for more money than any of my friends who gave me a hard time for doing College Works.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting helped me develop many of the skills necessary for success in business, the experience to prove it, and relationships I’ll have for life.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
I’m less than a year removed from graduation, but I was hired by my company in large part because of my experience with College Works Painting. The CEO of my company is from Barrington and had his house painted by former intern, Andy Betourne. He hired myself and another former intern, Alex Polvere, right out of college because of our experiences with the program among other things.
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?
My manager year I had a client named John Holtz. He started working for a local sign company when he was in his teens. He worked his way up, eventually bought it, and grew it into a multimillion dollar trade show display company that now has locations around the country. My painters were messy at first and he kind of let me have it but we pulled it all together and he told me he was very impressed with how I managed the job. After the job,he sat down with me and gave me some business/life advice about working hard and always keeping your word. That stuck with me. I’m still happy I was able to work with him.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
In entering any new job or venture, you must be equally afraid of failure as you are confident in your ability to succeed.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
This has been the best part. I still keep in close touch with tons of people I met through the program. Honestly too many to name. I’ve gone on multiple vacations with Pat Fagan, Austin Brown, Brooks Golden since leaving College Works Painting. I now live with Chris Chmielewski in Chicago. And still see several others very regularly.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
It’s still gotta be Work hard, play hard. I’m not creative and that one is just too spot on.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Go all out. The harder you go the more fun you’ll have and the more you’ll get out if it. Giving anything less than your all will be a complete waste of your time.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
There is absolutely nothing better you can do than College Works Painting your freshman year in college, and probably still your sophomore year. If you want to go into enterprise IT sales (which is the fastest growing industry in the world), you will need technical experience, but you can’t get more relevant sales experience anywhere else. Get the technical experience later in your college career when tech companies will actually be willing to give you that experience.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Way too many to choose from. Cancun, Jamaica, Vegas, Mafia, DM retreats, Go Big Dinner are all among them.
Last words of wisdom?
Do what others won’t so you can live how others can’t.