Steve Pribula, a Business Economics major at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, has spent two summers with College Works and helped build more than $1 million in combined revenue across both seasons. He started as a Branch Manager after a pitch he heard in a 600-person economics lecture, then returned this year as a District Manager, leading a team that finished the summer ranked #15 in the nation and #6 in the country for June.
Who is Steve Pribula?
Pribula is studying Business Economics at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He first heard about the opportunity during a pitch delivered in a 600-person economics lecture, a detail he still points back to when he talks about how the whole thing began.
In fall 2024, that pitch turned into his first summer with College Works, where he ran his own branch as a Branch Manager, handling sales, hiring, scheduling, and customer service on his own business from the ground up. This year, he came back in a new role, as a District Manager recruiting, training, and advising a team of Branch Managers as they ran their own businesses.
What was the hardest part of stepping into two new College Works roles?
Pribula was nervous heading into both positions, and for good reason. Running his own branch for the first time meant learning a business from scratch, and coming back as a District Manager meant guiding a whole team of Branch Managers who were each facing that same steep climb he once had.
“I was nervous stepping into both roles,” he said. “Each one pushed me past what I thought I was ready for, and taught me to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
How did he learn to lead a team of branch managers?
Pribula’s answer was to treat every branch as its own problem to solve, rather than apply one approach across the board. “No two branches had the same problems, and no two weeks looked the same,” he said. “Learning to diagnose what each business needed, and help my managers act on it, was the most valuable skill I took away.”
That meant sitting down with each Branch Manager, figuring out what was actually holding a specific business back, and coaching them through a plan instead of handing down the same answer to everyone. It is the kind of skill that does not show up on a resume as a single line, but it shaped how his team performed all summer.
What did Steve Pribula’s team accomplish this summer?
The team Pribula led as a District Manager put up some of the strongest numbers in the country this summer. Here is what his team built:
- $927K in sales and $890K in production revenue
- 149 jobs completed
- 24% average profit
- 85+ painters hired
- Ranked #15 in the nation, and #6 for June, with one of the smaller teams in the country
Even with numbers like that, Pribula said they are not what he will remember most. “The numbers aren’t what I’ll remember most. It’s the managers I got to coach, my brother included, and the trust and respect we built as a team,” he said. His brother, Straton Pribula, was one of the Branch Managers he coached through the season. He also credited mentors who supported him along the way, including Matthew Stewart, Sean Phelps, Jack Kratcha, and Frank Guimont.
What is next for Steve Pribula?
Pribula is now looking toward a career in management consulting, with a focus on operations and team leadership, building on what he learned coaching a team of Branch Managers through two very different businesses. His advice to students weighing whether to try the College Works internship is straightforward.
“To anyone weighing this internship: it’s worth the struggle and the sacrifice,” he said, adding that his messages are open to anyone with questions about the experience.
What is the College Works internship?
College Works is a national student-run painting and home improvement business. It delivers high-quality exterior painting services while developing the next generation of leaders through the nation’s top-ranked college internship program.
Interns run their own branch from start to finish, handling sales and estimates, hiring and training a crew, production scheduling, budgets, and customer service. They are supported by up-front training, proven systems, professional oversight, and ongoing mentorship from a district manager, who recruits, mentors interns, and sells.
Trained student teams provide homeowners with an industry-leading 5-star experience that enhances curb appeal and increases property value, and the program has backed that up with recognition over the years. College Works has won the Talk Award for Service Excellence 16 consecutive years, has won Best of Houzz 10 consecutive years, and was named one of Newsweek’s America’s Greatest Workplaces 2026. College interns gain hands-on business and leadership skills that create lasting community impact. You can read more about how the program works through the College Works internship.
Ready to run your own branch like Steve Pribula?
Students who want the kind of hands-on leadership experience that took Pribula from a Branch Manager to a District Manager overseeing a top-15 team can apply to the College Works internship and start building their own track record.
What else do people ask about Steve Pribula’s two summers with College Works?
What did Steve Pribula’s team achieve this summer as a College Works district manager?
Steve Pribula’s team finished the summer with $927K in sales, $890K in production revenue, 149 jobs completed, 24% average profit, and more than 85 painters hired. The team ranked #15 in the nation, and #6 for June, despite being one of the smaller teams in the country.
How did Steve Pribula get started with College Works?
Steve Pribula first learned about College Works through a pitch he heard in a 600-person economics lecture. That pitch led him into the program in fall 2024, where he spent his first summer as a Branch Manager running his own branch before returning the following summer as a District Manager.
What does a College Works district manager do?
A College Works district manager recruits, mentors, and advises a team of interns as they each run their own branch. For Pribula, that meant helping a group of Branch Managers diagnose what their individual businesses needed and coaching them through a plan to act on it.
How can a student apply to the College Works internship?
Students interested in building the kind of leadership experience Pribula gained can apply to the College Works internship directly online. Those weighing the decision can start by visiting the application page to apply to the College Works internship and learn what running a branch involves.
Source: Steve Pribula’s LinkedIn post.