USU students create their own summer jobs

By Keith Bessinger

May 6, 2005 | Finding a summer job that will provide enough money to help pay for tuition, books, food and living expenses has always been a challenge for college students, particularly for those at Utah State University For many USU students, find a job is difficult because they are few and far between. Many of the jobs students find only pay minimum wages.

Students Keith Reese and Ryan Reeder provide inspiration for students facing this summertime dilemma. Tired of spending summers making low wages and performing menial labor, these two students decided to go to work for themselves.

For broadcast student Ryan Reeder, residential sprinkler systems installation provides the money to pay for schooling and living expenses through the academic year. This seasonal occupation is a perfect fit for the student trying to put himself through college. The work is done out doors digging trenches, gluing pipe and assembling sprinkler parts. Of course this work anything but glamorous, however, the financial benefits make it all worthwhile. Most of Reeder's customers are willing to pay him a fair price to do the dirty work of installing a sprinkler system in their yard.

"I try to stay busy through the entire season," says Reeder. "Putting in a lot of hard hours in the summer is tough, but it allows me to focus on my education come fall semester."

Reeder came up with the idea for his business through his life experiences. Having been raised on a farm in Weston, Idaho, Reeder learned basic irrigation principles by helping his parents water crops of grain and alfalfa. When his grandmother became too old to care for her lawn, Reeder decided to try installing an automated sprinkler system for her.

After researching the basics of sprinkler system installation and placing a large order at the local hardware store, Reeder went to work. Since installing that first system for his grandmother, Reeder installed systems for his siblings and others. As his proficiency of the trade increased through experience and continued study, Reeder became confident in starting his own sprinkler installation service. He now owns and operates Raindancer Sprinkler Systems Design and Installation.

Reeder is now in the process of creating an online sprinkler system installation tutorial in his classes at USU. It is available at http://it.usu.edu/~ryreeder91/index.html.

"Running my own business has proved to be a lot of hard work," Reeder says, "but it beats working for someone because I'm working to make myself money not someone else."

For USU public relations student Keith Reese, turning golfers' errors into his profits has been a great summer job. Reese recycles golf balls that are hit and lost in ponds and lakes on golf courses across Utah, selling them to golfers throughout the country.

The idea to recycle golf balls came from Reese's father, who in his spare time, collected and sold golf balls for over 30 years. Utilizing the knowledge and small clientele that his father had built over the years, Reese decided to turn a hobby into his summertime job.

With the help of scuba divers and his father, Reese retrieves over 300,000 golf balls per year. Once the golf balls are collected they are put through an extensive washing and cleaning in one of the giant ball washing machines Reese purchased. Once the washing is complete, Reese sorts each ball by brand and by grade depending on the condition of each. Based upon his study of current golf ball types and their new prices, Reese sells these used "recycled" balls at a discounted rate.

Reese attributes the success of his recycled golf ball business to the Internet because the majority of his sales come from outside the state of Utah. In 1997, Reese's father had a small website created to sell his collection of golf balls (www.golfballshop.com). Reese decided to improve upon the existing webpage and also sells golf balls on E-bay.

"Keith took what was just a small hobby and made it successful across the United States," David Reese says. "My son's knowledge of computers and the internet wasn't something I had tapped into. It's been fun seeing this thing grow."

Over the summer, Reese's small business generates more than $45,000 dollars in sales. "It's a fun way to make money during the summertime. The business already existed. I just had to make a few improvements," Bessinger said.

These USU students have shown that a little creativity and a lot of hard work can go along ways in helping students create the summertime job they are looking for.

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