Meet The Team...
ERIC CREWS - FOUNDER AND CEO
Eric Crews is the Founder and CEO of Collegiate Entrepreneurs Painting Services. Eric graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 1992 with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. In the summer of his Junior Year at St. Mary's, Eric was a Branch Manager in a program that was almost identical to what the current CE Branch Managers still get to experience to this day.
Like all of CE's Junior and Senior Executives, Eric worked his way up the company ladder, eventually taking over the New England area as a VP of Operations. In 2000, Eric started Collegiate Entrepreneurs with the vision of being able to run a company whose main mission was to change the lives of college students and to give them a significant leg up over their peers after graduation. If you spend any amount of time talking to Eric, you will see that he is just as passionate about doing this today as he was when he started the company 15 years ago.
Eric is also the Founder and CEO of the Crews Coaching Group. As CEO, Eric coaches and mentors Business Owners, Company Presidents, and High Level Salespeople, and helps them to establish the systems and metrics necessary to grow their businesses to the next level. He coaches CEOs in many varied industries ranging from Technology Firms to Accounting Firms, and Educational Consultants.
Eric is a Past President of the Boston Chapter of the Entrepreneur's Organization (EO), and is currently a Volunteer Mentor to CEOs who are trying to grow their businesses over the $1m level. He has coached over 30 CEOs whose businesses range in size from $250k - $10m. He is also on the Executive Committee of the Cohasset Yacht Club, an avid fundraiser for Special Olympics of Massachusetts, and is a 3-time Ironman triathlete.
Most importantly, Eric is heavily involved in the long-term process of creating 2 future CE Branch Managers - Scarlett, 5 years old - future CE BM, Class of 2018, and Max, 8 years old - future CE BM, Class of 2015.
CHRIS SULLIVAN - VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Chris Sullivan was raised in Londonderry NH and has had an affinity for running a business from a young age. While attending Londonderry High he created two completely different small businesses in his hometown, a food delivery service for the community and a flower distribution business around Valentine’s Day at the local mall. Naturally, when Chris decided to attend UNH in Durham NH he studied business and entrepreneurship from 2000-2004.
It was during his freshman year at UNH that Chris discovered an opportunity to become a Branch Manager with Collegiate Entrepreneurs (CE). He thrived in entrepreneurial ventures and this was the perfect fit for him. With CE he saw the endless possibilities for an incredible work experience to carry with him for the rest of his life as well as unprecedented income potential.
The rest of Chris’ time at UNH was spent as a Regional Manager with CE, developing large teams of first and second-year managers and their teams. After graduation in 2004, CE was still a young and growing company. Chris recognized the opportunity with CE post grad to continue growing the company across Northern New England.
In his 15 years with the company, Chris has held every managerial position from Branch Manager to Vice President, Operations. Throughout his time with CE, he has held close the company mission and primary goal of developing college students to become better business people.
When Chris is not working he can be found racing around the racetrack, soaring in the clouds earning his pilot’s license or spending time with his wife Angela and their three children Connor, Charlotte, and Colbie.
SAMUEL LEASK - GENERAL MANAGER
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Taking inspiration from his self-employed father, Joe Leask, Samuel Leask started with CE in 2013 as a freshman at the University of Maine. Coming from a background with minimal experience with sales or management, Sam managed a $68,000 business as first year manager, the largest rookie branch in Maine in 2013. Since then Sam has grown his business to $300,000 and $400,000 in revenue his sophomore and junior years respectively.
Sam’s passion for entrepreneurship stems from his desire to improve daily, work hard, and, most importantly, help aspiring entrepreneurs develop their skills. When Sam’s not working he can be found in a café, playing board games, or spending time with his friends and family.
ALI BELASH - SENIOR REGIONAL MANAGER
Ali Belash joined Collegiate Entrepreneurs as a freshman at the University of Vermont. She was an athlete growing up, and believes that running Track & Field at a state-champion and national level on her high school team taught her the power of goal setting and team culture. She is also inspired by her entrepreneurial mother, who is a leadership consultant, author, and speaker.
As a Branch Manager working in her hometown of Milton Massachusetts, she ran at $72,000 business. This grew to $385,000 in her sophomore year as a Regional Manager. Her first summer was the most challenging experience of her life, and since then she has been passionately dedicated to coaching others through the experience. Her #1 goal is to inspire the confidence of her peers. She plans to grow her business to $750,000 as a Senior Regional Manager in 2019. Ali is also considering a future in Integrative Health Coaching.
CASEY BENNOCH - JUNIOR GENERAL MANAGER
DYLAN HASKELL - OPERATIONS MANAGER
Casey Bennoch was born and raised in West Bath, Maine. The son of two school teachers, he realized from a young age that he wanted to run a company of his own. Realizing that he lacked both the operational and personal skills to do so, he joined CE his freshman year of college. As a Branch Manager, he ran a $183,000 business, growing that by $450,000 his second year. This year, Casey hopes to work with motivated students around the state to run a total of $750,000 in revenue.
Casey enjoys long walks on the beach and meaningless fillers to hit an arbitrary word count that will make his bio appear to have more substance than it actually does, such that it does not seem short in comparison to those above and below. In his free time, Casey enjoys playing the drums and collecting intramural championship shirts.
CAMERON LEDESMA - REGIONAL MANAGER
Dylan joined collegiate his sophomore year at the University of Maine in 2017. He is now a Mechanical Engineering major with aspirations of starting his own engineering firm one day. Coming from West Gardiner, ME, Dylan ran a $65,000 business his first year. This year, as an Operations Manager, he is looking to pass along his knowledge to his team of branch managers so that they may run successful branches and change their lives for the better.
I am a fourth year biology pre-med student at the University of Maine Orono from Kennebunk Maine. I began Collegiate Entrepreneurs during my junior year in Orono. Prior to starting the program I was shy and often kept to myself since then I’ve grown to be able to talk to almost anyone and be able to interact with customers. During my branch manager year I ran a $140,000 business out of Kennebunk/Kennebunkport Maine.
I hope to use the leadership and entrepreneurial skills I have and will continue to develop with Collegiate Entrepreneurs to venture into real estate or open my own private practice operating facility specializing in orthopedics. In my second year with Collegiate Entrepreneurs I will be the regional manager of southern Maine and am looking to double my business revenue from last year.
AURY SOUVENIR - OPERATIONS MANAGER
Aury Souvenir was born and raised in a small country in Africa named Burundi. Mr. Souvenir is a young entrepreneur that moved to the US alone at a very young age—17 years old—in 2013 due to some difficulties that had to separate him from his family and started to build his new life. He graduated from Deering High School in 2015 and he is currently pursuing a double major in Accounting and Finance and a minor in Public Writing at the University of Southern Maine and is hoping to graduate in 2019. Mr. Souvenir had a dream to become an entrepreneur and CE helped him achieve his dream. He considers himself as a friendly person and enjoys playing basketball and swimming.
Collegiate Entrepreneurs did not only help Aury to achieve his dream, but it also changed his life. In his first year, Mr. Souvenir run a $85,000 business and refers to his first year as both the most difficult and exciting experience in his life. His goal as an OM this year is to help a District Manager run over $500,000 in business by helping other people change their lives.
FERNANDO MARTINEZ - REGIONAL MANAGER
Although born in El Salvador, Fernando grew up in Portland, ME alongside his parents and older brother. He has a competitive nature being the younger sibling and always looks for new challenges. Fernando ran over $70k in business following his Freshman year, but more importantly, learned how to run a successful business and had a clearer understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. In his Exec year, Fernando hopes to present this opportunity to like-minded students and be able to help them grow as people and learn more about themselves.
Fernando looks up to his father for being very influential in his life, taking both his high ambition and his high work ethic. In his spare time, you can find Fernando with a football by his feet and watching his favorite team, Barcelona.
Collegiate Entrepreneurs Inc., is an entrepreneurial and business development company based in Massachusetts, serving all of New England.
Collegiate Entrepreneurs Inc. | 220 Forbes Road | Braintree, M.A. 02184
Email: info@cepaint.com