A two-month internship at J. Van Sickle and Company turned into Samantha Richardson’s full-time job.

Richardson started as a student at WSU in 2007. Five years later, she is the co-owner and president of a local business.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in finance with an emphasis on real estate. Richardson worked at J. Van Sickle and Company from late October until she graduated.

She said that Jason Van Sickle, founder and president of J. Van Sickle and company, called her the day after she graduated, met her for coffee and discussed offering Richardson a full-time internship.

“Our internship programs are really a testing ground to see if people can handle responsibility,” Van Sickle said. “She was eager to take on new responsibility and was working really hard to prove that.”

The company builds apartments and starts businesses to help apartment residents to maintain their home.

One of these is Housekeeping Professionals Company. Richardson is co-owner and president.

“I run everything for that company,” Richardson said. “We should be self-sufficient this month.”

She will soon begin looking at more businesses to start with J. Van Sickle, while expanding the housekeeping company.

Richardson is the manager of business development for J. Van Sickle.

“Basically, I’m in charge of all the business development ideas for other companies and I will take those ideas and work with them to make them reality,” Richardson said.

Van Sickle said he gave Richardson a full-time job to see how she could make the business grow. His goal was for Richardson to progress from an entry-level position to management.

“I decided to go ahead and promote her to president of Housekeeping Professionals, and she’s done really great ever since.”

Richardson cites the untraditional business environment at J. Van Sickle and Company as one of the reasons she enjoys her job.

“I have worked in a traditional business environment before for many years, so this is awesome,” she said. “I can’t imagine going back to a traditional business environment. It’s a lot different here.”

Richardson said the best part about her job is the freedom that usually does not exist in the business world.

“It was definitely weird coming from a job where I was an administrative assistant to a VP for four years before I worked here,” Richardson said. “You have to make sure that everything is followed in a procedure, and so you really don’t have the ability to do things your own way and to freely come up with ideas.”

Outside of work, Richardson has been happily married for three years, and has three dogs. She said she and her husband have no immediate plans to have children.

“Both of us are focused on not just careers, but sort of establishing our lives,” Richardson said. “I think that (having children) comes later when you figure out where you want to live and you’re in your stable job and all that.”

Earning a master’s degree is also a possibility.

She worked for four years on a music degree before changing her major to business. Richardson usually worked full-time while she was a student.

“I needed a little break after working for so long and being in school at the same time,” she said.

Richardson advised new business school graduates to enter the workforce with an open mind.

“Students should realize that there are good opportunities out there,” she said. “So don’t hold out on those opportunities and don’t give up on your values or anything like that just for a paycheck.”