The fourth and final year of Alec Cooley’s time at Monmouth College was not ideal. His senior season of football was canceled by the pandemic, and most of the business major’s education was done via Zoom, rather than in the classroom.
By contrast, Cooley’s fourth year after Monmouth was a banner one. The 2021 graduate topped $1 million in earnings, part of the $2.2 million in business that his company, Cooley Dump Service, did in Clinton, Illinois.
The business is located in a sweet spot in the heart of the state, with Bloomington-Normal, Champaign, Decatur and Springfield all less than an hour away. A regular customer is Rivian, which has a major electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Normal.
His own boss
“When I got out of college, I wanted to make money, but not work for somebody,” said Cooley, who had thought about a career in law enforcement for much of his time at Monmouth.
In fact, he’d been accepted for a program to prepare for the Illinois State Police but, at around the same time, he purchased a dump truck, selling his Mustang to more than make up for the cost.
“I’ve never had a boss, other than helping my cousin with his ag business during summers when I was in college,” said Cooley, who earned his commercial driver’s license as a college senior. “If you’re going to do that, you’ve got to put some risk forward.”
Cooley made those remarks while speaking in early May to the Midwest Entrepreneurs class, which is taught by Mike Connell and Herb Schmidt.
“Start early, that’s what I can tell you,” he said to the students. “The sooner when you get out of school, the better. There’s less risk then, because you don’t have a house, you don’t have a family. If there’s a time to do it, it’s sooner than later.”
Cooley certainly didn’t have a lot to lose when he first started out.
“I was back in town from college, and a friend wanted me to go out to lunch with him,” he said. “I just didn’t have the money for that kind of thing, but he cashed a winning lottery ticket for me, just so we could have lunch. The first couple years, it was like that. I had to get the company off the ground.”
That included covering the cost of insurance on his growing fleet, which ran $10,000 per vehicle.
The importance of college
Cooley was asked if college even needs to be a part of the equation for an entrepreneur. Should a person simply start their venture right out of high school?
“When I came here, I learned a lot from Connell, from Dicky J (business professor Dick Johnston),” said Cooley, who was greeted mid-presentation by Johnston, clad in Cooley Dump Service attire. “They talked about a lot of real-world situations. It gives you something to go off of when you’re going through it yourself.”
Cooley also learned a lot through his gridiron career with the Fighting Scots.
“Coach (Chad) Braun brought me in,” said Cooley, who still holds several rushing records at Clinton High School. “He has an old-school coaching style that really hit home with me, and I felt at home on my visit.”
Being part of a successful program was another way Cooley learned lessons that now apply to his business.
“Just the team aspect of it was important,” said Cooley, who never experienced a regular-season conference loss in his three years with the Scots. “Running a business is like a team, and hiring good employees is huge.”
Treating people right
Cooley also appreciated the team dinners that “Mama Braun” – Coach Braun’s wife, Jen – would host regularly along with her husband.
“I was out to their house quite a bit,” said Cooley. “It was like a family.”
Cooley appreciated that personal touch, and it’s something he applies to his business.
“Be nice to everybody you know,” he told the entrepreneurism class. “Contacts and relationships are big in business, and customer service is huge.”
Cooley said one satisfied customer led him to a $500,000 contract, telling Cooley, “You’ve always been good to me.”
Cooley was a one-man team initially, but he now has five employees, as well as four trucks – two dump trucks and two semis – in which his company hauls material items such as dirt, rock, sand and grain. He does all the mechanical work on his fleet, which he believes has reached the right size. Adding any more vehicles would require that he also hires a mechanic.
“I’m about where I want to be with trucks,” he said, before explaining other ways his income could grow. “I like to dabble in other things, like excavating and buying houses and cars.”
And speaking of cars, he might not have that prized Mustang anymore, but the success of his business has allowed him to buy his dream car, a gun-metal gray ’67 Camaro.
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
