It is the first day on the job for Jamie Hess of Carnegie.

She's pretty sure she'll like what she is about to do.

On summer vacation from Allegheny College in Meadville, where she is a communication arts major, she says she loves kids and loves being out in the summer weather.

Eventually she plans to go to graduate school to be an elementary school teacher.

So, what could be better than a job driving an ice cream truck and selling treats to children?

Besides, her brother, David Hess, who also works at Billy's Ice Cream in Coraopolis, loves it and recommended she try it.

Chris Everly of Moon Township, who has worked for Billy since April 2003, is Jamie's guide today. He came to Billy's after he got laid off from his job and had been staying home to take care of his wife who had been ill.

An ice cream man in his neighborhood talked him into trying a different career, he says.

Chris also loves kids, having three of his own, ages 7, 13 and 15, and has plans of staying with Billy for a long time.

He says there's nothing better than seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids as they reach up to the window of the truck and take their favorite treat from his hands.

His teacher was Bill Borlak of Avalon, owner of Billy's Ice Cream, who has been in the ice cream business for 26 years.

An immigrant from the former Yugoslavia, he came to America in 1960. In the early 1980s, he has just gotten married and bought a house when he was laid off from US Steel. In 1984, he and his brother, Steve, started in the ice cream business in Verona.

Bill then took the business to Oakmont, and moved to Avalon in 1988, where he operated out of his driveway. In 1991, he moved the business to Fourth Avenue in Coraopolis and stayed put.

He now has eight trucks (at one time having as many as 16) and is looking to buy a few more. One truck costs about $70,000, he says.

Over the years he has come to see that the business is instrumental in creating values for the drivers, such as honesty and integrity. They are responsible for their inventory, a clean truck and receive 25 percent of their sales.

They are classified as independent contractors.

Jamie and David have been Billy's customers since they were babies and now are "ice cream people" themselves.

"We impact people's lives in many ways," Billy says. "I teach young people how to become someone's hero."

The drivers are told to encourage kids to listen to their moms and dads, clean their rooms and have their dinner first before they buy a treat.

"They have to earn the right to get a treat. Kids learn discipline and get rewarded for it. The ice cream truck is a good teaching tool.

"Moms appreciate that. We are polite, and courteous and show our appreciation. Moms could always just go to the grocery store for ice cream instead."

But, it isn't just the kids who love ice cream and chase the truck down the street.

Chris says construction workers at times will even do a little dance to the truck's familiar music to catch his attention.

And even dogs occasionally run after the truck too.

That's why Chris, who also trained Billy's son for the job, and other ice cream truck drivers had to go through a training period and view a video and materials about safety.

Billy says ensuring the safety of the kids and drivers is the number one priority on the job.

The other priority is making the kids and adults happy with all their favorite treats.

In all the years that Billy has owned the business, the favorites have remained constant with adults and kids -- the ice cream sandwich, fudge bar and Creamsicle.

These are treats he says, that span the course of more than 50 years.

Chris says his own kids' favorites are a little different. His oldest loves Big Dippers. The middle child likes double fudge, and the youngest prefers cookies and cream bars.

During the last decade, some other new favorites have emerged as well.

They are what those in the ice cream trade call face bars.

The treats feature the faces of favorite cartoon characters such as SpongeBob Square Pants, Fat Frog, Tweety Bird and Bugs Bunny.

Another popular bar even looks like a baseball glove.

Although Billy says he has had to raise some prices about 25 percent over the past four years because of increasing gas prices, the treats still come pretty cheap.

Parents can still give their children $1 or less and the kids will still be able to get a good treat.

Although the gas prices are a concern, Billy says, he is more worried about the decreasing population of young people in the area.

He sees more and more young couples and their children leaving the area to find better jobs.

"The blue collar jobs have left the area," he says. "And, I don't see any new industries coming in.

The 25- to 30-year-olds are leaving to go to Arizona, Florida and Atlanta."

Billy's trucks often go to special events, community functions and birthday parties. The truck also is a staple at Coraopolis youth baseball game.