mikeroweWORKS Foundation

That's Tyler, throwing up his "rock on" hands as he fulfills his duties as a lead tower technician in Washington State. He describes himself as a lineman Swiss-Army-knife, "doing a little bit of everything" for contractors like Pacific Gas and Electric and the U.S. Military. He helps erect towers over 40 feet in the air, create antenna systems, and ground grids for new buildings. Sometimes, he has to perform these serious jobs in multiple inches of snow. These winter storms can cause widespread power outages, and it's on lineman such as Tyler to step in and get the lights back on. However, there's another reason Tyler circles this time of the year on his calendar. He has always been a junkie for outdoor, terrain vehicle riding. He started with dirt bikes as a young man, but now he's built his own custom Toyota Wheelers to whip around the snow-laden paths near his home. So if you're in Washington State this winter, look up at the mountains. You may see Tyler steadily climbing an electrical tower, or a hot-rod red Toyota wheeler streaking along a slope.

Carson wanted two things after he graduated high school: to study plumbing and live near his hometown of Waco, Texas. He found both by attending Texas State Technical College, where he graduated in 2023 with his girlfriend, Audrey, by his side. Carson completed multiple internships in his time at TSTC. As a result, Lochridge Priest, a building contractor in the area, hired him a month after he removed his cap and gown. He was excited and eager to get to work. However, his exuberance was tested when he was assigned his first job: to route all of the drainage pipes for a new luxury hotel. Carson was hesitant at first but soon embraced the challenge while recognizing where he would need help. He applied the skills he had learned, and when he didn’t know how to use a troublesome tool or attach a particular pipe, he knew who to ask for guidance. To unwind after a workday, Carson played golf in the evenings with his family. Concentrating on his swing, stance, and breath reminded him to stay calm under pressure. That mindset gave Carson the confidence to complete the project in less than a seven-month timeline. He finished routing all the pipes for the hotel and was recognized for his outstanding work. You could say, his work ethic was up to par.

Some kids play sports, others obsess over superhero movies, but for Matthew, it was those mowers the landscapers around his neighborhood used that excited him. After high school, he pursued an automotive tech degree to learn the inner mechanics of mowers. He graduated in 2020 and got a technician job in his uncle's automotive repair shop. Like many others at the time, the pandemic forced Matthew to adjust course in his career. He took the opportunity to start his own landscaping business. He founded "Mowing Matters" that same year. The business provided him with new work opportunities and got him back to doing what he most enjoyed. Since then, his business has grown to 30 employees, and Matthew is sitting on top of the world--or lawnmower, depending on the job that day.

Houston graduated from Belmont College’s Building Preservation & Restoration Program in 2020 and quickly found work as an intern for the National Park Service. She started in their Historic Preservation Training Center, working on federally owned buildings up and down the east coast. She got hired as a full-time employee six months into the job and began working with woodcrafters, using modern tools to produce historically accurate results over the course of the next year. While she loved working for the National Park Service and the opportunity to travel, she wanted to find a place to call home. In 2022, she found a new opportunity with a heavy timber construction company in Maryland. She has worked there for the past couple of years on projects, like the total restoration of a timber frame barn—a project she described as quite an undertaking. Still, Houston embraces the challenges of her job. “Overall, I really enjoy what I do,” she tells us. “I love a good puzzle, and much of restoration is quite the puzzle.”

“Perkins hits it through the uprights!” is something San Diego State University football fans might have heard on game days a couple of years ago. Conor was a division one, college football kicker, giving his parents plenty to be proud of. Eventually, it was time to hang up the cleats, and for Conor to find work he excelled at like he did on the gridiron. He began that search working in construction, and after some time on the job, realized he’d need to learn a specific skill to level up in his career. So, he graduated with a plumbing degree. He now works for a commercial plumbing company, with jobs that can range from fixing a middle-school’s heating system (pictured here) to a toilet in an office building. At home, Conor’s three-year-old and one-year-old keep him busy with their endless energy. He says his kids haven’t picked up his athletic streak yet, but perhaps football awaits them in their future, and a life in the trades like dad!

Have you ever seen pigs this little? These piglets were actually Kaleigh's personal litter! She raised them until they were 5 years old, before selling them to a farm when she went to college and dedicated her career to working on ranches full time. She has worked on all kinds of ranches, and those baby hogs she's holding are from her internship last year at a hog confinement. Kaleigh now works as a ranch hand in Nebraska, taking care of the ranch's general uptake and operations. She's been working on farms since she was 16 years old, and has always kept herself surrounded by animals.

Brady graduated from Elite Lineman Training Institute in Cartersville, Georgia two years ago, with the support of his dad. Within months he was hired to work for the city of Marietta, Georgia, and since then he's been working to keep the lights on in his community. Recently, he helped repair broken power lines damaged from a tornado. He remembers the faces of people he helped after the storm, as his presence provided them with a sense of calm. Outside of work, Brady likes building things with his hands. He recently built a seven foot long, farm house table for his girlfriend's mother's birthday. Talk about making a good impression!

Dairy farming and drone operation aren't two things we usually hear in the same sentence, but for Rachael, they're a daily part of her job. She collects data for a dairy farm using drones to calculate feed inventory, cow comfort, and even financial information. All of this helps to ensure that the 200 crossbred cows milked daily have better livelihoods and that dairy products are more nutritious. This level of care insures that the milk they ship across Michigan is ready, safe, and delicious enough to go from farm to table. Rachael studied dairy management at Michigan State's Institute of Agricultural Technology and graduated debt-free. Nowadays, she says that her favorite place to be is "on the farm, milking cows, feeding calves, or running equipment."

These horses love getting mani-pedis when Dawson comes by. From the smallest ponies to the largest Belgians, Dawson works hard to keeps their hooves healthy. He enjoys spending his days around horses, even when they're comfortable enough to poop during a shoe-repair. He holds a versatile degree in machining which has allowed him to work in horse-shoeing since he graduated, caring for 190 local horses.

Attending school for construction AND working an internship at once? That's a lot of work, but it sure pays off. After graduating in August, Remy will be working full time for Crossland Heavy Contractors, where he's already held two internships. Though his career interests lie in infrastructure, on the weekends, he takes to nature, hiking with his black labrador, Duke.