Now 19 years old, Riggs has taken his passion for using his hands and turned it into a budding successful career as a mechanic for the Lake County Road Commission (LCRC). 

Riggs, who just bought his first home in northwestern Lake County, graduated from the Heavy Equipment Mechanic program at a nearby Career Technical Education center in spring 2019. After searching for work throughout the summer, he successfully interviewed for a position as a mechanic with the road commission. But he needed an additional credential before he could start working. 

The road commission was so impressed with Riggs’ interview and capability as a mechanic that they offered to hold the position for him while he completed training to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License. 

“Jacob’s personality helped him to stand out. When he came in to interview, he was really upbeat and engaging,” said Leroy Williams, LCRC operations manager. “He did well (on the practical test), especially for as young as he was.”

Riggs came to Michigan Works! West Central in mid-October to see about tuition assistance to earn his CDL through the six-week program at Pinnacle Truck Driver Training in Cadillac. He completed training by mid-December, and started work at the road commission in early January 2020, earning $16.81 per hour. 

“Jacob was a pleasure to work with. He has a true talent and love for diesel mechanics,” said Connie Aalderink, the Talent Specialist at Michigan Works! West Central who worked with Riggs. “When I met Jacob, he came into the office very motivated to start truck driving school. He's a very motivated young man, and is not afraid to go for what he wants.”

Hired at age 18 with a good-paying job, many teens would be satisfied, but Riggs wanted more. Within the first few months of his employment, he had successfully taken the tests to obtain his Heavy Equipment Mechanic Master Certification through the State of Michigan. He now is earning $20.38 per hour, and has plans to earn additional automotive mechanic certifications. 

“I enjoy what I do because it’s something new every day,” Riggs said. “Working at the road commission, we have more than 100 pieces of equipment that we work on. I really enjoy it. … I’m thankful for all of the help from Michigan Works! to get me to this point and get my CDL training going. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”