About 20 years ago Justin Roberts was a wide-eyed, pragmatic, local high school graduate; he was a smart, hard working kid that didn’t know what he was going to do now that high school was over. He certainly didn’t know that he would become one of the best finish carpenters in the Bitterroot Valley.

Over the years Justin has finished some of the most difficult, most intricate and most beautiful projects inside of some of the finest homes around in any price range…pretty impressive for a kid with a high school diploma but no marketable skills and no real professional experience. “I was kind of dropped into society after high school with no skills,” Justin said.

Justin didn’t achieve this level of success overnight though. Immediately after high school, he worked long, hard days on a local ranch with little reward for his labor. He eventually landed at Trapper Creek Job Corps intent on learning the skills he would need to earn a good living and make a life right here where he grew up. ”

Like many Job Corps students, this high school graduate was short on money for skills training but long on hope, hard work and desire. That’s when the taxpayers stepped in and made an investment in Justin through Trapper Creek Job Corps. And a good investment it was.

After 18 months, he graduated from Trapper Creek’s Union Carpentry program and started working for one of the valley’s biggest construction companies, Pigman Builders. Now almost 20-years later, still employed with the same company, the value of that investment can be seen with complete clarity that only two decades of history can provide.

From a probationary employee in April of 1995 to a trusted member of the Pigman Builders team says, RAN Pigman, Vice President of Operations for the company. “I have complete trust in Justin and not just in the quality of his work. I trust him in every area of every project and with the people involved in the project as well.”

In support of his position, Mr. Pigman produced a “letter of commendation” for Roberts the he just received. “The finish work on our home was done meticulously and correctly”, said the satisfied customer. The letter went on to reference Roberts’ “attention to detail” and used other words and phrases like “polite”, “friendly personality” and “professional attitude”. The letter closed with words that any business owner wants to hear about their employees, “It’s definitely employees like Justin that help give organizations like Pigman Builders a great name.”

Although builders are busier now, it’s no secret that home construction in the Bitterroot has weathered the perfect storm over the last several years. During the slow times and economically low times, the last employee standing on a company’s payroll is generally the most valuable employee. When asked how secure Roberts’ job was during the leanest times, the Vice-President of Operations said, “we would probably fold our company up and go home before Justin would lose his position, he’s that valuable.”

Roberts credits his Trapper Creek training 18 years ago with his success today, “the training I received at Trapper Creek was critical; I was able to learn lots of things and work on a lot of projects without the fear of being fired!” He also credits his Union Carpentry instructors from back then, Bruce Bailey and Gary Kidder. “My instructors were great men, they pushed me in the ways I needed, to make me grow and be better”, said Roberts.

Hope, hard work and the right environment was a good taxpayer investment in Justin Roberts 20 years ago and it’s still a good investment in our young people today.