Tyler LaRoe has been named the Classic PLUMBER of the Month. Tim Culver, owner of Classic Plumbing wants to honor those who give back to their community in extraordinary ways.
BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
In life, there are the consumers and the doers.
Mahomet teenager Tyler Laroe has always been a doer.
“I don’t want to be like the other kids who just sit inside all day and play video games,” Laroe said. “The only time I play video games is at night, if it is a nasty day. I’m always outside; if it’s raining, I’m in the garage doing something.”
Tinkering comes naturally to Laroe.
When he was little, he took apart a vacuum that quit running, then put it back together for his parents.
He’s known for rearranging the landscaping at his home, then doing something different two weeks later.
The incoming Mahomet-Seymour High School freshmen even started his own lawn care business, Bulldog Lawn Care, two years ago.
“It all started when I was little,” Laroe said. “When I was three or four, I was riding with my grandpa on the mower. Then in 2017, I was like, ‘I’m going to start my own business.’ ”
A licensed and insured businessman, Laroe’s clientele grew from three to four clients in the summer of 2018 to approximately 15 in the spring of 2019.
After a full-day of school, Laroe began working, finishing his responsibilities just in time for dinner during the spring months. Now that school is out, Laroe will mow in the morning to stay out of the heat.
But he already has big plans with what he can do during the rest of the day.
Laroe’s found a new hobby: making wooden American flags.
Over Christmas break, Laroe made one for Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School’s Lunchroom/Recess Supervisor Dave Kirby.
It was Laroe’s way of saying, “Thank you.”
“(Mr. Kirby) is always messing around with me and says hi every day,” Laroe said.
When M-S Student Resource Officer Bill Ward learned about the flag, he asked Laroe to make one for him, too.
But Laroe said it was more than just a favor.
“(Ward) helps keep us safe at school, and everything,” he said. “And he is good to the community.
“We talk all the time. He messes around with me all the time.”
After Laroe gets the wood, the stain and the paint for his design, he can construct the 40’x19.5’ flag in about two to three hours.
To add a little flair, he distresses the wood using a blow torch.
“I want to try to make more for our law enforcement and emergency services, too,” he said.
He already has two projects on his list: a flag for his cousin and a Kentucky Wildcats flag. He’d also like to construct one for the Cornbelt Fire Department.
Laroe is also excited about the opportunities coming up in high school. On his way to developing his lawn care business, he’d also like to study woodworking.
Mahomet-Seymour High School will provide him with some of those opportunities through shop classes.
