Voices that Inspire

What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. My name is Riggs V. Jones and I am a general contractor. My dad was a general contractor for 55 years and so I grew up doing it. His father had been also made me the third generation. My son Brad, when he takes over, would be the fourth. It's kind of about all I know how to do, really. If we could get more young people into the construction industry at the get-go that would be a big step, people need to know that it's not absolutely necessary that you have a college education. And I think that's a big stumbling block for a lot of people. Success with anything, I don't care what it is. So many times it comes disguised as hard work and that we haven't really preached that in the last 30 or 40 years. And I think that's another thing we just going to have to back up on. From a societal viewpoint and go, friends, there's nothing wrong with this. It's okay to get dirty. There is more reason now to get into the trades and there ever has been. Because that door is open. The computerization of things is good. I've had to learn it because it helps me in business. But there's nothing like a guy that can use his hands and his head and his computer. There's a couple of things that inspire me. One is that I see the need and I am blessed that I still physically not as good as I used to. But physically I can still get around. A lot is from my upbringing to stick to it. My dad was big into, if you put your hands on it, you're going to stay with it till you get it. And the other thing is my background is I was raised in my faith. I've got a lot of faith as far as in what I see that other people may see as huge stumbling blocks. Because of my faith, I don't see that. I just see another day at the plant. It's the old story about how to eat elephant one by its time. I'm Riggs B. Jones and I'm a general contractor. You're listening to voices that inspire.