There are people in society today who say they don’t often see teenagers who are willing to contribute and work hard for what they want. At 16 years old, no one can say Galion’s Jacob Chambers isn’t willing to make things happen for himself.

For Chambers, it started two summers ago as he was approaching driving age.

“I knew I wanted a truck,” said Chambers. That was the beginning of Jake’s Lawn Care.

“We gave him a simple push lawn mower for him to use to get started,” Chambers’ mom, Kristi, said.

“I started with four lawns that first summer,” Chambers said. “I couldn’t drive yet, so I would just walk to houses close by in our neighborhood that wanted me to mow for them.”

In his second summer of mowing, Chambers expanded to 10 lawns. That little bit of growth required some occasional help from parents Roger and Kristi Chambers.

“I would still walk to as many of the lawns as I could,” Chambers said.

“When he wasn’t able to get to all of them on his own, we would put the mower in the back of our truck and drive him there,” Kristi Chambers said.

That little bit of extra help from mom and dad helped Chambers meet his goal in the summer of 2022 when he was able to buy a truck. And while the truck is his pride and joy, he also invested some money back into building his business that summer.

“I bought a zero turn mower, too,” Chambers said. “This year, I’ll be upgrading again to a commercial grade one.”

And thankfully, Chambers was able to fully enjoy the reward of his hard work when he turned 16 and got his driver’s license this summer, making him able to drive his truck on his own for the first time since he purchased it a year ago.

Of course, Chambers is fully able to focus on his business during the summer months when school is out, but lawn care doesn’t rest in the fall and winter months.

“I take care of leaves in the fall, and clear snow in the winter months, too,” he said. And Chambers does all of this around his school work and his athletic schedule.

“His grades haven’t slipped once,” said Kristi Chambers. “As long as he continues to maintain his schoolwork, his sports, and his business well, Roger and I are in full support of what he wants to do.”

“They always tell me they want me to still be a kid,” said Chambers, who admits that he limits the amount of work he takes on and involves his parents when he makes decisions concerning his business.

Athletically, Chambers is a member of the Galion varsity football team and track team. His participation on the track team as a freshman in spring 2023 earned him All-Ohio honors alongside teammates Jack Hart, Gabe Ivy, and cousin Zach Sallee for their seventh-place finish in the 4×100 at the state track meet.

A full schedule of school, sports, and a lawn care business might be a lot for some kids, but Chambers is keeping it all in focus. Jake is a highly motivated kid who has his future in mind. Right now, his future plans include the hope of becoming a fireman like his dad, which would give him the opportunity to continue his lawn care business around his scheduled days on and off.

Chambers has one more goal for the not so distant future when it comes to his business — an enclosed trailer for hauling his equipment.

“I’m hoping I can get one next summer,” he said.

Contact Erin Miller at 419-512-2662