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Hakes: From dog poop scooper to theatre troupe therapist, these unique jobs fuel local economy

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Hakes: From dog poop scooper to theatre troupe therapist, these unique jobs fuel local economy

Richard Hakes
 |  Special to the Press-Citizen

Unique jobs surround us.

The Indeed website lists some interesting ones in Iowa – sow farm piglet caretaker, Adventureland scare actor, virtual nurse, tugboat deck hand – you name it.

Even in the immediate Iowa City area, many people make their living doing niche jobs that were probably unheard of just a few years ago.

Here are four examples:

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Doggy poop scooper

When Whitney Hillyard of North Liberty got tired of “indoor work” a few years ago, she started doing lawn mowing and maintenance. One of her customers joked that she “could pick up the dog poop, too” and she took the suggestion to heart.

Now she spends two days each week doing just that through her own business called “4 Pawz Poo Scoopin’.” The other three days per week, she works as an optician.

She has a route limited to some 50 or so regular customers. She charges them a reasonable rate of $15 to $25, depending on the number of dogs, to stop by once a week and remove the droppings from their yards.

Hillyard uses a long-handled dustpan and rake and can finish most yards in 15 minutes or so. “Little dogs actually make you go slower,” she quips.

Her customers range from senior citizens and disabled persons to busy young parents. She likes that she is promoting healthy, hygienic yards and keeping harmful waste from affecting water sources.

“It’s my little part to help the environment,” she told me, “plus I get to be outside and be my own boss.”

More at https://4pawzpooscoopin.com/

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Routing fire sprinklers

From her co-working space at North Liberty CoLab, Nicole Michael spends her days in front of her computer, examining 3D drawings of new or remodeled buildings going up in Indianapolis, Indiana, almost 400 miles to te east.

Michael studied architecture at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her bosses at RSQ Fire Protection in Indianapolis depend on her as a remote worker to find the best route for sprinkler pipes through floors, ceilings and walls. The routes must comply with a myriad of local, state, and federal fire regulations.

“They’re all kind of tricky in their own way,” Michael said. “Sprinkler systems are the last to be designed but one of the first to be installed when construction starts. So, it can be kind of a rat race.”

Interesting note − Michael said unlike in the movies, sprinkler systems do not all go off at once.

“If there is a fire in a wastebasket in a corner, maybe three sprinklers might go off in that area,” she said. ”Heat of 155 degrees beneath a sprinkler head activates it.”

“I like the work,” she added. “It’s challenging, but things turn around quickly. You draw it and it is installed the next month. A lot of times, architects don’t see the result of their work for 10 years.”

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Koi Fish shipping

The Kloubec Koi Farm a few miles west of Swisher is one of the nation’s largest, hatching some 30 million fry each year and growing up to 400,000 fish annually. Its sprawling complex includes about 50 outdoor ponds, plus indoor holding tanks totaling 300,000 gallons of water.

Nearly all of its fish sold online, wholesale or retail are shipped overnight by UPS, according to co-owner Ellen Kloubec.

“UPS picks them up at our farm at 8:30 p.m., they leave the Cedar Rapids airport by 10:30 for the Louisville hub, and customers usually have them by noon the next day,” she said.

To ensure their healthy survival, staff use an insulated cardboard box with a special liner and place the fish in a double poly bag in filtered water. The box is then inflated with medical-grade oxygen.

During their busiest months – May through July – anywhere from 30 to 100 boxes leave the farm per day, four days per week. Boxes might contain 150 three-inch koi, or just one large koi, up to 30 inches. Prices range from $80 to $1,500 or higher for very special koi, depending on the coloring and many other factors.  More at www.kloubeckoi.com.

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A therapist for actors

Can you imagine staging a community theater production so serious in content that it might require a mental health consultant at rehearsals?

Peggy Somerville of Solon, certified in drama therapy, filled that role when City Circle Theatre Company launched the rock musical “Spring Awakening” at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts in May. She said the coming-of-age musical addressed a high number of “heavy” themes, including suicide, sexual abuse, anxiety, depression and much more.

Knowing all actors tend to live their roles, Somerville’s job was to help them keep their parts in perspective and connect with the show’s content in a healthy way. That included group discussions prior to every rehearsal and debriefings afterward, which involved some “de-roling” exercises to “visualize shed off” their characters.

“They know it’s not real, but sometimes a play like this can impact your emotions, and your mind and body can feel it is real,” she said. “It might be hard to snap out of it. Some of them noticed that the content was sticking with them.”

During rehearsals, there was even a “safe word” for the actors on stage.

“If something was bothering them, it allowed them to take a break with no questions asked,” Somerville said.

She used therapy tools of role-playing, reenactments and physical movement as needed or requested by the cast members.

The task was a good fit for Somerville, a former performer in plays whose day job is serving as a mental health counselor for students at Kirkwood Community College. She says drama therapy is a commonplace job in larger cities.

“It’s really the marriage of theater arts and mental health,” she said.

Richard Hakes is a freelance columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

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