Our society places great emphasis on serving others. We reward service work when reviewing college applications and résumés, we celebrate non-profit leaders, we praise philanthropists, and we encourage everyone to volunteer their time improving their communities and the world, and rightfully so. These acts of service and charity are valuable and deserve our gratitude and respect.

While I believe that we as individuals should give back to our communities—with our time, talent and treasure—I also feel that business does a great service for our communities by providing good jobs with fair wages. Businesses, and the growth of those businesses, are key to providing the opportunities and resources for helping others.

Nabholz’ industry, the construction industry, provides hundreds of thousands of jobs that can’t be outsourced. We rely on craftspeople of all types and talents, and we employ additional people to support the construction process. The success of construction projects depends on numerous other businesses that support our complex industry.

Construction jobs are good jobs. The wages are good and many construction companies provide excellent benefit packages, including health insurance and retirement plans. The construction industry offers jobs for workers with different skill levels, and most construction companies provide training both on-the-job and in the classroom to help employees develop skills and advance their careers. Many superintendents and project managers employed by Nabholz today began their careers working in the field, with little or no trade or management skills. They worked hard, took advantage of training opportunities, developed their skills and now have rewarding careers at Nabholz.

But that kind of success cannot happen unless the jobs are there. Job creation provides opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed to better their circumstances.

I believe people want to work. People need purpose in their lives and a way to support their families. They want to set good examples for their children and grandchildren. They want to have jobs that they can take pride in, jobs that give them a sense of self-fulfillment and independence.

I feel that a part of every business’s mission, consider it a ministry if you will, is to better the lives of others by providing meaningful employment at fair wages and opportunities to grow in their careers. Along with great citizens, business is a big part of our country’s backbone. I am proud to be part of the business community and very proud to be part of the great construction industry—an industry that we all depend on.

By creating jobs, businesses empower individuals to serve each other and their communities. Without successful businesses, there would still be plenty of people who want to give back…they just wouldn’t have the resources to do so.