A Waterloo High School graduate with a jack-of-all-trades kind of maintenance and repair experience is looking to lend his expertise for anyone in the community with an odd job that needs handling.

Willie Wessel of WJW Handyman Services started off working with his hands when he was young, growing up in the countryside outside Waterloo.

“I helped my neighbor a lot with her horses and her upkeep,” Wessel said. “Fence repair, porch repair, tractor maintenance, more or less everything that she needed done.”

With a passion for hands-on labor ingrained in him, Wessel honed his skills throughout high school.

Wessel voiced an appreciation for his time at WHS given the variety of classes he was able to take. He credited much of his skill in his professional life to what he learned in his classes and extracurriculars there.

He even placed emphasis on Waterloo’s use of technology, noting how it served him well among his peers later on.

“Waterloo High School prepared me for college, my short career after college and what I’m doing now,” Wessel said. “Between FFA and the ag classes as well as the automotive classes at Waterloo… even just the use of technology.”

After graduating from WHS in 2014, Wessel attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, studying agriculture and graduating in 2017.

He said it was his goal to become a precision ag specialist, serving as an expert in the control and repair of ag automation, hydraulics, computer systems and other elements of farming tech to work with and educate farmers on how to use such equipment.

Wessel served in this field for five years in Kentucky, working with engineers and jumping head-first into customer relations as part of the job.

It was there he appreciated how his familiarity with technology helped set him apart from his peers.

At some point, Wessel turned his attention to working with a farmer where he was living in Kentucky, acquiring more experience on farm equipment maintenance and repair.

From there, he returned home in 2023, getting the ball rolling on his personal business.

“I started this business in early March and basically just took all the skills that I had from repairing, customer service and owning a home and living in rental properties in college and just put it into a business,” Wessel said.

His local work began with a Columbia condo association, through which he got the funds and experience to cement himself as a proper business in the area.

Things grew from there as Wessel found himself fixing up problems in local office buildings and vacation rentals, and the work of WJW Handyman Services has continued to expand to homes, farms and other properties.

Wessel said his focus is on small jobs that folks need help with.

He recalled a recent job with a local business that simply had him changing light bulbs, and though he noted that the person who hired him certainly could have done the work themselves, he was able to do the work in a way that was likely quicker, more efficient and safer than someone just hopping up on a chair.

Likewise, another recent job involved some acquaintances of his family calling him up to do a variety of jobs around the house, changing smoke alarms, replacing the battery of a wall clock and fixing up a kitchen door that wasn’t working quite right.

The WJW Handyman Services Facebook page further showcases some of the work Wessel has done like replacing door knobs, caulking windows, installing ceiling fixtures and even some substantial carpentry jobs.

“I have experience with everything, a little bit of carpentry, electrical, plumbing,” Wessel said. “I basically know my way around problem-solving.”

Keeping in line with his emphasis on smaller jobs, Wessel commented on how he’s made a magnetic note pad serving as a “Willie Do List,” allowing him to stop by when he’s called and check off whatever needs to be done.

Wessel spoke about his passion for this sort of work and the joy he feels helping people out when they just need a hand around the house.

“The main thing was helping people,” Wessel said. “Most of the time, people call me and they are at their wit’s end, ‘We don’t know who to call. We don’t know what to do. So and so contractor is eight weeks out and we literally need this window caulked so it quits leaking into my kitchen.’ It’s so minute and so small that somebody else won’t even give them the time of day, and in my mind, I know how much I’d appreciate when somebody were to give me that moment, so I try to do it for other people.”

Wessel operates mainly around Waterloo and Columbia, though his coverage stretches around Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair counties. He noted a recent job that took him down to Sparta.

Though he’s considered bringing on folks to help him do his work, Wessel said the business is just him for the time being as he’d like to focus on keeping his services affordable.

Folks looking to make an appointment with WJW Handyman Services can do so by calling 618-929-6932. Wessel recommends leaving a message or texting.

For more information, visit wjwservicesllc.com to book an estimate or learn more.