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Phillips works with cables and cat food
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CopyJon Phillips was stacking cans of cat food on a shelf last Thursday afternoon at a pet shop in Cottonwood.
He was waiting to get off of work around 5 p.m. so he could do some four-wheeling out in the Verde Valley.
Phillips owns an older Jeep CJ-5 and spends as much of his free time as he can out using it for what it was meant to do.
It's not that there's a whole lot of free time for Phillips, however.
The pet store gig is Phillips' second job.
He spends his other time in construction, where he works with utility lines.
That often involves a lot of trenching with heavy machinery. It's a job that has taken Phillips all over Northern Arizona, from Flagstaff to Payson to Bullhead City.
Phillips has a good reason for why he got into construction in the first place.
"I had a kid and I needed a lot of money," Phillips said, something to which many parents can no doubt attest.
His son, also named Jon, is 1 year old. He's Phillips' first child.
Phillips also recently purchased his own house in Rimrock.
It's great to own a home, Phillips said, even if it means he is responsible for fixing it up when needed.
For instance, Phillips said he recently had to repair the deck and the carport.
"It's a lot of fun but it ain't cheap," Phillips said.
Still, Phillips said it's definitely more cost effective when he can make payments on his own full-sized house in Rimrock for the price of what might get him a small studio in someplace like Sedona, for example.
Phillips isn't from Arizona originally.
He came here to the desert from Fremont, Mich., a tiny little town over on the left side of the mitten.
When he got to the Verde Valley, Phillips said it was like experiencing city life for the first time.
That's a testament to the size of Fremont, Phillips said.
"We had one stop light,"
Phillips said. "It was different here from what I was used to."
Phillips moved out here when he was 12, with his family.
His family has taken a liking to the Verde Valley, Phillips said. He has family members in three different homes in the Rimrock area.
Why Rimrock?
"My grandparents came out here to visit and fell in love with the area," Phillips said.
They relocated and later the family followed the grandparents out into the West.
Phillips likes the area, too.
"There are some really good people in Rimrock," Phillips said.
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