TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
needed to know about mixing chemicals and fertilizers, and he taught me how to drive a standard,” said Koller. “In agriculture, in the heat of the summer, you find out who the wannabes and the real workers are. Zach never complained,” bragged Law. “I told him afterward, ‘Brother you’ve got it! You can make it in ag.’ I’m just so proud of that young man. I can’t say enough. He could handle 100-hour work weeks, and he never complained. I just love that guy so much. From day one, I was like, ‘This kid is something special.’ He listens, learns, and does what he says he’s going to do. He’s just special. My business was better off because of him.” “My time with Cole further fueled my love for hard work,” claims Koller, and these valuable lessons propelled him through the next couple of years, culminating in landing his third job, his senior year of high school. That year, he worked for a local farmer who farmed thousands of acres. “There I was taught the process of planting, growing, and harvesting,” recalls Koller. “I was in DECA at Arkansas High and would leave school after lunch to head to the farm and would be on a tractor harvesting wheat until midnight or later, most nights.” After graduating from Arkansas High School, Koller set out to lineman school at Texas State Technical College in Marshall, Texas. His prior job experience made a way for him, and he was contacted to help upkeep a few thousand acres of hunting ground while he put himself through the training. After completing the program, he moved to Round Rock, Texas, to work as an apprentice lineman, but that adventure was short-lived. “After a few months, I was given the job opportunity to take a managing position for Big Woods Hunting Club back home in Texarkana.” He gladly jumped on the opportunity, and that has been his primary job since 2017. In his current position, Koller oversees the wildlife and habitat management on several thousand acres of privately owned wetland reserve program. “I maximize food for waterfowl on our property by growing different strains of millets, milo, sunflowers, and moist soil vegetation, which consists of monitored water drawdowns, spraying for invasive plant species, and also pest species,” he explained. “I work with Ducks
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LIFE & STYLE
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