The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

If you drive down Main Street Waitsburg, you'll see a cute pink house with white trim. That little house is one of many that Jason Gillen, owner of JLG Painting, has finished in the area. While 'professional painter' sits at the top of Gillen's resume, 'powerlifter/strongman' follows in a close second. Gillen has been into weight lifting since a young age, saying that it is a hobby as it is a lifestyle.

"I got my first pair of barbells from my dad. I was, oh, seven or eight years old," Gillen said. "I still have those weights today. By the time I was in sixth grade, I could bench press 100...