There are people who like their jobs, and then there are those people who love their jobs. I found someone who really, really loves his job. If you’ve driven past Liberty Tax Service on St. Charles Road in Villa Park any time in the last few months you’ve seen him, too.

Luis Morales, 26, is a Villa Park resident and is the waver out in front of Liberty Tax Service. He wears a Statue of Liberty costume and enthusiastically draws attention to the business. This is the first time Morales has done a job like this, and he’s very happy doing it.

I wondered what drove him to do the job.

“I normally work construction but obviously not at this time of year. My girlfriend saw the sign that said ‘get paid to wave’ and told me about it. I thought ‘why not?’ and came in to apply and it was a great decision because I love it here.”

Maureen Zars owns the Villa Park branch of Liberty Tax Service. She said that it’s corporate policy for the branches to hire wavers.

“It’s the No. 1 marketing tool we use. You can’t believe how many people say the wavers are the reason they use us. They drive by, see the wavers, go home to get their W-2’s and come back,” said Zars.

She said that Morales is the best waver they’ve ever had.

“So many customers say he’s the best we’ve ever had, and I agree,” Zars said. “We usually go through a lot of wavers in a season, but not this year. Luis is phenomenal. He is the nicest guy and has so much personality. He walks in our elderly clients and interprets for us all the time. He’s been a great help inside the office as well as doing a great job outside.

“Our customers just love him. One time recently a few girls drove by, saw him out there dancing and jumping around and went to Subway and got him a sandwich and drink. They came back with the food and gave him it, telling him ‘we love you.’ That’s the kind of response he gets,” said Zars.

Morales, of course, is very modest about his success as a waver.

“I just love making people happy. If driving by and seeing me do my thing out here puts a smile on someone’s face, then that’s great. I come to make people laugh and smile. That’s my job. I love it. It is so much fun,” said Morales.

He particularly likes seeing the reaction from little kids who have come to have pictures taken with and ask for his autograph.

“They think I’m a celebrity or something. It’s really cool,” said Morales.

If there is a downside to his job, it is the weather. I spoke to Morales on Good Friday during the height of our spring snowstorm. He felt like we all did: enough of the snow already.

“I’m really tired of snow, just like we all are. But I’ve put up with a tough winter. That’s one reason why I’m always moving and dancing. It keeps me warm and along with the music I listen to it helps the time go fast,” Morales said.

Another downside, Morales said, is the occasional negative reaction he gets from people he very politely refers to as “uninformed.”

“When I came in to apply, they told me stories from past wavers who had stuff thrown at them and other mean things so I was prepared,” he said. “But overall my experience as been positive. I realize that the society we live in lets people react how they want. And all the great reactions outweigh the people who act dumb.

“I’d do this job again in a heartbeat,” said Morales.