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am currently on SSDI ( Social Security Disability Insurance ), retired after getting colon cancer and advanced Hep C . I had been on intermittent disability and could no longer provide for my family . I would like to get back to ( a ) work program and reestablish my worth using my experience and skills to become a member of the workforce while saving and becoming a homeowner once again if given the opportunity for a second chance of providing a better life for my wife and myself .
The emails kept pouring in . They came from individuals desperate for work , from stressed veterans , from parents who didn ’ t know where else to turn .
I have a 25 yr old son who has Down Syndrome looking to get back into the workforce . He could not wear a mask during Covid-19 restrictions and had to quit his job , but now needs help getting back into the workforce . He could use the job coaching support , too .
Managers at PRIDE Industries read every one and responded with helpful resources . But it was clear that PRIDE , a 55-year-old nonprofit social enterprise with a mission to help people with disabilities find jobs , could do more . And in the throes of a global pandemic , there was much more that needed to be done .
“ You can read these emails and feel the desperation in some of them ,” says Leah Burdick , PRIDE ’ s chief growth officer . “ We would send them in the right direction for help , but there was no formal tracking process around it .” This would soon change . From its beginnings in a church basement in Auburn to its current status as the Capital Region ’ s leading employer of people with disabilities and other hurdles to employment ( including former foster youth and veterans ), PRIDE Industries represented the idea of an inclusive workforce before it was trending . The organization employs individuals in fields such as manufacturing and logistics , and facilities management , and provides recruitment and staffing with an ultimate goal to create 100,000 jobs for people with disabilities . But like the rest of the world , PRIDE felt the burn of 2020 . Its longtime CEO , Michael Ziegler , passed away after
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guiding the Roseville-based enterprise for 37 years . Shutdowns due to COVID-19 forced the organization to reevaluate its strategies for growth .
But the future looks more expansive than ever . In June 2020 , the board of directors chose Jeff Dern , who was named president by Ziegler in 2018 , as the new CEO . ( Dern is also a member of the Comstock ’ s Editorial Advisory Board .) After
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“ We want to create more access and more choice for jobs so that people with disabilities can meet their employment goals .”
JEFF DERN CEO , PRIDE Industries
merging operations with two like-minded organizations ( Crossroads Diversified Services in 2020 and Partnerships With Industry in 2021 ), Dern has a twofold vision for the future : to grow PRIDE ’ s operations , and to help other businesses design and implement their own inclusion programs through its Inclusive Talent Solutions Advisory Group .
“ We open doors for people who have so much to contribute .” Dern says . “ There ’ s no better feeling than being a part of a team that when we are successful someone ’ s life gets changed for the
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better . The success of PRIDE Industries is measured by each person whose life we impact with access , choice and greater independence through employment . It ’ s a privilege to be part of a company that offers hope to so many .”
PRIDE employs 5,661 people , including 3,230 team members with disabilities , who make up nearly 60 percent of its workforce . But with the employment rate at around 30 percent for people with disabilities ages 16-64 in the U . S ., fulfilling PRIDE ’ s “ equal access for all ” mission requires the joining of visionary forces .
“ We want to create more access and more choice for jobs so that people with disabilities can meet their employment goals ,” Dern says . “ We do that by growing businesses within PRIDE to prove the model works and showing that any organization in the world can adopt a similar model .”
Growth mindset
With a global marketing background , Burdick joined PRIDE Industries at the beginning of 2020 with big plans to refresh the brand and target more commercial businesses . “ I had to build a world-class marketing team to rival companies I worked with ,” says Burdick , who has an MBA in global management and worked for Jones Lang LaSalle , a Fortune 500 global commercial real estate firm . “ We were starting that … then COVID hit and everything got blown up .”
This “ baptism by fire ,” as Burdick calls it , pushed initial plans back months . But the spirit of PRIDE kept the trains on the track . In 18 months , she expanded the marketing team , built a customer relationship management tool , rebuilt the foundation team ( the philanthropic arm of the organization ), and led a brand refresh , including a new website and job seekers helpline . In August , PRIDE completed a six-month pilot for its helpline ( 844 I-AM-ABLE ), where job seekers can speak to someone directly for guidance . The number of calls went from 15 a month to 100 a month . After its successful trial , the helpline has become a permanent resource and PRIDE plans to bring on a Spanish speaker .
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DERN |
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68 comstocksmag . com | November 2021 |