WORKPLACE
When the pandemic hit , he created a new version : a single-use medical cart for nurses to avoid cross contamination at pop-up hospitals and temporary care facilities . He called them HeroCarts .
PRIDE became Neal ’ s assembly partner , where veterans handle inspections , packaging , fulfillment and shipping of HeroCarts . “ I saw the nurses didn ’ t have carts ,” he says . “ PRIDE jumped in and said , ‘ How can we help ?’”
The relationship between Neal and PRIDE goes back about a decade . He first went to the organization in 2012 with his TagCarts idea . He wanted to have them made by veterans . In that initial meeting , they talked about designs , business plans and capital . Neal had none of those things then , but he recalls them telling him , “ We ’ ll leave the door open .”
After that first meeting , he was disappointed by how unprepared he was . But PRIDE ’ s encouragement kept him motivated . Since then , Neal raised funds and employed nurses and an expert design team . In July 2019 , he went back to PRIDE with the updated plans . The door , as promised , was still open . “ Most big companies the size of PRIDE aren ’ t that humble and willing to lean down and give someone a hand up like that ,” he says . “ It ’ s amazing they ’ re that big and still willing to listen to the little guy .”
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This summer , a mother called the PRIDE helpline to support her 18-year-old adopted son , Jordan Cooney , who was methamphetamine positive when he was born .
To help him find a job , Carlos Perez , PRIDE ’ s youth services job developer , went with Cooney to the Westfield Galleria at Roseville to get him comfortable talking to employers . The mall was crowded . Cooney was nervous at first . But on their second visit , Cooney had more confidence and he soon landed his first job . At the movie theater , Cooney now works 16-20 hours a week at the concession stand and ushering . He says everybody is friendly and his managers have a positive energy . Another bonus is he gets to see a lot of movies . He likes superhero movies the most , like “ The Avengers .” His recent favorite was “ Black Widow .”
“ It was a fun , action-packed movie ,” Cooney says . “ Plus , it showed more behind the scenes about what happened to “ Black Widow .”
According to Burdick , hiring someone with a disability gives a business many advantages , including a strong work ethic and retention . When you give someone a chance who hasn ’ t had a chance before , she says , they want to show up and do a good job . “ We ’ re waking up other businesses to the fact that they ’ re missing out ,” Burdick says . “ It hurts everybody when not all voices have a chance to contribute .”
Russell Nichols is a freelance writer who focuses on technology , culture and mental health . His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal , The Boston Globe , Governing magazine and Government Technology . On Twitter @ russellnichols
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70 comstocksmag . com | November 2021