Northwest Aerospace News June | July Issue No. 15 | Page 33

The magic at Chinook is their blended business model, which
gives back to the community and provides services that support
local industries. They originally offered grounds maintenance,
beautifying municipal and civic sites in Skagit Valley. Along with
aerospace manufacturing, they also support marine and other industries.
These services generate revenue, which helps fill the gap
of the grant funding and goes directly back into supporting their
mission for empowering employment for people with disabilities.
The self-funded non-profit model allows Chinook to give more to
the community without taxing local funding sources.
Their CEO, Steve Reeds, says, “Chinook is a service provider for
people with disabilities and local businesses. We help develop
jobs, coach and train the people we serve, and support long-term
needs of the individual for long-term success.” And the results
are amazing. One challenge companies have who work with
Chinook for placement of entry level positions, is high turnover.
People that Chinook helps place in these positions have a length
of service of 7.6 years on average, versus the national average of
1.3 years. Perhaps more important are the job opportunities for
people to achieve their employment goals and their ability to excel
in a position due to the partnerships that are created.
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JUNE | JULY 2020 ISSUE NO. 15 33