A few weeks ago we hosted our first symposium on sustainability, which we named Routes to Progress. To us, those words create an image of how we see the community conversation of sustainability: one that shows many routes to thoughtful progress, one that moves us forward. Together. Inclusively. Sustainability is an integral part of the Goodwill story, it has roots in our founding. Therefore, The Spirit of Goodwill Award is reserved for businesses and individuals who embody the spirit of our founding and bring together all aspects of Goodwill’s vision into their approach to community. They recognize, and work toward, the realization that sustainable communities thrive through the fullest participation of their diverse residents. Please take a few minutes to learn more about the businesses we honored for 2013.
Beth Shissler, Sea Bags, and Anne Roosevelt, Goodwill NNE
Sea Bags
All you have to do is hear the name of this business and you’re transported to a summer day filled with warm, salty breezes. Hold one of their totes made from repurposed sails, and you might keep walking toward the beach, instead of to work! We want to celebrate Sea Bags as a workplace – a business that collaborates with Goodwill to give people a chance to be successful; a chance to learn, earn and contribute to their business. Thank you to Beth Shissler and Sokunthy Yean who approach everyday aiming to make the world a better place, starting right here with the people in our community. How? Here’s what they told us: Make sure employees who walk through the door are better off when they leave than when they started. Make sure they have the training and experience that makes them suited for their next position – then your company is better off for having had the gifts that employees bring to work.
Alere
In 1988, Alere (then known as Ventrex Labs) selected Goodwill to provide employees to do sub-assembly work of their diagnostic test kits. Through the years, the Goodwill team has worked on test kits that diagnose influenza, pneumonia, strep A and malaria – to name just a few. While the staffing of the site has expanded and contracted with Alere’s production needs, many of the Goodwill team have held their jobs for over fifteen years, earning a competitive wage in an inclusive, collaborative business environment. It’s a partnership that works. Thank you to Alere for all of these years of successful collaboration. We celebrate you!
Bruce Bailey, Bailey Signs, and Anne Roosevelt, Goodwill NNE
Bailey Sign
While their products are designed to grab the public’s attention, the people of Bailey Sign prefer to work in the background – without fanfare. It’s not their signs that we want to celebrate, it is their integrated approach to solving business challenges, under the leadership of Bruce Bailey. The team at Bailey Sign pays attention to the life of their products – from supply chain, to production techniques, and, on to component recycling. Equally critical, they pay attention to the well-being, and skill level of their employees and the community. It is because of Bruce that our Goodwill has a Veterans’ Response Fund. His early support was critical in getting it off the ground. The goal of the fund is simple – to meet immediate needs for veterans and their families, to fill the gap, connect with other services, and move them forward in civilian life. It is our pleasure to recognize Bailey Sign this year.
Tim Farmer – S&W Sports
The Central New Hampshire Bicycle Coalition and Concord’s S&W Sports have something – or someone – in common: Tim Farmer. Tim was an early advocate for Recycled Cycles, our pilot program that both supports the education and economic success of female ex-offenders, and increases community awareness about the health, environmental and cost benefits of transportational cycling. In addition to learning the transferable skills involved in repairing and maintaining bicycles, participants are supported through individualized training and mentoring to increase work readiness skills. This approach builds opportunities for training, employment, education, mentoring and community connections for women who are transitioning out of the New Hampshire state prison system and starting over. We want to celebrate Tim Farmer, a solution-oriented community leader who brings people together to foster a healthy, vibrant community that includes second chances.
Leon Smith, Steel Pro
Steel-Pro
Steel tanks. Bio-Pharmaceutical Steel Fabrication. Imagine that you are a young person living in the Rockland area: you’re facing multiple challenges, you’re not sure what the future holds, or what you might be “good at” when it comes to thinking about life as an adult. Then consider that you could get an opportunity to learn valuable occupational skills that could lead to a future in welding. Cool, right? Since 2010, that’s what Steel-Pro in Rockland has provided for area youth served by Goodwill. Thank you Steel-Pro, for investing in the future of your community, one youth at a time.
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