Goodwill Industries, Inc. • Serving Eastern Nebraska and Southwest Iowa • July - September 2017

After conducting an extensive search, the Goodwill Board of Trustees announced Dr. Mike McGinnis as the new chief executive officer on October 2, 2017. The search process was led by Erin Limas, chair of the board’s search committee.

“We were so fortunate to have substantial applications from both local candidates and candidates around the country,” Erin said. “It was a very difficult decision, but one that the committee has made with confidence for the future of Goodwill in the areas we serve.”

Mike comes to Goodwill from the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum, where he served as executive director since 2014. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mike has experience as a professor at both Old Dominion University and West Point. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Since coming on at Goodwill on October 16, Mike has been meeting with staff and the board to get up to speed on operations and programming.

At two town hall-style meetings on his first day, Mike thanked the staff for their commitment to the agency, and talked about his

vision going forward. “I love to do three things: solve problems,

build teams, and help people, and I’m so excited to be a part of making that happen at Goodwill.”

Mike’s arrival comes at a time when a great deal is happening at Goodwill, and Director of Mission Services, Tobi Mathouser looks forward to Mike continuing the positive momentum for the agency.

“We’re seeing a lot of great things happening at Goodwill. We’re meeting the needs of the community and advocating for the people we serve like never before. Based on his past experience, Mike has the skillset to help us build on those efforts and bring Goodwill to new levels of success.”

In the immediate future, Mike is scheduling visits to all Goodwill store and contract locations. His top priority is to meet with all Goodwill employees and program participants to introduce himself, listen to people and broaden his understanding of the programs.

Goodwill is eager to move forward with Mike’s direction and leadership, as we strengthen communities through education, training and work.

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TRAUMA INFORMED CARE

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GOODWILL EMPLOYEES SPREAD LOVE

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RECYCLING INACTION

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STORYTIMEAT GOODWILL

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AGENCY UPDATE

GOODWILL WELCOMES DR. MIKE MCGINNIS AS CEO

In mid-September, Goodwill hosted an employer training related to trauma in the workforce. The training was led by Project Harmony and provided insight for companies on the many ways that trauma can affect their employees.

There has been a great deal of momentum for agencies to become “trauma-informed” in the past several years. Research has proven that understanding and addressing early trauma in the people we serve leads to better outcomes. However, for all its success in the human service field, the trauma-informed approach has not been proactively shared with employers.

Managing trauma from an employer perspective makes sense for two reasons. It leads to a more engaged and happy workforce and helps the organization’s bottom line. By understanding employees better, businesses see lower turnover and higher performance across the board.

The training was part of the Opportunity Youth Initiative coordinated by the United Way of the Midland. Opportunity Youth has a goal of providing a complete network of support for the young people in our community, employment is a large piece of this effort. Goodwill has been providing services to young people through this initiative.

“This presentation brings together many of our forward-looking initiatives as an agency, said Brent Koster, Vice President of Mission Advancement. “It provides us an opportunity to unite employers with our fellow partners in the human service field. It allows us to support the important work being done through the Opportunity Youth Initiative.”

The training concluded with a set of recommendations for accommodating trauma-related behaviors in the workplace. Miah Sommer, Executive Director of the The Bike Union Mentoring Project, also presented on the best practices he has developed in supporting his employees and diffusing potentially stressful situations in the workplace.

The session added valuable perspective to employers.

“Training will help us to identify issues and ask the right questions so that we can build a more supportive environment for our

employees,” said Chad Mares, Human Resources Manager from Chesterman Coca-Cola.

Goodwill looks forward to working with Opportunity Youth to help facilitate future trainings that close the gap between businesses, their needs, and the people they employ.

GOODWILL PARTNERS TO OFFER TRAINING FOR EMPLOYERS

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“It provides us an opportunity to unite employers with our fellow partners in the human service field. It allows us to support the important work being done

through the Opportunity Youth Initiative.”

- Brent Koster, Vice President of Mission Advancement

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AGENCY NEWS LIFE CYCLE OF DONATIONSRETAILThrough the support of our community,

our 17 retail stores are seeing improvements in both sales and donations each month. We are also working hard to protect the environment and divert items from landfills. Each month, our salvage and recycling program averages 500,000 pounds of recycled textiles, shoes and books, as well as nearly 50,000 pounds of computers and electronics.

Goodwill retail operations continue to give back to our community. Aside from their support of our employment programs, in the past three months the retail department donated more than $3,600 worth of items to individuals or community groups. We’ve also provided 331 community service and volunteer opportunities in our stores during that span.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICESGoodwill’s programs enrolled 409

people into our programs during the third quarter of 2017, providing 3,622 individual employment services. Our staff helped participants secure 35 jobs in the community with a starting average wage of $11.38 per hour.

We recently connected 130 individuals with area businesses through a series of Goodwill hiring events. Goodwill also provided free CNA training to 16 individuals, through a partnership with Immanuel Communities.

In addition to employment and training services, Goodwill has been offering learning opportunities for businesses and community agencies. We provided Certified Employment Support Professional training to area service providers and hosted a “Trauma and It’s Impact” training for employers, provided by Project Harmony.

Donate. Donations help people and the environment. Clothing, furniture, household items and electronics stay in-use and out of landfills.

Shop. Goodwill’s retail stores provide an affordable shopping alternative for our community. Profits from the sale of donated items go to support our training programs.

Recycle. To protect the environment and minimize waste, Goodwill recycles unpurchased textiles, shoes, books, metals, electronics and more.

Train. Goodwill’s retail stores are also used as a community training ground for our participants and volunteers.

Work. By eliminating barriers and empowering people, Goodwill helps individuals build sustainable futures for themselves.

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This past spring, Goodwill kicked off a campaign asking employees why they love working at Goodwill. We found one common theme – our employees love their jobs.

The I Love My Job Campaign is a way for employees to share with co-workers, donors and customers alike why they love what they do. Because of our employees and our mission we are able to make a difference in the lives of people in our community

each and every day. We are at Goodwill because we love our jobs and have a passion for helping others.

GOODWILL EMPLOYEES SPREAD THE LOVE

“I love my job at Goodwill because I help my co-workers out, and I enjoy learning from team

leads! I will have my 23-year anniversary in November!”

- William Fenner, Production Associate

Goodwill’s Work Experience program provides high school students with disabilities the opportunity to gain exposure to a work situation in a supportive environment. Most students work in one of Goodwill’s retail stores, but some are able to get a behind-the-scenes look at Goodwill’s Retail Operations Center.

New this year, Work Experience students are utilizing five new hanging and sorting stations. When Goodwill receives donated goods through community donation drives, donation pods and attended donation centers, those goods need to be sorted, tagged and hung on racks.

Work Experience students are trained to follow the same procedures for hanging and sorting as employees in Goodwill’s retail stores. The students sort clothes, hang them on the rack and follow guidelines to determine the appropriate tag to attach. Once the clothes are tagged and hung, they are either sent out to a Goodwill retail store or stored for later use.

Work Experience students Zach, Mikeala and z enjoy working in the hanging and sorting stations because it keeps them busy and helps the day move quickly.

Work Experience trainer Patty explains, “This is a terrific job for our students. They are learning skills that are directly applicable to any retail job as well as basic employment skills like following guidelines and procedures.”

Goodwill’s Work Experience program is proud to support the work of Goodwill’s retail stores while providing students exposure to a work environment. Next time you shop at Goodwill, remember that the clothing you purchase may have been sorted and tagged by a Work Experience student.

WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

At Goodwill, many important jobs are done behind-the-scenes. Your donated goods are sorted, tagged and hung up in the retail store and hopefully given a new life by a Goodwill shopper. But some donated goods are not able to be sold in our stores. Instead of going to the landfill, Goodwill recycles those items whenever possible.

Meet Goodwill’s dedicated team of balers that make our textile recycling operation possible. Tim, Scott and Maurice work at Goodwill’s Retail Operations Center(ROC) at 72nd and F Street. Their job is to prepare clothing and other textiles to go to our recycling partners.

Goodwill Wearhouse Manager, Ken Barker explains, “The ROC spans 92,000 square feet servicing Goodwill’s 17 retail stores. It allows Goodwill to operate efficiently by managing the logistics required to keep all of the stores running smoothly.”

Everyday a fleet of semi trucks leave the ROC to pick up goods from each of Goodwill’s retail stores, including clothing that is ready to be recycled. Textiles arrive in gaylords (pallet-sized cardboard boxes). Then the gaylords full of clothing and textiles are sent to the balers to begin their journey to the recycler.

The balers use a forklift to stage the gaylords in front of the two baler machines. The gaylords are then tipped into the baler machine and the clothing spills onto a conveyor belt. A laser eye tells the machine when it is full, then the chute closes and a hydraulic press is engaged to compact the material. A sensor alerts the balers when the process is complete and they feed wire into the machine to secure the bale of materials. The result is a large, very compact cube of textiles. A forklift removes the bale from the machine, weighs it and adds it to the staging area.

Three times a week, a semi truck arrives at the ROC to take a load of bales to the recycler. About 35 bales, weighing 44,000 pounds, fit snuggly in a semi truck. In September, the balers kept 495,888 pounds of clothing out of the landfill – that’s equivalent to the weight of 38 adult elephants! The textiles are delivered to various recyclers and repurposed into insulation, rags, patchwork products and more.

When you donate your used clothing and textiles to Goodwill, we ensure that they given a chance at a second life. Your items create jobs for sales associates in our retail stores, as well as, important behind-the-scenes employees like our team of balers at the ROC.

MAKING THE MOST OF OUR DONATED GOODS BY RECYCLING

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Step One: Maurice and Scott load the baler machine.

Step Two: Scott ensures textiles are moving smoothly.

Step Three: Maurice feeds wire in to secure the bale.

Step Four: Tim removes the completed bale.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

Goodwill Industries, Inc.Serving Eastern Nebraska and Southwest Iowa

4805 North 72nd Street

Omaha, Nebraska 68134-2304

goodwillomaha.org

info@goodwillomaha.org

402.341.4609

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In September, Goodwill embarked on a new partnership with the Omaha Public Library. Each month our Benson Park retail store will host Out and About Storytime. This free community event features a librarian reading a number of books and leading sing-alongs.

At the end of story time, each child receives a coupon for a free book at Goodwill.

“We have a great library at our Benson Park store, but felt that the space was being underutilized”, said Kay Hilgenkamp, Vice President of Retail Operations. “We felt that partnering with the Omaha Public Library and bringing storytime to our store is a great way to engage our current customers all while bringing new faces into our stores.“