The Goodwill Employee Newsletter
FEBRUARY
MARCH 2017
2017
GOODWILLFEST
REMEMBERING
THE STARS
JAKE PEDERSEN
OF GOODWILL
by Maria
Brent Koster
by
Alban
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being. So I included the part
Congratulations
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PAGE 3
PAGE 7
PAGE 9
winners:
• Speciality Store of the
Year: Goodbytes
• Traditional Store of the
Year: Benson Park
• Independance
Achievers of the Year:
Tina and Sarah Thacker
• Marco/Meyer
Achiever of the Year:
Paul Fischbach
• Manager of the Year:
Shantel Featherson
• Employee of the Year:
Erin Blackledge
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you to:
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CONTINUED
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PAGE 4
4
1
The Goodwill Employee Newsletter
MARCH 2017
PUBLISHER: Pauli Bishop
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Erin Swanson Russell
MANAGING EDITOR: Maria Alban
STAFF WRITERS: Elizabeth Donner and Ann
Woodford
HAPPENINGS AT GOODWILL:
•Good Turn for Goodwill-Girl Scout Drive:
April 1-April 30
•Easter: Sunday, April 16
•April Townhall: April 28, Benson Park Plaza
FAN CLUB PRESIDENT: Patricia Williams
Calling all Writers: Are you interested in writing
a story for the Clothesline? Do you have ideas of
content that you would like us to include? We are
always looking for more photos to add, take some
pictures at your work location and send them in.
Contact Maria Alban in Marketing & Development
with your story ideas.
THE CLOTHESLINE is published monthly and is
available at each Town Hall meeting. If you are
unable to attend Town Hall, you may find copies
in the Marketing and Development area at BPP, or
request to have a copy delivered to you by calling
402.231.1903.
You may also find ClothesLine articles and full-issue
digital downloads on Employee Connect at
www.gwemployeeconnect.com.
2
Happenings at Goodwill
EMPLOYEE of the MONTH
The AbilityOne program is in
gets the worm. Justin is just that
the spotlight for our February
type of employee, he arrives early
Employee of the Month.The
to make sure things are ready to
employees who work with these
go for the day.
contracts are hard working and
“Justin is very dedicated to his
dedicated to their jobs.
job, he is always here and has
Meet Justin McDowell, who
good attendance. When the
has worked
for Goodwill
on and off
for several
years. He
currently works
for Stratcom
contract at
Offutt Air Force
Base.
I had the
privilege of
going to Offutt
to present
Justin with
his award. I
was able to
see first-hand
how much
his coworkers
enjoy working
with him. They
Pearl Wilder and our Employee of the Month, Justin McDowell.
were all happy
to see him get
rewarded for his hard work.
morning driver is out, he comes
Justin is a very humble man, he
in early to pick up employees at
was surprised to receive the award the Metro. Justin will always start
and you can see that he truly
the laundry before leaving so that
loves his job.
everyone will have rags and mops
“Justin gets along well with all
to start their day,” said Pearl.
his coworkers and he will help
Working in a military building
them in any way he can without
can be intimidating for some
even being asked. Sometimes we
people, but Justin enjoys working
are short and all I have to do is
with all the personnel. “He is very
ask Justin to stay late to help out
well liked by so many customers
and he never complains,”said
in the building. They will come by
Pearl Wilder, project manager at
and ask about him if he is out on
Stratcom.
vacation,” said Pearl.
As the saying goes the early bird
Justin takes a lot of pride in his
work and is willing to go above
and beyond to make sure that the
job is done right.
An admirable trait that he has,
is that Justin treats everyone
equally. It doesn’t matter if you
are a customer in the building
or a coworker.
He is a polite
and respectful
worker. He is
an asset to
the Stratcom
team and our
AbilityOne
program.
When Justin
isn’t working, he
enjoys spending
time with his
son.
“Justin spends
his free time with
his son helping
to teach him
life lessons. He
recently has
been helping to
learn to drive
and when the
weather permits they like to go
fishing.”
Congratulations Justin, on being
our February Employee of the
month. Keep up the good work!
by Maria Alban
Employee of the Month
3
GoodwillFest! The Stars of Goodwill
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
by Maria Alban
Kay Hilgenkamp, VP of Retail with the Specialty Store of the Year,
Goodbytes.
Megan Sharpe, Melanie Rhode, Brent Koster with the Independence
Achiever of the Year Winners Sarah and Tina Thaacker.
Interim CEO, Pauli Bishop and Employee of
the Year, Erin Blackledge.
4
Interim CEO, Pauli Bishop with Manager of the Year Shantel
Featherson.
Kay Hilgenkamp, VP of Retail with the Traditional Store of the Year, Benson Park.
Marco/Meyer Achiever of the Year, Paul Fiscbach
and VA Manager Kevin Brown.
GoodwillFest! The Stars of Goodwill
Retail Store Managers, Rachel Kennebeck
and Angie Houser.
Work Experience Participant, Luke Casey and Board Chair, Mark Stokes did a
great job emceeing our GoodwillFest!
Raechel Miracle and Christine Mars enjoyed their time at the
annual dinner.
The GoodwillFest committee poses for a photo after decorating The Stars of
Goodwill theme at the Hotel RL. #ilovemyjob
Employee of the Year nominee, Julie Chandler with Taylor Kolvek and Jon
Druskis.
Chad Kooiker, loves his job! He also enjoyed taking photos in the photo booth.
Harris Center, Retail Store Manager, Lisa Dillion poses with her husband Max in
the photo booth.
GoodwillFest! The Stars of Goodwill
5
BIRTHDAY PRIZE PATROL
RONIFER CHARLES
CDL Driver at 72nd & F
Birthday: March 4
Our birthday winner was surprised during her
daily mail delivery to Benson Park. Ronifer Charles
is one of our CDL Drivers and our March birthday
prize patrol winner.
Learn more about Ronifer in next month’s
clothesline in the employee spotlight.
Once a month Goodwill picks an employee
at random to give a $50 birthday gift card and
balloons. This month it was Ronifer Charles at the
ROC, next month it could be you (if your birthday is
in April). Be vigilant!
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
ELIZABETH DONNER
Community Development Director
at Benson Park Plaza
6
By now I’m sure you
have all heard that
Goodwill has kicked
off a new campaign for
employees.
I often get asked why
I work at Goodwill and
the short answer is that
I love my job. The long answer is this - I love
Goodwill’s mission.
I love that we equip individuals with the skills
and tools necessary to obtain employment.
It’s like that old saying you can give someone
a fish or you can teach them how to fish. It’s the
power of learned behaviors. I believed in it then,
and I believe in it now. That is why I love my job.
Birthday Prize Patrol & Employee Highlight
WELCOME OUR NEW EMPLOYEES
WELCOME! Below is a list of all new employees that joined Goodwill last month. Please say hello and
make them feel welcome as they begin their new positions with Goodwill.
Aaron Butler
E-Commerce Associate
72ND & F
Karla Herrera
Cashier
156th & Maple
Aimee Moore
Cashier
South Papillion
Kyle Hite
Cashier
Bellevue
Alexander Gohr
Work Experience Trainer
YMCA
Laura Wells
Production Associate I
South Papillion
Brandon Wilson
Custodian
72ND & F
Linda Ticknor
Custodian
Zorinsky
Carina Soriano
Cashier
Bellevue
Louis Hanson
Retail Store Generalist
Bellevue
Deonte Hines
Production Associate I
156th & Maple
Marcus Thompson
Production Associate I
Benson Park
Store
Dovison Segla
Wearhouse Prod
Associate
72ND & F
Michael Brunnert
Loss Prevention Coord
Benson Park
Plaza
Emily Hein
Cashier
Gretna
Olivia Rowe
Cashier
Bellevue
Ivan Lopez
Cashier
Bellevue
Quanet Penney
Production Associate I
James DeBolt
IT Support & Database
Specialist
Benson Park
Plaza
Benson Park
Store
Samantha Unick
Cashier
Bellevue
Jennifer Bradt
Production Associate I
West Center
Ted Garnto
E-Commerce Associate
72ND & F
Cashier
Benson Park
Store
Yadira Pineda Hernandez
Cashier
South Papillion
Johnathen Foster
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Daniel Martin
CDL Driver
16
Veronica Castillo
Intern at Benson Park Plaza
1
Joyce Stafford
Production Associate
17
Lisa Salomon
Retail Store Associate
2
Joey Eden
Custodian
17
Mary McCoubrey
Retail Store Generalist
2
Marcus McCray
Dock Worker II
18
Rachel Hagen
Production Associate
4
Linda Orr
Retail Store Generalist
19
Lee Morrison
Custodian
6
Jennifer Driscoll
AbilityOne Coordinator
19
Grace Greenwood
Retail Store Assoicate
6
Leticia Geran
Production Associate
19
Thomas Simodynes
YouthBuild Trainer
8
Kathleen Parr
Retail Store Generalist
21
Rodney Roberts
Dock Worker I
8
Sara Lozano-Dominguez Cashier
21
Steven McMorris
Production Assoicate
9
Lindsay Fisher
Cashier
21
Christa Arp
Staff Accountant
9
Regina Ryan
Custodian II
21
Terrance Phipps
Production Associate
10
Zachary Fox
Cashier
22
Nathan Gunter
Assistant Custodial Manager
11
Michael Sokol
Custodian
23
Kenneth Pollard
Custodian
11
Robert Lucero, Jr.
Grounds Maintenance Worker
27
Sonny Mota-Leon-Tapia
Lead Store Generalist
11
Roselie Zuniga
Cashier
27
Ted Garnto
E-Commerce Associate
13
Jessica Nolte
Accounting Director
28
William Menrad
Custodian
15
Jacob Brown
Wearhouse Production Associate
28
Justin Williams
Custodian
16
Danyel Stark
Retail Store Associate
29
Hunter Johnson
Production Associate
1
New Employees & Happy Birthday!
7
CELEBRATING YEARS OF SERVICE
CONGRATULATIONS! Thank you for your years of service, we look forward to many more!
38
Steve Hennessey
Custodian
4
Nolan Windom
Retail Store Manager
34
Rodney Roberts
Dock Worker I
4
John Hall
Trailer Attendant
32
Diane Cich
Project Manager
3
Joan Des Jarlais
Production Associate I
27
Mark Ellerbrake
Custodian
3
Gerald Wemhoff
Project Manager
23
Robin Tripp
Custodian
3
Carolyn Hardin
Cashier
22
James Andersen
Custodian II
3
Brandon Bartlett
Production Associate I
16
Robert Blake
Custodian
3
Eric Martin
Production Associate I
15
Cynthia Hartman-Splear
Project Manager
3
Mark Green
Retail Store Generalist
12
Bobby Marion
Bus Sanitation Supervisor
3
Gary Lane
Floor Care Specialist
12
Elizabeth Donner
Dir Community Development
3
Pakawan Williams
Retail Store Generalist
11
Kevin Brown
Project Manager
3
Delray Bryant
Custodian
9
James Gullie, III
Custodian
3
Ablavi Homawoo
Production Associate II
9
Shantel Featherson
Retail Store Manager
2
Jessica Nolte
Accounting Director
8
Ivan Johnson
Production Associate I
2
James Anderson Jr
CDL Driver
7
Antionette Simmons
Employ/LifeSkills Trainer
2
Ana Vargas Velasquez
Production Associate I
7
Krista Foutch
Retail Store Generalist
2
Nicholas Costanzo
Custodian
7
Michael Beaver
Custodian
2
Mary McCoubrey
Retail Store Generalist
6
Gabby De La Torre
Retail Store Generalist
2
Jordan Williams
Retail Store Generalist
6
Robert Lucero, Jr.
Grounds MaintenanceWorker
2
Cheer Heiden
Ld Rt Store Generalist
6
Joseph Gordon
Custodian
2
Jill Cole
Custodian II
6
Sherri Kallon
READY Specialist
1
Rene Guillen
Retail Store Generalist
6
Regina Bell
Business Solutions Mgr
1
Antonio Reis
Retail Store Generalist
5
Eric Carlson
Custodian
1
Bryan Olds
Wearhouse Prod Associate
5
Ricky Moran
Production Associate I
1
Michelle Soto
Cashier
5
Sonny Mota-Leon-Tapia
Ld Rt Store Generalist
1
Tenile Trudell
Retail Store Generalist
4
Jacob Brown
Wearhouse Prod Associate
1
Hailey Scott
Retail Store Generalist
4
Edward Dailey
Maintenance Supervisor
1
Jason Velez
E-Commerce Associate
8
Years of Service
Mission Advancement in Review
The past month has been full of
by serving ex-offenders from both
is reaching its
activity on the program side of the
Sarpy and Douglas County.
full capacity
by Brent Koster
house. Join while we reflect on
Business Solutions: Manager
of 30 young
all the great things going on at
people, and two
Goodwill.
YouthBuild students have already
I say this every month, but
earned their GEDs. We are also
it’s important that, whoever
starting an intensive YouthBuild
you are, you share in these
alumni program for three former
successes. From Retail to
graduates of the program. They
Admin to everywhere else, the
will be focusing on outreach to
work you’re doing helps make
the community, leadership and
our programmatic achievements
development opportunities and
possible.
ultimately serve as mentors for the
Work Experience: We’re
current class. This is an innovative
training more young people with Participants hard at work in the Business Solutions
approach by the Norman Barnes
CMA class.
disabilities for the world of work
and his staff.
than ever before. The enrollment
Regina Bell and her staff hosted a
In the world of AbilityOne,
totals reached 144 students last
sector training for Med Aide
month. That’s uncharted territory
at Goodwill Headquarters
for Holly Schwietz and her team
provided by Quality CNA/
of trainers. It’s a testament to their
CMA. The class was open to
20 people, and Goodwill
paid for the training of 10
individuals. At the end
of the training Business
Solutions hosted a hiring
event for employers in
search of Med Aide
The Stratcom staff poses with our February Employee
workers. This month we
of the Month, Justin McDowell.
are also starting a free
on-site training for Microsoft
we are currently employing 132
applications through a
people with disabilities at our eight
Work Experience Participants at the Madision
partnership with Kaplan University. contract sites. These contracts are
store hand out information about Spread the
Word to end the Word.
YouthBuild: Our YouthBuild class all humming along, because of the
exceptional people who manage
shared excellence as a team and
each site and the people on the
lots of hard work at each site.
crews. Our project managers
READY: Our READY team,
handle anything we throw
provided nearly 3,000
at them, and the employees
employment services last month,
continue to do outstanding work,
and enrolled 86 people. Twentyrain or shine.
eight jobs were found with the
Thanks to all of you for your
help of READY services, at a
role in supporting the Goodwill
starting wage of $13.08 per
mission.
hour. We are looking to grow
Some of our YouthBuild staff: Norman Barnes, Alyssa
this program in the coming months Beebe, Tom Simodynes and Candice Brown.
Mission Advancement in Review
9
RECOGNIZING OUR ALL STARS
Look around you... There are awesome people doing awesome things every day. Be the one to brighten
a co-worker’s or manager’s day with the Safety Smart, Lifesaver or Above & Beyond Award? Go out and do
awesome things and next month your name could be listed here.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Derek Fiala: Derek re-coded 129 WE participant’s
processing groups to help Payroll’s processes. Thank
you D for doing such an amazing job in a short
amount of time. You ROCK!
Gordon Scheet: Gordon responded to my panic
text message at 8:30p.m. and working with our MIP
Acctg consultant to set the database imported back
and ready for business the following day. Thank
you for taking time our of your event to help ensure
accounting could function the next day!
STORE of the MONTH
Blair
Congratulations to
Jacob and staff for
achieving Traditonal
Store of the Month in
January!
10
Awards
Certified Medical Assistant Training Program
Ten dedicated individuals
participated in 40 hours of Medaid
training as part of Business
Solutions CMA Pilot Program. The
training took place on the
23rd-24th and 27th-28th of
February from 8am-5pm. The
training was held at Goodwill.
Quizzes and PowerPoints
were distributed throughout
the program to give students
insight on what they are
learning and how they are
doing during the training.
The program is funded by a
partnership between Business
Solutions and CNA/CMA.
This partnership allows people to
learn about medical care free of
charge.
Upon passing and completing
the training, certified CMA
students are open to many more
opportunities in the medical field
and can help aid a vulnerable
community with health care.
Participants from READY,
Business Solutions, YouthBuild,
Heartland Workforce Solutions,
Rescare,
Maximus, Voc
Rehab and many
by Martin Macias
more were given
the opportunity to apply for the
the CMA training.
A Career Fair for the certified
students and people interested
in health care was held March
1st after the program was
completed.
Some of the employers at the
Career Fair were QLI, Immanuel,
CHI, Methodist, Comfort
Keepers, Hillcrest, Akasse and
more.
This program is the perfect
thing for people wanting to help
others in their communities!
Goodwill’s new Onboarding program
Effective April 1st, Goodwill will
be implementing a comprehensive
Onboarding program across the
agency, and we all get to play
an integral part in this new and
exciting initiative!
What is Onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of
integrating and acculturating new
employees into the organization
and providing them with the tools,
resources, and knowledge to
become successful and productive.
It is a comprehensive approach
that starts before new hire
orientation and extends well
beyond the first few days of a new
job.
It’s not just enough to hire the
right person. We must properly
and thoroughly onboard them
so they become valuable and
successful members of Goodwill
who will stay for the long haul.
This will allow them the ability to
contribute quickly to the success of
the team and assimilate more fully
into the culture of Goodwill.
As employees, we too have a
hand in the onboarding initiative.
Our collective role is to:
• Help new employees feel
welcome and reduce anxiety
• Project a positive perception
of Goodwill and the employee’s
new team
• Help create a bond
between the new employee and
Goodwill
• Help ensure an
understanding of the structure,
culture, policies, procedures, and
practices of Goodwill
•Support
new employees
during their
by LaRonda Birch
onboarding
process.
In essence, you get to be a part
of helping someone be happier
and more productive in their new
job.
You may be asked by your direct
supervisor to work directly with and
provide input on a new employee…
how exciting!
All employees will receive
training on the Onboarding
program by the end of March.
Please do not hesitate to speak
with your direct supervisor or
contact the HR department if you
have any questions.
CMA Training Pilot Program & New Onboarding program
11
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT GOODWILL
Work Experience Coordinator, Sam Comfort poses with the Work Experience
Participants at the Madison store for Spread the Word to End the Word.
Beverly Box-Muldrow, who works at the Benson Park store celebrated 30 years of
service at Goodwill during February’s Townhall. Congratulations Bev!
Donation door attendant, Jake Beezley presented Work Experience Participant
Cory Riha with a LifeSaver for helping him at the donation door during a busy
time.
Work Experience Trainer, Christin Graff, celebrates Spread the Word to End the
Word with her Work Experience participants at the Fremont store.
Marketing Intern, Martin Macias was presented with a certificate of appreciation
for completing his internship.
AbilityOne employees at Offutt were surprised with pizza. The employees were
super excited!
12