Goodwill Industries of Tidewater, Inc.
Synopsis
Goodwill Industries of Tidewater was the first Goodwill in the US to secure a Navy commissary shelf stocking contract, leading to a significant increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Through dedicated management and staff efforts, the organization overcame financial struggles and rebuilt its productivity, offering versatile training programs and employment opportunities in areas like pallet repair, retail skills, and laundry operations, ultimately earning recognition as the 1984 Small Work Center of the Year.
The Full Story
Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the home of the world's largest navy base, Goodwill Industries of Tidewater has put its proximity to the base to good use. Goodwill of Tidewater was the first Goodwill in the United States to acquire a Navy commissary shelf stocking contract.
In 1980, our Small Work Center of the Year was close to being bankrupt. New management and a dedicated staff effort performed the near impossible and rebuilt Goodwill’s productivity and image in the community. Both staff and clients displayed a “can do” attitude that infused new life into the Work Center. Today, Goodwill has much to boast about—not the last of which is a dramatic increase in employment opportunities for disabled workers. These jobs were made possible by new or renewed production activity, much of it from JWOD transactions.
Norfolk’s Naval base and a JWOD set-aside provided a real boost to Goodwill’s ascent to financial solvency. In July of 1981, the Work Center received a contract to repair 50,000 pallets for the Naval Supply Center. At the time this set-aside was awarded, Goodwill’s total operating budget was $377,400. Twenty-seven people with disabilities were on the payroll. In April of 1983, the Center received its second JWOD set-aside at the Naval commissary for shelf stocking and light janitorial work. Currently, Goodwill projects a $1,231,500 operating budget. This is a 226% increase over four years ago! Sixty-eight people with disabilities now work at Goodwill.
The Work Center offers a versatile training program to prepare clients to work in a competitive industry. While pallet manufacture and repair constitute a stable base for production and a positive balance sheet for Goodwill, the Center also offers other opportunities for training and employment for the community. Clients are taught to drive the Goodwill pickup trucks and are trained at the Naval base to operate forklifts. Instructions are given in techniques for loading and unloading vehicles. Training in retail skills such as merchandising, inventory control, sales, and cashiering is available. Employees learn to sort and price textiles. A complete laundry operation is run on the premises and provides work experience easily transferable to the private sector.
Goodwill’s ability to train clients to perform difficult jobs has been remarkable. At one of the Goodwill’s stores, five employees who were formerly in-patients at Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital successfully handle the store’s entire operation.
Goodwill Industries of Tidewater marks its 60th anniversary this year. Though an old-timer in the Tidewater community, the organization has created a sparkling new presence for people with disabilities in the Norfolk area. The entire community joins us in celebrating the record of excellence in JWOD contract performance Goodwill has established in so short a time. Goodwill Industries of Tidewater is a small Work Center with a great big heart. NISH (now SourceAmerica) is proud to present the 1984 Small Work Center of the Year Award to Goodwill Industries of Tidewater, Inc.
