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Case Studies

In Placer County, California, the local government relies on PRIDE Industries to keep its buildings clean and safe.

Stretching from the town of Roseville (just outside of Sacramento), to Lake Tahoe on the California border, Placer County is home to some 350,000 people. Since 2008, PRIDE Industries has provided Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB)-certified custodial services throughout the county. Buildings cleaned include libraries, healthcare facilities, and offices. PRIDE Industries also provides LEED Silver-compliant cleaning for the South Placer Adult Correctional Facility.

Situation

When COVID-19 struck, Placer County’s facilities managers implemented new cleaning requirements to keep building occupants healthy. These new requirements included frequent sanitization of high-touch points, using deep cleaning technologies such as electrostatic disinfection.

PRIDE Industries was already providing county-wide janitorial services for a variety of Placer County facilities. Since 2008, the company’s highly trained cleaning teams had provided CIMS-GB certified janitorial services for over 728,500 square feet across 53 county buildings, including Placer County libraries and the adult correctional facility. Janitorial services included general and detail cleaning, kitchen cleaning, carpet care, floor maintenance, restroom cleaning, recycling, trash removal, and window washing.

Now that cleaning needed to be taken to a new level.

Solution

The PRIDE Industries cleaning teams were ready for the challenge. Since 2008, these teams had been cleaning county buildings using a mix of proprietary and commercial green cleaning products, and applying the latest disinfection techniques.

To keep these buildings free of coronavirus and other infectious agents, PRIDE Industries implemented new cleaning protocols that increased the cleaning frequency, and used only cleaning products that were shown to kill coronavirus and other dangerous germs. Electrostatic cleaning, in which an electric charge is used to ionize the disinfectant so that it will cling to surfaces, was more widely used than ever. These deep cleaning techniques were used three times a day at 12 county facilities located across an 85-mile stretch of land from Lake Tahoe to Auburn.

Services Provided

  • Trash removal
  • Recycling
  • Kitchen cleaning
  • Floor maintenance
  • Carpet cleaning
  • Restroom services
  • Policing escalators
  • High dusting with lifts
  • Window washing
  • Metal polishing
  • Hospital-grade, aseptic cleaning

Results

During the pandemic, PRIDE Industries workers not only stepped up their cleaning to combat coronavirus, they also successfully tackled several unexpected cleaning assignments.

  • When COVID-19 protocols arrived, it looked like the county would need 12 additional employees to perform the specified disinfecting services, one for each location, which would have raised costs by 35 percent. PRIDE Industries brought in its supervisory team to review all options and was able to adjust work schedules to implement the protocols without hiring additional personnel, keeping costs within budgeted levels.
  • When the county began to remodel its Finance and Administration building, an enormous amount of debris was left behind. The PRIDE Industries team took it in stride. “They arrived to find a filthy, dusty mess in our downstairs office due to all of the furniture being demoed and removed that afternoon,” Placer County Custodial Services Supervisor Danny Reynolds said. “They stepped right up and cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed the area, which I’m sure took them longer than a regular night’s cleaning. I want to thank them for being so positive and helpful in the situation.”
  • A Health and Human Services Administration building faced a similar scene. “We had filled all three of the large recycle trash cans with paper, filled three large trash cans in the break room, and had broken down several boxes of recycled cardboard, filling every trash can in the building,” Reynolds said. “I came in the next morning, and everything was perfect. And they did it all in the pouring rain.”
  • The county’s buildings include 11,975 square feet of public health facilities that require environmental cleaning of treatment rooms, nursing stations, exam rooms, laboratories, restrooms, and administrative areas. PRIDE Industries provides aseptic cleaning of all surfaces, including walls, ceilings, fixtures, floors, beds, trash containers, doors, light fixtures, curtains, dividers, counters, and cabinets.

Highlights

  • A bonus for Placer County is that PRIDE Industries, which is based in the Placer County town of Roseville, specializes in creating jobs for people with disabilities. Hiring local residents with disabilties allows the county to improve the area’s economic and social health while receiving critically important services at a reasonable cost.
  • PRIDE Industries’ innovations include developing proprietary, eco-friendly PRIDEClean® products designed according to the EPA’s Safer Choice program standards. The company’s custodial services and cleaning protocols are all certified to the Cleaning Industry Management Standards for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB), which supports LEED-compliant buildings.
  • Nationwide, PRIDE Industries provides janitorial services for 26 million square feet of facilities, including 3.6 million square feet of LEED-compliant buildings. The company is a recipient of the DEAL Award for Leadership in Sustainability, is ISO 9001 Quality Management System-certified, CIMS-GB- certified by the International Sanitary Supply Association, and is certified by the International Facility Management Association for its Sustainable Facilities Professionals.
Placer County logo

“I came in the next morning, and everything was perfect. And they did it all in the pouring rain.”

—Danny Reynolds, Placer County Custodial Services Supervisor

Services Provided

  • Trash removal
  • Recycling
  • Kitchen cleaning
  • Floor maintenance
  • Carpet cleaning
  • Restroom services
  • Policing escalators
  • High dusting with lifts
  • Window washing
  • Metal polishing
  • Hospital-grade, aseptic cleaning

Highlights

728,500

square feet

53

buildings

21

sites

PRIDE Industries helps BunkTrunk® build storage products for college-bound students.

BunkTrunk® is an innovative company founded by two San Diego entrepreneurs who developed a unique storage system which easily fit in dorm rooms to keep the belongings of college students safe.

Situation

When Guy Plouffe‘s daughter entered college, she quickly became concerned about storing her laptop and other valuable items when she was away from her dorm room. Regular safes were too big, heavy, and expensive to be considered an option, especially for the typical college student on a budget.

 

Guy quickly thought of a solution. He developed a lightweight storage compartment which attaches to dorm room beds and locks securely. His daughter’s roommate loved it as well, and Guy made another one for her. The concept for BunkTrunk® was then created.

Solution

Guy had reached the first step in his business plan, creating a unique storage system that would meet the needs of countless college students. Executing the rest of the plan, however, proved more difficult. The expense of raw materials, as well as skyrocketing labor costs, created major obstacles. But Guy didn’t find the talent he needed. So, he decided to turn to PRIDE Industries.

After reviewing a step-by-step video on how to put these trunks together, our manufacturing experts determined that our team members with disabilities could assemble the trunks.

And they were right.

PRIDE Industries’ employees mount the hinges, install the doors, conduct quality assessments, and package the final Bunk Trunk for shipping. Thanks to the work of PRIDE Industries’ inclusive team, about 30-45 Bunk Trunks are shipped every week—all over the United States.

“They have incredible attention to detail,” says Darla Reed, Co-Owner of BunkTrunk®.

As of today, thousands of the trunks have been sold to students all over the country. And, the price point of the BunkTrunk® hovers around $300—perfectly affordable for the college market.

Services Provided

  • Building, mounting, and packaging
  • Packaging and shipping
Bunk Trunk Logo

“So many people have gifts to give, including people with disabilities. We are proud to create opportunities and partner with PRIDE Industries to help reduce the stress for college students and their parents.”

— Darla Reed, Co-Owner

Partnering to Create Employment for People With Disabilities

Parents Alliance Employment Project (PAEP) was founded in 1982 by parents fighting to mainstream their children with disabilities in public schools and their DuPage County, Illinois communities. Today, PAEP is an accredited state provider for people with disabilities serving DuPage and three surrounding counties. The organization is a leading Supported Employment Provider offering individuals with disabilities career counseling, job training and preparation, job development, job placement, job coaching, support, and follow-up services. 

Situation

PAEP helps 200 people with disabilities find employment every year. It works with Northwestern Medicine, which hosts three Project SEARCH sites that offer three 10-week internships that allow them to gain real-life vocational skills in various hospital departments. Another program, Inspired by Ability, is a paid job training program for individuals with disabilities between 18 to 24 who have exited the school system.

Even with successful programs and 40 years of experience training and placing employees with disabilities, finding the right employment situation for each client can be challenging for organizations like PAEP. “Every client has unique abilities and disabilities, and some can be challenging to place,” said Maggie Meyer, Vocational Transitionist at PAEP. “Finding the ‘job’ is just the beginning of a successful long-term placement. Employers and employees both need support.”

Solution

When Casey Nunes, Employment Success Manager at PRIDE Industries, approached PAEP about matching the organization’s candidates with job opportunities through our Inclusive Talent Solutions partners, they knew they had found an invaluable partner. “We discussed our team and our candidates and how we could advocate for our employees,” Maggie said. “We started with two janitorial positions at Ingram Micro, and the relationship has grown from there.”

“The relationship works because Casey and PRIDE Industries are on-site to support the employer and the employee,” said PAEP program manager Khushbu Davi. “Employees get the accommodations they need, and employers get workers that exceed expectations.” PRIDE Industries and PAEP have since filled many permanent positions to date at Ingram Micro.

“I can’t overstate how valuable it is to have a partner that ‘gets it,’” Maggie said. “Casey and PRIDE Industries understand that you can’t just fill a position and step away.” She tells the story of Jad, a person who is non-verbal, who faced challenges to obtaining employment due to communication barriers. PAEP and PRIDE Industries helped Jad land a position as a fulfillment packager with a supportive employer. Both are thrilled. “When you get that right fit, it is such a great feeling,” Maggie said. 

Services Provided

  • Employment Preparation and Placement
  • Job Coaching

Become an Agency Partner

Does your agency provide services to people with disabilities, military veterans, foster youth, or trafficking survivors? Consider becoming a PRIDE Industries Agency Partner.
Partner with Us
Parents Alliance Employment Project

“The relationship works because Casey and PRIDE Industries are on-site to support the employer and the employee. Employees get the accommodations they need, and employers get workers that exceed expectations.” ”

— Khushbu Davi, PAEP Program Manager
cleaning in a hotel room

Building and Shipping Low-Cost, Lifesaving Medical Devices

3rd Stone Design creates affordable medical products that protect the health of people and the planet. In addition to designing these critically important devices, 3rd Stone Design also partners with other companies to create the businesses that bring these products to the global marketplace. 3rd Stone Design has more than 15 years of experience, and also develops renewable energy systems and socially conscious consumer products.

Situation

Many medical solutions have traditionally been too expensive and complex to widely implement in developing countries. 3rd Stone Design is changing this by designing low-cost, essential medical devices. And when it comes to building these machines, the company has turned to PRIDE Industries not once, but twice.

In 2013, PRIDE Industries partnered with 3rd Stone Design to build and ship its Pumani CPAP machine—an inexpensive airway device that can triple the survival rate of babies with respiratory distress syndrome. In just a few months, PRIDE Industries built and shipped over 1,000 of these breathing aids to 35 countries around the world. So in 2022, when 3rd Stone Design needed a manufacturing partner that could affordably build, package, and ship its new BiliDx system, the medical device company turned again to PRIDE Industries.

Solution

Jaundice is a common condition in newborns, affecting about 60% of babies worldwide. The disease is caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the bloodstream, and usually resolves on its own within a few days. In rare cases, however, jaundice can lead to severe brain damage. This is why it’s so important to monitor bilirubin in babies who present with the condition’s telltale yellow skin and eyes. In many developing countries, however, the technology to measure bilirubin in the blood is expensive and hard to come by.

But that situation is changing, thanks to a new technology—the BiliDx System. This innovative diagnostic system uses a handheld medical device to measure an infant’s serum bilirubin levels. Invented by 3rd Stone Design and built by PRIDE Industries, the device needs only a single drop of blood—applied to an inexpensive, disposable lateral flow strip—to immediately provide a precise reading. Because it’s portable, low cost, and highly accurate, the BiliDx System is an ideal solution for resource-constrained medical settings.

In addition to building, packaging, and shipping the BiliDx system, PRIDE Industries also provides affordable international shipping. This has led to significant cost savings for 3rd Stone Design and its customers. This affordability, along with the product’s high accuracy, has made the BiliDx System a reliable diagnostic solution, helping economically developing nations combat neonatal jaundice—which affects 24 million newborns each year.

Services Provided

Building, packaging, and shipping of low-cost medical devices for the developing world.

3rd Stone Design logo

Highlights

247

BiliDx Systems shipped

2,950

BiliDx test strips shipped

“PRIDE Industries has been an extraordinary partner in helping us scale and produce specially designed medical products for mothers and newborns in underserved communities throughout the globe.”

— Robert Miros, CEO, 3rd Stone Design
cleaning in a hotel room

GDS expands its social mission and its business, with the help of PRIDE Industries.

Established in January of 2000, Granite Data Solutions (GDS) is a California Certified Disabled Veteran Owned Enterprise (DVBE) specializing in Client Lifecycle Management with a focus on serving state and local government entities, as well as education-related organizations.

Situation

Driven by the same mission to create job opportunities for veterans and people with disabilities, GDS partnered with PRIDE Industries for assembly and kitting in 2012. PRIDE Industries has since supported the business through its outgrowth of two buildings. Then, in 2018, when GDS expanded further and needed on-site packaging and shipping support, they turned again to a provider they knew they could count on.

Solution

After an evaluation, five work groups, composed of 15 employees with disabilities, were created to handle GDS’s IT-related deployment and depot-style service projects. For every work group hired by GDS, PRIDE Industries provided a work group trainer to help employees with developmental disabilities learn and succeed in their jobs.

With consulting help, GDS earned its Processed Food Registration (PFR) certification from the California Department of Health in October 2018. Instruction and training involved implementing safety, quality, and fulfillment guidelines—including proper food handling procedures, allergen separation, shipping, receiving, and lot code tracking. In addition, PRIDE Industries helped GDS develop its pricing and shop rate. Production lines, using lean manufacturing methods, were also created.

With GDS’s new food processing business plan implemented, work groups now help run up to four food-packing lines and handle shipping for four new customers.

Services Provided

  • Kitting and assembly
  • Pricing and shop rate development
  • Assistance in running up to four food packaging lines
  • Implementation of safety, quality, and fulfillment guidelines
  • Shipping, receiving, and lot code tracking
  • Creation of production lines using lean manufacturing methods

Results

  • Continued annual expansion
  • Processed Food Registration (PFR) certification
  • Four new business accounts acquired
  • Over 7,000 pallets per year
  • 24 truckloads per month
  • Expansion of mission of providing job assistance and training to people with disabilities.
  • Hiring of PRIDE Industries-trained individuals with developmental disabilities for its permanent staff
GDS logo

Highlights

15

individuals with developmental disabilities

8
years of business partnership
>7,000
pallets shipped per year
20
work groups of individuals with disabilities

“It’s been amazing to see what PRIDE Industries and GDS have been able to achieve in such a short amount of time. We’re excited to see what our partnership will bring in the future.”

— Brigg Goodwin, President, Granite Data Solutions

Championing Water Conservation Services with an Inclusive Workforce

For nearly a century, the Golden State Water Company (GSWC) has been providing clean water and water conservation services to more than 80 communities in California. Operating as a regulated utility, the team must ensure fair rates for more than 1 million customers. Great service is key, with a 24/7 call center helping customers manage bills and address service issues. Behind the scenes, technical experts help look after water quality and efficient resource management.

Situation

The GSWC has some regulatory obligations to the California Public Utility Commission. To succeed in fulfilling these regulatory requirements, the GSWC cultivates a diverse supplier base. A robust supplier diversity initiative broadens the supplier base, stimulates competition, and ensures that Golden State Water Company receives the highest quality materials and services at the best available prices.

As a regulated water utility, the GSWC sets a supplier diversity goal to procure 21.5 percent of contracts from certified categories, including:

  • 1.5% from Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises
  • 5% from Women Business Enterprises
  • 15% from Minority Business Enterprises

Guided by these targets, the GSWC sought to attract more team members of all abilities. Excitingly, the new team members would play a key role in helping the GSWC reach out to customers and communities. Their remit would be to provide water-efficient products and services via a non-profit.

Solution

Thanks to a partnership with PRIDE Industries, more team members with diverse abilities have been hired to help deliver water conservation tools from the GSWC. Upon selecting PRIDE Industries in the summer of 2021, executives from the GSWC knew they could depend on dedicated team members. This talent pool offers highly valued professionalism and quality. Team members from PRIDE Industries take pride in helping customers effectively manage water usage.

Statistics show that employees with disabilities offer quality work, low turnover, great attendance, and overall professionalism. PRIDE Industries employees have consistently demonstrated these qualities—taking pride in helping GSWC’s customers manage water usage while helping GSWC meet its diversity goals.

Services Provided

PRIDE Industries supports multiple programs provided by the GSWC. These include:

  • Direct install programs: Replacing or installing new water-efficient toilets, showerheads, and aerators for home use.
  • Distribution programs: Rain barrels for residential use.
  • Kitting programs: Mailing energy-efficient items to customers and clients of the GSWC.

Results

  • 200 groundwater wells
  • 2,800 miles of sustainable pipeline
  • 25,000 fire hydrants
golden state water company logo

Highlights

200

groundwater wells

2,800

miles of sustainable pipeline

25,000
fire hydrants

“We’ve enjoyed working on several social initiatives with PRIDE Industries to make a positive impact in the communities across California.”

— Matthew Puffer
Conservation Coordinator
Water Use Efficiency Department
Golden State Water Company