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Case Studies

Casino Resort Finds Hospitality Staffing Solution

Red Hawk Resort + Casino has seen significant growth since its launch in December 2008, offering a rich mix of world-class entertainment, gaming, and dining experiences. The casino has boosted tourism and economic growth in the region and created over 1,000 jobs in El Dorado County with additions like the Apex entertainment complex and a 156-room hotel, but has the same hospitality staffing challenges faced by hotels nationwide.

The Challenge: Hospitality Staffing Shortage

With more than 10,000 guests visiting daily and nearly 200,000 square feet of facilities, it is crucial for Red Hawk to hire talented, dedicated staff to ensure the best possible guest experience—an ongoing challenge throughout the hospitality industry. According to a report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 67% of hotel operators are short-staffed, and 12% said they are “severely understaffed,” impacting their ability to operate effectively.

“Hiring can be difficult,” said Matt Montano, HR Manager at Red Hawk. “We require more background checks in the gaming industry, so finding people that can work can be difficult. Then finding people to do some of the tougher jobs, like our janitorial and custodial positions add to the challenge.”

Montano and his team tried various recruiting methods, including popular online job platforms, job fairs, and local contract firms, but shortages persisted. Then he learned about PRIDE Industries through a software partner that worked with both firms.

The Solution: Work Groups with People with Disabilities

Red Hawk partnered with PRIDE Industries to implement an innovative hospitality staffing solution: supported work groups. Within a matter of weeks, PRIDE Industries had created a dedicated workforce comprised of several teams of three-four employees, each with its own dedicated employment coach. PRIDE Industries even handled employee transportation.

The work groups, all hired and on-boarded by PRIDE Industries, were assigned to custodial roles throughout the casino. The teams excel at essential custodial tasks, including cleaning the gaming floor, restrooms, and other guest occupied spaces.

Red Hawk has experienced firsthand all the advantages of an inclusive workforce, including low employee turnover, high morale, reliability, and enhanced customer satisfaction. These benefits have made a positive difference for Red Hawk’s guests and staff.

Julia Yah a PRIDE Industries employment coach at Red Hawk, noted the positive impact: “With one of our employees, any time she laughs, everybody laughs with her. She’s always checking in with everybody, saying hello, everyone saying good morning, and it brings brightness and smiles to the entire team.”

Beyond the increase in both guest and employee satisfaction, Red Hawk’s hiring team is also working more efficiently.

“The cost of hiring an employee can be expensive, but with this partnership, PRIDE Industries is the employer,” said Montana. “We just need to do the training on our systems, which saves us time. Plus, with PRIDE Industries providing the on-site coaching and transportation, it’s easy.”

The Results: Hospitality Staffing Made Easy

Including people with disabilities has improved Red Hawk’s workforce, allowing the company to maintain consistent staffing even in the busiest of times.

Red Hawk is not the only company to experience the benefits of an inclusive workforce. The business advantages of hiring people with disabilities are proven, if not well known. A 2023 study from Accenture found that companies that actively employ and support people with disabilities achieve 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and twice the economic profit.

Red Hawk’s Environmental Services Manager Roxanna Carlson has seen these benefits firsthand. “Our experience hiring people with disabilities has been great,” she said. “They are some of our most productive employees. We have had very good attendance and retention. They have been incredibly dependable.”

Services Provided

  • Custodial
  • Employment coaching
  • Transportation
Hospitality staffing: Redhawk casino logo

“The cost of hiring an employee can be expensive, but with this partnership, PRIDE Industries is the employer. We just need to do the training on our systems, which saves us time.”

—Matt Montano, HR Manager at Red Hawk

For more than 35 years SeaWorld has relied on people with disabilities to solve employee turnover and offer a reliable, high-quality workforce. 

A Premier Tourist Destination

For 60-plus years, SeaWorld San Diego has been one of San Diego’s premier tourist destinations, home to unique sea life, thrilling rides, world-class exhibits and educational presentations, entertainment, and artisanal food and drink. Set along beautiful Mission Bay Park, visitors enjoy nearly 200 acres of attractive outdoor grounds in a pleasant Mediterranean climate. SeaWorld San Diego’s animal care is Humane Certified, and the park is one of the largest marine animal rescue organizations in the world.

Situation: Employee Turnover

SeaWorld San Diego faced employee turnover in its frontline roles, typical to the entertainment and hospitality industries. To maintain its standard for excellent customer service and keep its many rides, presentations, and food venues safe and welcoming, the marine theme park and accredited zoo and aquarium needed a reliable workforce.

Solution

In 1987, SeaWorld partnered with PRIDE Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities—a workforce known for its high retention and low absenteeism rates. PRIDE Industries also provided its holistic employment model, including a pipeline of trained, eager employees and on-site job coaches who provide support and serve as a communication link between employer and employee.

Results

Since partnering with PRIDE Industries, SeaWorld has enjoyed all the benefits typical of this workforce, including low employee turnover, high morale, continuity, and customer satisfaction.

“We see really good, high retention hiring people with disabilities,” said Sean Daugherty, Park Operations Manager. “The employees PRIDE Industries has connected us with can do any job, any task, the same as anyone else. They show up, they’re committed, and they bring a lot of joy and happiness, too.”

And there’s another benefit that often comes with this workforce.

“They bring a different caliber to the workplace,” said Daugherty. “Punctuality, attendance, motivation. When other employees see that they’re always here, ready to work, ready to go, it sets a tone for the rest of the team.”

“We’ve had a great relationship with SeaWorld for over 37 years,” said PRIDE Industries Employment Specialist Keith Robinson. “They love the employees we’ve brought in.”

Currently, 15 employees with disabilities work at SeaWorld San Diego. Since the park’s opening, an estimated 60 employees have been hired with the help of PRIDE Industries.

“If you’re looking for employees that are going to be on time, that want to do their jobs, that want to learn, this workforce is for you,” said PRIDE Industries Employment Coach John Williamson. “SeaWorld managers come up regularly and thank us, and park guests make it a point to say how helpful our employees are. We provide support to ensure employee success, but they make that part easy.”

The partnership has been so enduring and successful that SeaWorld wants to include another of PRIDE Industries’ employment models: work groups, consisting of three employees and one job coach.

Services Provided

  • Greets and Informs Guests
  • Food Preparation and Service
  • Custodial
  • Ride Operations

Lower Employee Turnover and Improves Business

SeaWorld’s experience validates data showing companies that hire people with disabilities gain significant business benefits. Research by the National Institutes of Health found that employing people with disabilities leads to improvements in profitability stemming from low employee turnover, reliability, punctuality, and employee loyalty, as well as an enhanced image to customers and employees alike.

That image matters when it comes to hiring. With as many as 4,500 employees in its peak summer season, SeaWorld is one of the region’s largest businesses.  “Being one of the largest employers, we really pride ourselves on making sure we have a very diverse environment,” Daugherty said. “We love to employ people of all backgrounds, and that really makes us stand out to employees and visitors.”

SeaWorld logo for employee turnover case study

“The employees PRIDE Industries has connected us with can do any job, any task, the same as anyone else. They show up, they’re committed, and they bring a lot of joy and happiness, too.”

— Sean Daugherty, Park Operations Manager

Learn how employees with disabilities outperformed a previous contractor processing hundreds of thousands of visa applications for DHS.

Employees with Disabilities at the UCSIS

The United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) visa processing facility in Corbin, Kentucky, is the last stop for validating tens of thousands of immigrant visa (IV) applications granting permanent resident status to immigrants—documents commonly known as green cards. The facility processes more than 600,000 IV applications each year.

Situation

The DHS contract required IV applications to be processed in ten days. By 2021, when borders were opened after pandemic closures, the previous contractor had amassed a backlog of tens of thousands of applications, leading to months-long wait times for people seeking permanent residency. DHS eventually sought a new contractor which could handle the volume of IV applications and meet processing speed requirements and issued a Request for Proposals (RFP).

Solution

PRIDE Industries responded to the DHS RFP in 2022 and was awarded the contract through the AbilityOne® Program, a program dedicated to delivering high-quality products and services to federal agencies while fostering quality employment opportunities for people with disabilities through federal contracts. PRIDE Industries is one of the nation’s leading employers of people with disabilities and works with AbilityOne on contracts throughout the country.

PRIDE Industries assembled a team of 26 employees, 16 of whom have a disclosed disability. The employees were able to work remotely, making the jobs more accessible and attractive to people with disabilities.  

“We created modified instructions and work environments that allow employees with disabilities to perform as well or better than non-disabled employees under the previous contract,” said Nicholas Hines, Regional Director of Operations for PRIDE Industries.

Results: Success with Employees with Disabilities

The team quickly worked through the overdue applications and currently processes an average of 40,000 applications per month with turnaround times under the ten-day requirement.

“We go above and beyond for our employees, giving them the support they need to be successful,” said Jenny Collins, Document Production Manager for PRIDE Industries. “That support includes flexible schedules, remote work, and on-the-job coaching.”

The operation has been so successful that the DHS wants to expand PRIDE Industries’ responsibilities at the site.

Services Provided

Processing permanent resident applications work includes:

  • Data entry
  • Identity verification
  • Photo placement
  • Transmission of data to production facility

Accommodating Success

The success of the IV processing team at DHS offers proof that employees with disabilities, with modest accommodation, can be exceptional workers. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities, defined as “any change to the application or hiring process, to the job, to the way the job is done, or the work environment that allows a person with a disability who is qualified for the job to perform the essential functions of that job and enjoy equal employment opportunities.”

Employers sometimes fear accommodating people with disabilities will be too costly—a fear that has been proven to be unfounded. In a Job Accommodation Network (JAN) survey of employers, over half said that accommodations cost nothing, while 37 percent reported a median one-time cost of just $300. The same employers report many benefits that far outweigh the small expenses. The cited benefits of accommodating employees with disabilities include:

  • Retaining valuable employees
  • Improving productivity and morale
  • Reducing workers’ compensation and training costs
  • Improving company diversity

“Individuals and families depend on the USCIS to process their documents in a timely manner and provide them legal status to live and work in the United States,” Hines said. “Our employees prove that people with disabilities can do this and other important work.”

DHS Logo for case study about employees with disabilties

“We created modified instructions and work environments that allow employees with disabilities to perform as well or better than non-disabled employees under the previous contract.”

— Nicholas Hines, Regional Director of Operations for PRIDE Industries.
AbilityOne Program Certification Logo

PRIDE Industries Helps IT Company Focus on Maintaining Cutting-Edge Services

Sage IT Systems is a San Diego-based IT company with the capacity to put “feet on the ground” in all 50 states. A leader in digital transformation, Sage IT is rapidly transforming organizations by delivering secure and innovative digital solutions, superior customer service, and skilled talent. By harnessing the power of Integration, Automation, AI, Cloud, and Data technologies, the IT leader provides business benefits at a rate of 30 percent faster than industry standards. To allow their expert technicians to focus on customer service, the company partners with PRIDE Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities.

Challenge: Free Up Technicians to Do Their Jobs

Speed is a key factor that separates Sage IT from its competitors. In an industry where response times average from four to eight hours, Sage IT technicians respond to chat support messages within 10 seconds during business hours. To maintain this level of availability, numerous other tasks—typically left to technicians—need to get done.

“The place needs to be neat, and the inventory has to be maintained, technicians’ backpacks need to be checked every night to ensure morning readiness, and much more,” said Darren Rysedorph, founder and CEO.

“Our technicians need to be spending their time helping our clients, not checking and replenishing inventory,” Rysedorph said. “And they need to know that when they go out in the field, they have everything they need.”

To make the organization more efficient, Sage IT decided to hire an administrative assistant to manage inventory and perform administrative tasks so that the technicians could focus on client needs.

Solution: A Stellar Office Support Professional Who Happens to Have a Disability

Sage IT partnered with PRIDE Industries to find the right person for the position. Judi Adams, Director of Sales and Client Success, is also a member of The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation Advisory Board and familiar with the benefits that people with disabilities bring to the organizations they work for—including numerous business benefits.

“I’ve been involved with PRIDE Industries since 2004,” she said. “So, I knew that hiring people with disabilities is no different from hiring anyone else. Everyone has abilities. You find out what people excel in, and that’s what they bring to a company—what they do in their roles.”

“I saw we had an amazing opportunity to bring someone in who can do things that the technicians don’t have time to do, so they can spend more time servicing clients in the field,” Adams added. “I knew we could count on PRIDE Industries to help us find a great employee.”

Enter Kristin Johnson, who joined Sage IT via an internship in December of 2023 and has been doing a stellar job.

Results: An Organized, Efficient Back Office Keeps Technicians in The Game

Sage IT technicians are no longer burdened with tasks that had kept them from serving clients and providing trademark-fast, thorough IT service.  

“Kristin has been critical in keeping the back end running for us and keeping these guys in the game,” said Ryesdorph. “Everything we put on her list of things to do, we know will get done—and she does it quietly, without complaint, promptly, and courteously. Our Director of Operations raves about her.”

Sage IT is seeing all the business benefits typically associated with employing people with disabilities: high productivity, excellent attendance and punctuality, and a can-do attitude.

“Every week we go over the scoreboards for the team, and Kristin is always at 100 percent,” said Adams. “And she’s so excited to be part of the team. One of the things I love most is seeing her get off the bus and come over here with such enthusiasm.”

A Low Risk Solution

“PRIDE Industries takes all the risk. They’re doing all the training. They’re only presenting you with candidates who are capable of doing the job—in some cases, better, faster, with less fuss, and with better attendance,” said Ryesdorph.

It’s true. PRIDE Industries holistic employment model includes pre-employment screening and preparation, training, communication facilitation between employee and employer, and on-site employment coaches to ensure employee success. Especially in a fast-paced organization like Sage IT, all of this matters.

“One of the things PRIDE Industries does really well is interviewing and preparing candidates and identifying the individuals that would be a perfect fit here,” Adams said. “When we were interviewing for this position, they presented us with three excellent candidates. We couldn’t go wrong.”

Services Provided

  • Employee placement
  • Employment coaching
  • Employer support

Results

  • Professionally organized back office
  • Unburdened technicians

Accommodating Success

Kristin’s success at Sage IT offers proof that people with disabilities, with modest accommodations, can be exceptional employees. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities, defined as “any change to the application or hiring process, to the job, to the way the job is done, or the work environment that allows a person with a disability who is qualified for the job to perform the essential functions of that job and enjoy equal employment opportunities.”

Employers sometimes fear accommodating people with disabilities will be too costly—a fear that has been proven to be unfounded.  In a Job Accommodation Network (JAN) survey of employers, over half said that accommodations cost nothing, while 37 percent reported a median one-time cost of just $300. The same employers report many benefits that far outweigh the small expense. The cited benefits of accommodating employees with disabilities include:

  • Retaining valuable employees
  • Improving productivity and morale
  • Reducing workers’ compensation and training costs
  • Improving company diversity
Sage IT Systems logo

“I’ve been involved with PRIDE Industries since 2004. So, I knew that hiring people with disabilities is no different from hiring anyone else.”

—Judi Adams, Director of Sales and Client Success for Sage IT

Employees with Disabilities Improve Car Wash Employee Retention, Performance

Soapy Joe’s Car Wash is a family-owned and operated business with dozens of locations in San Diego County. Featuring eco-friendly technology and quality service at a great value, they were voted “Best Car Wash in San Diego” in 2022. The company partners with PRIDE Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities, to improve car wash employee retention.

The Challenge: Car Wash Employee Retention

Car wash employee turnover is a constant challenge throughout the industry, and Soapy Joe’s was no exception. Nationwide 46 percent of car wash employees leave within a year, and the Houston Chronicle pegs the cost of replacing an employee at $5,000 to $9,000. When the pandemic, the great resignation, and racing inflation exacerbated these issues, Soapy Joe’s knew they needed a new approach.

Solution: Dedicated Car Wash Employees with Disabilities

Soapy Joe’s partnered with PRIDE Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities, to create a car wash employee pipeline from this under-utilized population. Soapy Joe’s Human Resources Director, Julie Smith, had previously worked with employees with disabilities and was familiar with the benefits of hiring adults with different abilities—including proven business benefits. A review of data published by the National Institute of Health found that hiring people with disabilities improves profitability due to lower employee turnover and long-term retention, reliability, punctuality, productivity, and customer loyalty and satisfaction.

PRIDE Industries provides additional support in the form of job coaches that make sure employees have everything they need to succeed. Job coaches also serve as a communication link between the employer and employees to prevent gaps in understanding and foster productivity. One of the PRIDE Industries coaches at Soapy Joe’s, Ysabel, attests to how much the company values and supports its employees. “If employees need help, they tell me,” Ysabel said. “If they need to talk to a manager, they tell me.”

Results: Top Performing Employees and 94 Percent Retention

Soapy Joe’s now has employees with disabilities at 15 of its locations, with a high retention rate. “We’re at 94 percent retention with our PRIDE Industries employees,” said Julie Smith, Director of Human Resources. “Our site managers are fighting for the next new employees.”

According to Operations Manager Mauricio Cardenas, PRIDE Industries employees are “just plain great to work with.” Not only do they show up consistently and on time, but they also perform well. At one Soapy Joe’s location, an employee with a disability is their top salesperson and has inspired a healthy sense of competition within the team. “He really engaged and motivated the whole team,” said Cardenas, who went on to note that “PRIDE Industries has definitely changed the whole Soapy Joe’s universe.”

Just Plain Great Teammates

The biggest difference in hiring car wash employees with disabilities through PRIDE Industries is positive, according to District Manager Jacob Teague. “Their contagious enthusiasm makes everyone happier—other employees and customers.” People with disabilities are “just plain great teammates.”

Services Provided

  • Employee placement
  • Job coaching
  • Employer support

Results

  • Dozens of high performing employees
  • 94 percent car wash employee retention
Soapy Joe's logo

“We're at 94 percent retention with our PRIDE Industries employees. Our site managers are fighting for the next new employees.”

— Julie Smith, Director of Human Resources, Soapy Joe’s

Automotive Parts Manufacturer Finds Long-Term Manufacturing Partner

InterMotive Vehicle Controls is an automotive parts manufacturer that makes sophisticated vehicle control technology for public safety and transportation vehicles. When the company was looking to outsource production of components of its products, the company struck gold with an inclusive workforce provided by PRIDE Industries.

The Challenge: Consistent, Public Safety-Level Manufacturing

After working for years for Ford Motor Company, Greg Schafer, along with his spouse Linda, launched  InterMotive Vehicle Controls in Auburn, California. As the company grew, they were searching for an automotive parts manufacturer partner to assemble some of the company’s PCBAs and cable assemblies. Finding a company that could provide the quality InterMotive needed for products that must withstand the rigors of public safety and public transportation use, and that could scale with the company’s growth, proved challenging.

The Solution: A Reliable, Skilled Automotive Parts Manufacturer

In 2003 InterMotive discovered PRIDE Industries, a contract electronics manufacturer with a mission to create employment for people with disabilities. “The company’s capabilities blew me away,” Greg Schafer said. “The people, the processes, and the technology are state of the art. But what sets PRIDE Industries apart are the people—I’d never seen a manufacturing floor where employees were so happy to be there.”

The Result: A Long-Term Partnership

Fast forward 20 years, and PRIDE Industries now manufactures 46 parts for InterMotive—24 cable assemblies and 18 mid to high-volume PCBAs. Services provided include functional testing of PCBAs, using custom text fixtures designed and built by PRIDE Industries engineers. Testing time has been reduced from about six minutes to 2.5 minutes, and returned boards have all but disappeared.

“We have directly hired people with disabilities and outsourced to PRIDE Industries for going on two decades now,” Linda Schafer said.

“I have employees with disabilities who started after high school and are now married and buying homes,” Greg Schafer said. “They love their jobs, show up on time every day, and are proud of their work. They really enhance our workforce.”

Vehicles for People with Disabilities

Coincidentally, one of InterMotive’s flagship products is a wheelchair interlock—a mechanism that immobilizes wheelchair-accessible vehicles when the wheelchair ramp deploys. “Some of our employees come to work in vehicles with our products on board,” Linda Schafer said, “products they may have helped build.” InterMotive is the largest manufacturer of wheelchair interlocks in North America. 

Services Provided

  • PCBA and cable assembly
  • Functional testing
  • Custom test fixtures
intermotive automative parts manufacturer logo

Highlights

“The company's capabilities blew me away. The people, the processes, and the technology are state of the art. But what sets the PRIDE Industries apart are the people—I'd never seen a manufacturing floor where employees were so happy to be there.”

— Greg Schafer, Cofounder and President, InterMotive Vehicle Controls
24
cable assemblies
18

PCBAs

Testing time

reduced from 6 minutes to 2.5 minutes

99%

accuracy