Employment Services

The nonprofit social enterprise is acknowledged for sustained support in advancing workplace diversity and inclusion

Roseville, Calif. — PRIDE Industries has been recognized by the Forum on Workplace Inclusion (The Forum) in its 2022 Diversity Awards as a Winds of Change Award honorable mention.

The Forum’s Winds of Change Award goes to an individual, organization, or group that:

Has demonstrated sustained support for advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Has raised awareness of workplace diversity and inclusion issues.
Has been a catalyst for change regarding workplace diversity and inclusion and/or has impacted change within an industry, organization, or local community.

PRIDE Industries provides employment placement services for people with disabilities and trains people and organizations on how to build an inclusive workplace culture. More than 50 percent of PRIDE Industries’ workforce has a disclosed disability, demonstrating the success of an inclusive workforce model across multiple industries. The nonprofit social enterprise partners with hundreds of businesses to place people with disabilities in open positions while providing job coaching and support.

A pioneer in the inclusivity movement, PRIDE Industries’ influence stretches from small businesses to Fortune 500 organizations. Their impact also reaches veterans and former foster youth, through their Veterans Employment Advantage Program and Foster Youth Liaisons, respectively.

In 2021, PRIDE Industries launched a one-of-a-kind, free I AM ABLE Employment Helpline, connecting people with disabilities to support services and employment opportunities. Helpline support is offered in both English and Spanish.

Also in 2021, PRIDE Industries’ CEO Jeff Dern signed the CEO Action Pledge (CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion ™), committing himself and PRIDE Industries to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Since 2008, The Forum’s Diversity Awards Program has recognized individuals or organizations showcasing exemplary insight and fortitude in the area of workplace diversity. Nominations are submitted for individuals, organizations, or a group within an organization such as an Employee Resource Group or Diversity Council.

About PRIDE Industries

PRIDE Industries delivers business excellence with a positive social impact. A social enterprise, we provide facilities operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management, packaging and fulfillment services, and staffing and recruitment services to private and public organizations nationwide. Founded in 1966, PRIDE Industries’ mission is to create employment for people with disabilities. Through personalized employment services, we help individuals realize their true potential and lead more independent lives. PRIDE Industries proves the value of its inclusive workforce model through operational success across multiple industries every day. Learn more at https://PRIDEIndustries.com.

Need employment placement support?

Contact our I AM ABLE Helpline to discuss your options.

Learn More

Media Contact

Kat Maudru

(916) 753-4339

media@prideindustries.com

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

Las personas hispanohablantes ahora podrán llamar al teléfono (844) I-AM-ABLE para conseguir ayuda para empleo para personas con discapacidades

Roseville, Calif. — PRIDE Industries ha añadido trabajadores sociales hispanohablantes a su línea de ayuda I AM ABLE, una exclusiva línea directa de empleo para personas con discapacidades y otras barreras para conseguir empleo. Se incluyen veteranos militares, individuos que han estado bajo cuidado tutelar, y sobrevivientes del tráfico humano. Lanzado en 2021, este servicio gratuito basado en el estado de California, conecta a personas en el estado con recursos de apoyo, entrenamiento para trabajo, y oportunidades de empleo. Las personas pueden contactar la línea directa bilingüe llamando al número (844) I-AM-ABLE o (844) 426-2253, o visitando la página web iamablehelpline.com.

“La línea de ayuda es un lugar centralizado para que las personas en California se conecten con el apoyo y las oportunidades que necesiten”, dice Jeff Dern, Presidente y Director General de PRIDE Industries. “Y ahora, la comunidad hispanohablante en nuestro estado también podrá obtener acceso más facilmente a estos programas y servicios”.

La tercera parte de los residentes de California habla español, y para algunos de ellos, el español es su idioma principal. Al añadir una opción en español a su línea de ayuda de empleo, la empresa social sin fines de lucro busca hacer su línea de ayuda más accesible a miles más de personas anualmente.

PRIDE Industries lanzó la línea de ayuda I AM ABLE como parte de su misión de crear empleos para personas con discapacidades. La línea tuvo un éxito inmediato, ya que muchas personas estaban llamándo aún antes de que se anunciara el servicio oficialmente. Un análisis interno por la compañía reveló que más del 85% de las personas que llamaron a la línea de ayuda no estaban enteradas de los servicios disponibles para las personas con discapacidades y otras personas que se enfrentan con barreras para conseguir empleo.

“Una gran parte de lo que hacemos es educativo”, dijo Casandra Hatfield, Gerente de la línea de ayuda I AM ABLE. “Informamos a las personas cuales son los programas para los que se califican, y cómo pueden alcanzarlos. Muchas de las personas que llaman pasan luego a recibir servicios por medio de programas nuestros. Nosotros en PRIDE Industries proporcionamos el entrenamiento vocacional que las personas necesiten, y aún podemos ayudarles a buscar un puesto, ya sea con nosotros o con uno de nuestros muchos socios de empleo. Y todo empieza con esa llamada a la línea de ayuda”.

La línea de ayuda I AM ABLE es uno de los múltiples servicios que ofrece PRIDE Industries, que ha estado ayudando a personas con discapacidades a lograr sus metas laborales desde 1966. Como parte de su misión, la compañía opera varias líneas de negocio, incluyendo manufactura y logística,
servicios de cadena de suministro, mantenimiento de instalaciones, y servicios de personal y reclutamiento. Sus clientes incluyen tanto entidades gubernamentales como empresas privadas.

“Todos nuestros servicios de la línea de ayuda se han hechos basados en más de 55 años de nuestro compromiso de hacer el empleo más accesible a todas las personas”, dijo Dern. “Animamos a las personas con discapacidades a hacer la llamada y empezar su camino hacia grandes oportunidades de empleo y a realizar su verdadero potencial”.

Respecto a PRIDE Industries

PRIDE Industries provee excelencia comercial con un impacto social positivo. Como empresa social, proveemos servicios de operación de instalaciones y servicios de mantenimiento, servicios de custodia, manufactura por contrato, cadena de suministro, servicios de empaque y cumplimiento, y servicios de personal y reclutamiento para organizaciones privadas y públicas en todo el país. Fundado en 1966, PRIDE Industries tiene la misión de crear empleos para personas con discapacidades. Por medio de nuestros servicios de empleo personalizados, ayudamos a individuos a realizar su verdadero potencial y llevar vidas más independientes. PRIDE Industries comprueba el valor de su modelo de una fuerza laboral inclusiva por medio del éxito operacional realizado diariamente a través de múltiples industrias. Adquiera más información en la página web https://PRIDEIndustries.com

Media Contact

Kat Maudru

(916) 753-4339

media@prideindustries.com

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

Roseville, Calif. — PRIDE Industries has added Spanish-speaking caseworkers to its I AM ABLE Helpline, a one-of-a-kind employment hotline for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, including military veterans, former foster youth, and trafficking survivors. Launched in 2021, the free, California-based service connects people in the state to support resources, job training, and employment opportunities. People can contact the bilingual helpline by calling (844) I-AM-ABLE or (844) 426-2253 or by visiting iamablehelpline.com.

“The helpline is a one-stop shop for people in California to get connected to the support and opportunities they need,” said Jeff Dern, President and CEO of PRIDE Industries. “And now, the Spanish-speaking community in our state can more easily access these programs and services as well.”

Spanish is spoken by one-third of California residents, and for some, Spanish is their primary language. By adding a Spanish option to its employment helpline, the nonprofit social enterprise seeks to make its helpline accessible to thousands more people every year.

PRIDE Industries launched the I AM ABLE Helpline as part of its mission to create employment for people with disabilities. The helpline was an immediate success, with people calling in even before the service was officially announced. An internal analysis by the company revealed that more than 85% of helpline callers are unaware of the services available for people with disabilities and others who face barriers to employment.

“A big part of what we do is educational,” said Casandra Hatfield, I AM ABLE Helpline Manager. “We let people know which programs they qualify for, and how they can access them. Many callers go on to receive services through our own programs. At PRIDE Industries, we provide the vocational training people need, and we can even help them find a job, either with us or with one of our many employment partners. And it all starts with that call to the helpline.”

The I-AM-ABLE Helpline is one of multiple services offered by PRIDE Industries, which has been helping people with disabilities reach their employment goals since 1966. As part of its mission, the company operates several lines of business, including manufacturing and logistics, supply chain services, facilities management, and staffing and recruitment. Its customers include both government entities and private businesses.

“All of our Helpline services are built on over 55 years of commitment to making employment more accessible to everyone,” said Dern. “We encourage people with disabilities to call and begin their journey to great job opportunities and realizing their true potential.”

About PRIDE Industries

Need employment placement support?

Contact our I AM ABLE Helpline to discuss your options.

Media Contact

Kat Maudru

(916) 753-4339

media@prideindustries.com

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it evident that a clean and sanitary environment is essential to a safe and healthy workplace. Now more than ever, the two million workers in the U.S. custodial industry are shouldering a critical responsibility.

For over 15 years, PRIDE Industries has provided custodial and environmental services to private, public, and military customers. Our dedicated employees, including thousands with disabilities, are responsible for our success.

Martha Sanchez, a custodian in Monterey, California, exemplifies PRIDE Industries’ standards of excellence. Since 2017, she’s worked hard to keep the Defense Language Institute (DLIFLC) sparkling clean. Located at the Presidio of Monterey, the Institute is part of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, and is one of the top U.S. schools for foreign language instruction. It provides education in more than a dozen languages to U.S. Armed Forces members.

Martha waxes floors, cleans rooms and offices, shampoos carpets, and empties trash receptacles. By contributing to the facility’s health and safety, she supports our nation’s military service members as they train to carry out crucial communications across the world.

For Martha, working at the Institute is more than a job. She takes pride “in keeping our customers happy, adhering to stringent cleaning standards, and sharing the special feeling of teamwork.” As she says: “I continually receive positive feedback from the customers after I finish cleaning their office or work areas.” Indeed, Martha has received several compliments from the Institute’s staff for her adroit cleaning and friendly attitude.

Martha credits PRIDE Industries’ personalized training and job coaching for helping her become the valuable employee she is today.

“My job coaches have trained me to become an expert in my field,” explained Martha. “My job means everything to me! It even motivated me to get my driver’s license to obtain reliable transportation. My goal is to advance in my career and to train for a leadership position. As an essential worker, I feel good about keeping our military members safe during the pandemic.”

“We all appreciate Martha’s reliability and her can-do attitude,” said Janitorial Supervisor Rita McKim. “She always goes above and beyond.”

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“My job means everything to me! It even motivated me to get my driver’s license to obtain reliable transportation. ”

In 1999, when Evan Goss was 18, he sensed his future would no longer include college. He decided to serve his country instead and joined the U.S. Air Force.

A month after graduating high school, he was on a plane bound for San Antonio, Texas and bootcamp. Evan couldn’t have known that his military career would last over two decades or that he would earn several awards while traversing the Middle East.

“Probably the most memorable award was the first achievement medal I earned,” Evan says. “It was right after 9/11 and the day before my first wedding anniversary. I was sent to Qatar, where we built a base from the ground up. Al Udeid, it would be called. It wound up supporting over 10,000 people and today is considered the hub for the U.S. military in the Middle East.”

Four Medals, Eight Deployments, and Back on American Soil

And that was just the beginning. Evan would serve eight deployments in support of several operations, including Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel. Between 2001 and 2018, he would rise up the ranks—from airman to staff sergeant, then technical sergeant to master sergeant. All told, his awards would include the Meritorious Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), the Air Force Commendation Medal (with three oak leaf clusters), the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal (with two oak leaf clusters). He would be stationed and deployed throughout the U.S. and the Middle East, with his final assignment landing him at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB).

“My last assignment, in 2017, had me stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base,” says Evan. “When I first got there, I worked in operations with General Manager Jose Perez from PRIDE Industries. A little over a year later, after I was deployed to Kuwait for six months, I came back and worked with the Engineering Department, where Program Integrator Beth Farm told me how much PRIDE Industries could use me.”

“Integrity First.” Evan Brings the Air Force’s Values to His Job at PRIDE Industries

Like the transition from high school into the military, Evan’s transition out of the military and into employment with PRIDE Industries moved fast.

“I went straight into the position as a building information and geographic systems (BIM/GIS) manager,” said Evan, noting a key difference he’d observed between PRIDE Industries and other military contractors he’d encountered over the years. “With other contractors I’d dealt with, it was always about getting more money from our government—which bothered me. But PRIDE Industries isn’t like that. It’s a company with a good moral standing.”

As “Integrity First” is the first of the Air Force’s core values, it makes sense that a good moral standing would resonate with Evan. So do the Air Force’s other two core values: “Service Before Self” and “Excellence in All We Do.” In fact, according to LAAFB leadership, Evan has brought these values into all aspects of his work with PRIDE Industries—going above and beyond to serve both customers and fellow employees.

“When Evan first found out that the CADD digital as-built system was not up to industry standard, he corrected it himself,” said Chris Paek, PRIDE Industries’ General Manager at LAAFB. “He did that even though doing so was not part of the contract.”

And Evan’s hands-on approach didn’t stop there. He also conducted all of the physical labor work of scanning necessary drawings, including creating accommodations for his employees with disabilities.

And all of this was in addition to Evan’s numerous other achievements that first year, which included overseeing two technical programs simultaneously.

Eighteen-year-old Evan’s decision to join the U.S. Air Force was a great gain for them and now is ours.

Are you a veteran?

At PRIDE Industries, U.S. veterans will find a team that welcomes and supports them as they develop their future careers.

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“With other contractors I’d dealt with, it was always about getting more money from our government—which bothered me. But PRIDE Industries isn’t like that. It’s a company with a good moral standing.”

“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be in the U.S. Army,” says James Stender, Sergeant First Class, retired.

Like James, plenty of children think about joining the military when they grow up. However, upon becoming adults, less than one-half of one percent of the U.S. population enlists. Yet, in 1967, a young James did just that.

First stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, he began an enduring military career that would see him all the way from the rank of Private to Sergeant First Class. When he got started at Fort Bliss, James trained on a vehicle that he would often use in his later career: The history-making M42 Duster—a twin 40mm gun tank known for its rapid, tremendous firepower.

The “Duster” Tank—Not Just Fearsome, but also Loud

“My unit was stationed in Okinawa,” says James. “The minute Russian planes made their way into our airspace, we’d go on alert and get ready to encounter them if needed. Having the batteries ready would normally be enough to deter them, but they were always trying to see how far they could get without a response—shooting at them was always an option, though it was a last resort. We also continually practiced shooting at drones. At 240 rounds per minute, it didn’t take long to down one.”

So powerful were the Dusters that the Viet Cong called them “Fire Dragons”—largely, according to ArmyHistory.org, “because their high volume of fire and tracer ammunition gave the appearance of a dragon’s breath.” And not only were they a fearsome sight, but they were also loud.

“They had an open turret,” says James. “So, we were right alongside the guns.”

It was in this vehicle, repeatedly exposed to the sound of gunfire, where James developed hearing loss. Over time, this injury would result in a permanent hearing disability, but that wouldn’t stop him from continuing to serve. James continued his military career after his time in Japan. Returning to Fort Ord in the United States, he served as a drill sergeant and a training Noncommissioned Officer in Charge until, amid base closures and cutbacks, he retired from the military in 1992. As a civilian, he worked as the manager of a body shop and at a Chevrolet dealership until the economic downturn of 2008 prompted layoffs, and he found himself unemployed.

After Hearing Loss, Serendipity Brings James to PRIDE Industries

“It was serendipitous timing,” says James. “While job hunting, I saw a sign for PRIDE Industries. I just walked in and handed the receptionist my résumé. It turned out they needed someone with managerial skills, so I was interviewed and hired on the spot.”

On November 17, 2010, James was hired as a rehabilitation specialist working in our Fairfield, Calif. location. Since then, he has been promoted three times and is now the custodial supervisor for the entire U.S. Forestry contract at Mare Island in Vallejo, Calif.

A Personable Leader

Leading by example, James has proven to his team that people of all abilities can progress in the workforce through perseverance, commitment, respect, and reliability. Not only is his work ethic impeccable, but he is also a personable leader—taking the time to learn each of his team member’s strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, James strives to be a helpful mentor to the people who report to him, which recently led to the promotion of one of his mentees.

Years have passed since James Stender, the boy, first knew he wanted to be in the U.S. Army. Time has sped along since his days as a young man alongside the Duster’s guns. And, since 2010, we have been honored to have him on our team.

Are you a veteran?

At PRIDE Industries, U.S. veterans will find a team that welcomes and supports them as they develop their future careers.

Learn More

“While job hunting, I saw a sign for PRIDE Industries. I just walked in and handed the receptionist my résumé.”

The nonprofit social enterprise is acknowledged for sustained support in advancing workplace diversity and inclusion

About PRIDE Industries

Need employment placement support?

Las personas hispanohablantes ahora podrán llamar al teléfono (844) I-AM-ABLE para conseguir ayuda para empleo para personas con discapacidades

Respecto a PRIDE Industries

About PRIDE Industries

Need employment placement support?

Ready to take your custodial operations to the next level?

Four Medals, Eight Deployments, and Back on American Soil

“Integrity First.” Evan Brings the Air Force’s Values to His Job at PRIDE Industries

Are you a veteran?

The “Duster” Tank—Not Just Fearsome, but also Loud

After Hearing Loss, Serendipity Brings James to PRIDE Industries

A Personable Leader

Are you a veteran?

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