November 14, 2012
Remember when our President & CEO Dave Shaffer won Entrepreneur of the Year for piloting our unique integrated social venture model? Right now, he’s at the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum with 243 other regional winners awaiting the announcement of the National Entrepreneur of the Year, socializing with innovators, visionaries, and nationally-recognized entrepreneurs who are, to put it simply, changing the way we do things for the better. …
May 18, 2012
photo by Oregon Business Magazine
So, what is alternative staffing? Alternative staffing agencies operate just like your standard staffing agency–solving labor market issues for businesses–but with the added goal of helping disadvantaged individuals access job placements on a competitive basis. In DePaul Industries’ case, we focus on creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities–the nation’s largest minority group.
Traditionally, acquiring employment for people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups comes from government policies, grants, and quotas. This is where the entrepreneurial piece kicks in: Rather than relying on outside regulations, alternative staffing organizations go where the jobs are–in the business world–and compete just as any other staffing agency. Bottom line? They get the job done.
Leveraging a model that already exists in the for-profit world for social benefit may seem like an overly simplistic idea, but often the best entrepreneurial ideas are. In the words of Peter F. Drucker, innovator and namesake of the Drucker Institute, “The greatest praise an innovation can receive is for people to say: ‘This is obvious. Why didn’t I think of it? It’s so simple!’” Alternative staffing is proof that people with disabilities make up a highly efficient and successful workforce.
The Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for the Pacific Northwest region will be presented at a special gala on June 15, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Washington. Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the United States by SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Pacific Northwest, local sponsors include ADP, Puget Sound Business Journal, Scherzer International, The Big Picture Video Film & Arts, and Union Bank.
Want to learn more about Alternative Staffing and its entrepreneurial approach? Check out the Alternative Staffing Alliance.
January 23, 2012
Northwest Food Processors Association’s Education Research Institute (ERI) and the Hitachi Foundation presented DePaul Industries with a 2011 Distinguished Premier Food Processor Award in front of 150 industry leaders at a general session during the 98th Annual NW Food Manufacturing & Packaging Expo and Conference held on January 19, 2012.
As part of Hitachi Foundation’s Pioneer Employers Project, the award recognizes employers for their contributions in promoting economic opportunities for their lower-income employees, specifically as a means of improving their corporate results. In DePaul Industries’ case, this is exactly what the Heart of the Workforce (HOW)™ Program is designed to accomplish.
The HOW Program is an entry level, workforce for productivity program designed as part of the solution to a major issue facing the food processing industry: the lack of available knowledgeable seasonal and long term skilled workers. By teaching the basics surrounding workforce readiness, workforce safety, food handling, and food safe manufacturing practices, the HOW Program prepares workers for work before they get in the door—thus reducing on the job training times, increasing quality, productivity and a dedication to safety. It’s a simple concept, but one that has been shown to bring turnover rates of 35-40% down to 20-25%.
Interested in learning more about how to transform your temporary and seasonal workforce? Contact us today.
