Insight on Manufacturing

w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m March 2020 • /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING | 11 and grown its presence to include Wausau and Green Bay. It most recently began offering training in Sheboygan County in partnership with the Pentecostals of Sheboygan County. Smith says a passion to help others drives him, and his program has proven successful for partnering businesses, which along with Kohler include Polyfab Corp., Nemak, CertainTeed and Johnsonville. Employers say their retention rate is better than what they're getting off the street, with an average 12-month rate of about 58 percent and long-term rate of about 48 percent, he says. Many Joseph Program graduates have gone on to find safe places to live for the first time in their lives. ey're earning living wages, and some have gone on to achieve milestones such as purchasing their first new car. "I'm a mission-oriented person. I believe that we can build people up. I believe everybody is not as bad as people try to make them out to be. I believe that everybody deserves a second chance," Smith says. Neenah-based Apricity is all about providing second chances as well. A residential treatment program for people battling substance abuse problems, the nonprofit's services include Apricity Contract Packaging, where those in treatment can work as part of their recovery program. Michelle Devine Giese, CEO of Apricity, says working helps build people's self-esteem and aids in the recovery process. Apricity formed out of the 2018 merger of STEP Industries and the Mooring Programs, which includes two AODA facilities: Mooring House for men and Casa Clare for Women. STEP Industries was founded in 1985 when a Kimberly-Clark executive identified unemployment as a problem for people in recovery. For a time, K-C was one of Apricity's biggest customers. ose in treatment are encouraged but not required to work for Apricity Contract Packaging, with starting pay of $9 per hour. Everyone working on the contract packaging team, from team leaders to ISO managers to Devine Giese herself, has gone through the Apricity program. "We've all been there, so we really have a unique credibility with the population," Devine Giese says. In 2007, Apricity became ISO certified. Some companies feel uncertain about working with Apricity when they realize the population it works with. Because ISO requires an external audit, Devine Giese says the certification helps companies trust that Apricity does quality work. Apricity's services include its new Recovery Works program, which provides educational outreach for employers to help make their workplaces "EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO WORK IN THIS ECONOMY SHOULD BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY. ALMOST EVERY COMPANY HAS SOME JOB THAT SOMEONE WITH EVEN THE TOUGHEST BARRIER SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO." Anthony Snyder, CEO of the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board more friendly to those in recovery. It also provides guidance in dealing with those in the workplace who may be battling addiction and help for employees who are supporting family members going through addiction. Wisconsin's pervasive drinking-focused culture can cause many problems, Devine Giese says. e Apricity team continues to do outreach to spread awareness about its capabilities. Devine Giese says she wishes more people understood that addiction is a disease like any other. "People who are in recovery are awesome employees. e turnaround and the loyalty that people in recovery have is amazing." SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS ose facing barriers need support as they prepare to enter the workforce. Nonprofit employment and training organization Forward Service Corp. provides services in 46 counties throughout the state, including the 18 in the New North. It works with community partners and employers to coordinate resources and support the unemployed and underemployed in their quest to find a job or career. FSC serves youth through adults and people representing diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Its programs include Road to Livelihood for refugees, Wisconsin Works or W-2, which supports families with children in the home, and TrANS, which trains minorities and females for jobs in the construction industry. e people Forward Service works with may face a variety of barriers to employment including child care, transportation and a lack of knowledge about the jobs landscape and what kinds of education and training they may need for a role. "Transportation is such a barrier. ere are so many people who might be able to work second or third shi, but if they don't have the transportation, that job is not an option," says Allison Knautz, FoodShare

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