William “Randy” Brown was a West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services referral to Job Squad.  Randy had previously worked in a sheltered workshop setting in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1995.  He was hired by Job Squad as an “on-call” Mail Clerk in September of 2006.  In this position, Randy was called in to assist with bulk mailing which included hand sorting and folding.  Staff encouraged Randy to try working around the mail machine but Randy said that someone had once told him that he was unable to work around machines and he was hesitant to work around the mail sorter.  Consequently, he worked very few hours until JSI Presort Mail moved to a new location in 2008. The move brought increased work and Randy’s help was desperately needed.  He agreed to work the line and pull mail from the mail machine which he had never done before.  After the first few minutes of doing this new work, Randy went to his supervisor, Chris Wilson, and told him that he loved it.  Since then Randy has increased his work hours from just a few days per month to full time, five days a week.  In addition to finding Randy working the with the mail, we oftentimes find him outside picking up trash on the street before and after work to help do his part in making Charleston, WV a beautiful place to live and work.  In his free time, Randy stays current with all aspects of government and daily news events and is an avid reader of history books. He has on numerous occasions, written articles for a variety of local newspapers on political and historical topics. Randy has overcome many of the barriers brought on by his disability to become a valued worker and real asset to Job Squad.

Job Squad Video 2

Job Squad Video

Andy Ball

“I was looking for work with another company in 1996 when the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) referred me to Job Squad. They reviewed the documentation of my disability and sent me a letter to invite me to come in for an interview. I was hired and worked for a year part-time as a Substitute Janitor at the FBI fingerprint facility.

In 1997 I became a full-time Janitor and worked in that role for four years. In 2001 I transferred to the FBI’s Satellite II office in the Middletown Mall where I gained valuable experience related to dealing with people and in working independently, which was an important step in my development as a supervisor.

In 2002 I returned to the main FBI facility as a Substitute Crew Leader and in 2004 became a full-time Crew Leader (which we now call Supervisor) and have been ever since.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work for Job Squad all these years; it has allowed me to have a nice living. I am married, have a son and a home that is now paid for.”

“Andy’s value to Job Squad as an employee is too great to measure. His unfailingly positive attitude, his automatic credibility as a person with a disability and his growth as a supervisor and a mentor are inspirational to other employees. He has shared his story at various conferences, presentations and meetings and has thereby also inspired the community.”

-- Jim Womeldorff, Director of Operations and Business Development

MARK CAMPBELL'S STORY

Mark’s first job out of high school was with a local county Parks and Recreation mowing grass and doing basic landscaping duties. Throughout his life Mark had always enjoyed being outside so he thought this would be the perfect job for him. Mark did enjoy the job but was told many times he was not fast enough at this or that part of the job and was eventually laid off in 2009.

Mark heard about Job Squad and put in an application soon after being laid off and in January 2010 was hired by Job Squad as a Grounds Maintenance Worker. Mark worked at a government facility in which Job Squad contracts with and early on excelled at mowing grass and volunteering for any work that was available. Over the course of the next two years and with the assistance of his supervisors, Mark expanded his knowledge and skills in grounds maintenance. With the extra support Mark became one of the Job Squad’s best workers at the more labor intensive duties, such as using chainsaws and other heavy equipment, while still excelling at his regular grounds duties.

In December 2012, Mark left Job Squad to try some new things and look for other opportunities. For about a year, Mark tried four different jobs from Waste Management to Construction, but each time he was left without a job after a month or so. Mark was told again and again that he was too slow or couldn't learn certain aspects of his job. Mark always felt that he could do his job if given the correct support and time to learn, but that never seemed to happen at these other businesses.

Mark reapplied to Job Squad and was hired back in August 2013 as a Grounds Maintenance Worker and is still currently employed. Mark jumped right back into his job and hopes to one day become a crew leader or supervisor. He wants to be able to support and teach others that find themselves in similar situations that he has found himself in his life.