Area Retailers Commit to Inclusive Hiring

Two Lewis County retailers have taken the lead in promoting the acceptance of individuals with behavioral, intellectual and physical ailments or restrictions by training the developmentally disabled and integrating them into their workforce. 

Nelson’s Just Wood Furniture in Centralia and the Chehalis Grocery Outlet are among a group of organizations that have embraced a local movement to reach out to disadvantaged populations and offer them the kind of professional development that could ultimately open the door to a better quality of life. 

Charlie Mitchell has fully immersed himself into his working environment as a jack-of-all-trades assistant at Nelson’s Just Wood Furniture, located at 1601 Gold St. On any given day he can be seen performing tasks, such as moving furniture, cutting wood, helping customers or  making deliveries. 

“I work here Tuesday through Friday from 10 through noon right now. Sometimes, we work a little bit later. The time just flies by,” expalined Mitchell, 49, of Renton.

Since moving to Centralia in 2004, Mitchell has tried his hand at a number of odd jobs as both a janitor and thrift shop worker, but stated how he’s truly found a home at Nelson’s since the furniture shop gives him the opportunity to occasionally chip in with some carpentry work.

Co-owner of the family business, Patti Nelson mentioned how Mitchell’s rapport with her wisecracking husband, Tom, and son, Nick have allowed the part-timer — born with a variety of speech and learning disabilities — to execute all his tasks with a refreshing dose of enthusiasm.   

“We really like Charlie. He’s always on time and he’s a really hard worker and he puts up with my husband’s jokes,” said Nelson. “They have a really good working relationship.” 

Mitchell will occasionally be accompanied by his wife, Carina — also developmentally disabled — who frequently  helps by cheefully greeting customers at the door, Nelson said. 

Another member of the Nelson Furniture’s close-knit staff is Ben, who according to Nelson, is a part-timer with Down Syndrome who puts in five hours a week. Ben is often joined by his job coach from Morningside, a local non-profit that specializes in maximizing the employment experiences of people with disabilities. 

Morningside, said Nelson, is also working with her autistic son, Mike, 35, who she described as being non-verbal. 

Groups like Morningside, Reliable Enterprises and Compass Career Solutions, she added, are committed to encouraging the developmentally disabled to pursue and achieve successful careers. 

“They find out what they want to do and they come into a business and support that person,” Nelson said. “The goal is to eventually walk away and let them build relationships with that business.”

One merchant who’s made it his mission to cultivate relationships with his developmentally disabled staffers is Michael Morgan of the Chehalis Grocery Outlet, who along with his wife and business partner, Nicole Barnes, is hoping to create an all-inclusive corporate philosophy that they refer to as “the new normal.” 

Morgan recalled his impressions of the local business community when he first took over the site, located at 1369 N.W. Louisiana Ave., about six years ago from Nicole’s parents, Steve and Elda Thornton. 

“We saw that there was a pretty significant amount of people who had some form of disability. At the same time, it was apparent that most businesses weren’t employing these individuals and that was kind of a question mark for us,” he reflected. 

“There’s a high occurrence of autism in this county, very high,” continued Morgan, a San Francisco native. “But where are they? I don’t see them. I didn’t see them when I shopped. And so, we said, ‘let’s try to identify these individuals and let’s see where we can find opportunities.’” 

Their goal of bringing the developmentally disabled out of shadows began with one employee, which quickly led to more individuals joining the ranks, including folks afflicted with Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Aspergers and blindness.

And though neither Morgan nor Barnes had a defined strategy in how to incorporate the small group into the workforce mix, they gave each a set of responsibilities in an effort to find the right fit for every one of them. 

Morgan recounted how through constant communication with one worker who initially refused to look him in the eyes, the business owner was able to finally hear the employee confide that they had an interest in working the cash registers. 

Also noted was how another developmentally disabled staffer recently achieved his dream of going to college, as that individual currently continues to work while attending classes. 

“It’s what’s right,” said Morgan. “That has probably been the biggest motivation for us in that we’re trying to do right. Right now, if you ask what it’s going to look like in the next year or two, we’d really like to get to a place where (the developmentally disabled) are 20 percent of our staff. It’s not a quota; it’s not what somebody said, ‘this is what you need to do.’ This should reflect what the community looks like.”

The duo’s contributions to the cause of building integrative work spaces haven’t gone unnoticed, with Morgan being featured as a public speaker at the 1st annual Lewis County Inclusion Luncheon back in April. In addition, he’ll be participating at the 9th annual Southwest Washington Autism Conference on Nov. 6 at Centralia College. 

“Just do it,” advised Barnes when asked to send a message to other area retailers who might not be certain of how to begin creating opportunities for the developmentally disabled. “There’s so much support in the community to aid you along the way.” 

For more information, go to inclusion@lcautism.org or www.cultivatinginclusion.org