GES Hires 4 New Employees
Following the successful implementation of a workforce inclusion program from e-Stewards, four individuals with disabilities were welcomed to join the team at Global Ewaste Solutions.
Global Ewaste Solutions (GES) has recently finished the ADVANCE+ workforce inclusion process, with its Plymouth, Minn. facility now offering jobs to youth from special education transition services provided by local school districts, as reported in an e-Stewards newsletter.
First e-Stewards Certified Site in Southeast Asia
Headquartered in Duncan, British Columbia and with additional locations in Plymouth and Singapore, GES achieved e-Stewards certification for its Singapore facility in 2016. This made GES the first site to gain e-Stewards certification in Southeast Asia.
“Creating an e-Stewards-certified company in Singapore provides multinational companies a new option for their Asia operations,” Kuljit Parmar, Global Ewaste Solutions president, explained in a release to the press. “They can now easily adhere to the same exact responsible recycling practices as they do in North America or Europe in Singapore and surrounding countries.”
In response to the certification, BAN’s executive director, Jim Puckett stated, “Southeast Asia now has an ethical destination for retired assets from the many enterprises operating in the region,” he said.
MEAF Funds the Program
The ADVANCE+ program was established in 2020 and has since provided resources and training to aid in the successful hiring and long-term employment of adults on the autism spectrum, as well as those with other disabilities. The system was created by e-Stewards, Blue Star Recyclers and James Emmett and Company, an organization specializing in workforce inclusion consulting and training services.
In 2022, a generous donation from Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) made it possible for the e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program to launch. MEAF has been an enthusiastic supporter of the project, which is dedicated to assisting companies in employing and keeping adults employed who may otherwise have difficulty finding work.
MEAF’s grant was divided into two parts, with the majority going towards the collaborative management of ADVANCE+ between e-Stewards, Blue Star Recyclers and James Emmett & Company. The remainder was distributed as $5,000 scholarships to the initial five companies accepted into 2022’s class.
The ADVANCE+ program has revealed that, when provided with the right resources and accommodation, employees demonstrate a remarkable commitment and work ethic for their jobs. This factor also assists businesses during the current times of labor market hardship.
Additionally, as of 2022, all certified electronics recyclers, ITAD providers and enterprise partners were notified of their eligibility to be a part of the ADVANCE+ program.
Many Companies Show Support for ADVANCE+
Thus far, Bill Morris, the founder of Blue Star Recyclers, has reported that 16 companies have joined or completed the program and in turn hired more than 150 individuals with disabilities. These organizations include (but are not exclusive) to those focused on e-scrap:
Apto Solutions, Blue Star Recyclers, Cascade Asset Management, CompRenew, Fernco, GES Minnesota, Kellogg Supply Company, Kuusakoski US, Liquid Technologies, Manitoba Corp/MO, Sage ER, Sipi Asset Recovery, Toyota Motors Manufacturing Indiana, URT (just beginning training), VH Techworks/TX and Vuteq Indiana.
With the help of ADVANCE+, GES’ Minneapolis facility collaborated with Wayzata Public Schools to benefit its student population. In June, GES put on a job fair that was held at the facility and exposed students to the different occupations available. Following the event, two students from Wayzata Public Schools were hired by GES, along with two other community members.
“We are experiencing growth across all our lines of business,” GES’ principal and director of sales, Dave Potter, stated in the newsletter. “The e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program will enable us to meet the corresponding human resource demands, leverage an outstanding workforce and produce measurable social impact.”
As also reported by its newsletter, GES and the local school district have decided to continue to grow their relationship even further, with future plans in play.
(It should also be noted that the GES mentioned in this article has no relation whatsoever to a past Kentucky e-scrap business which had also used GES for its name.)
