Six Decades of Inroads for Our Most Dedicated Workers

Scott Leon Smith:

Welcome to BizVox, part of the Electric Secrets Variety Podcast. We are dedicated to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. We are here to build knowledge, spur productivity, and have a few laughs along the way.

I'm Scott Leon-Smith, and I'm your host. 

Our guest for this episode is Angela Calzone, president and CEO at Inroads to Opportunities, an occupational center in Union County, New Jersey, which provides services and programs to individuals with disabilities.

Angela has a wealth of experience and success in entrepreneurship and executive leadership, and we're thrilled that she's lending her expertise to this episode. Let's talk some shop.

Angela, welcome to BizVox. It's so good to see you after trying to get this set up for a couple of months. How are you doing?

Angela Calzone:

I am doing wonderfully. Thank you, and I appreciate your patience with us, Scott, and I'm really glad to be here with you today.

Scott:

Not a problem. I'm very interested to hear about your initiative inroads. But first, tell us a little bit about your personal background and your professional background and what brought you into your field.

Angela:

Sure. I am not a nonprofit professional by trade or training. I am, by all accounts, a business person, a serial entrepreneur. I've had a lot of different businesses throughout my career.

Additionally, I have had the wonderful experience of working in service areas, accounting firms, law firms, other types of professional services, consultancies, whether in the middle market or on a multinational scale.

I think that selling of intangibles, so to speak, not selling a manufactured product, has really enabled me to be where I am right now and understand the programs and services. While they may be intangible, they have a real tangible impact on the individuals that we serve.

I have a Master's Degree in Corporate Communication with an emphasis on Crisis Communications. That seems to be serving me very well these days with the environment at hand.

Scott:

Absolutely.

Angela:

I made the switch from for-profit, working in financial services, accounting, law firms, to non-profit, quite by accident. The organization that I work with right now and that I love and I'm very much committed to Inroads to Opportunities was actually a client of mine for many years.

My consultancy served not only for-profits, but non-profits as well. I don't know if you've ever walked into a place, Scott, and you don't know the people. You don't really understand the services, but you walk in and you're like, for heaven's sakes, I'm home. I feel like I've been here before. I feel like I've always been here.

The first time I had about 12, 13 years ago when I walked into “Inroads,” that's exactly how I felt. Didn't know what they do, didn't understand it altogether. Every industry has their own vernacular and these folks out their alphabet soup and we'll talk about all that later and how we break down that vernacular for folks to understand.

But I walked in. I felt like I was home and it has been a journey with them ever since. And a few years ago, I was offered the presidency and haven't looked back. It's been such an amazing journey.

Scott:

That's an incredible feeling when you know you belong just by walking in a place. That's wonderful. Well, tell me a little bit more about “Inroads.” I'm very, very interested to hear about the program and how it works.

Angela:

“Inroads” was started in 1959. So they're slightly older than I am. And it was started by a group of family members who had individuals with disabilities that were their loved ones, either their siblings or their children. And they watched these folks sort of walk the neighborhoods every day or watching TV every day, staying at home, not doing much, not being challenged. 

So this group of families got together and they rented a space in Union County, New Jersey.

And they took in volunteer projects, whether it was stuffing envelopes or assembling things and started very small scale. But what they started to discover, which has since become an extraordinary field of study, is that just like individuals without disabilities, those who have disabilities still want to be engaged, productive, have meaningful work, and be able to engage socially and accomplish something.

And that was the premise upon which “Inroads” was founded. Today we serve nearly 500 individuals with disabilities in central and northern New Jersey. And we have, oh gosh, at least 15 different types of programs and services.

We employ a little over 80 individuals who are professionals in the either mental health field or vocational rehabilitation field, training people who can job coach. So, we have a very robust staff to execute and implement all these wonderful programs that we have.

And our mission at the end of the day is meaningful and sustainable work for all barrier free.

…

Scott:

Thank you for listening to the Electric Secrets Variety Podcast. We now return you to BizVox, featuring our very special guest, CEO of Enroads to Opportunities, Angela Calzone.

So give me an idea of the spectrum of jobs that you're training and preparing your clients for.

Angela:

Well, you know, just like anything else, when you go to an employment agency, it's all about what kind of job you want. So for those individuals that we are serving who are interested in working in the community and not necessarily on the “Inroads” campus, well, it all depends on what they want. It's very highly customized.

So we have folks who are maybe interested in technology, retail, office services, working in the medical field. So you name it. It really is about what they want, what their desires are, what their interests are. We have folks interested in janitorial services, so food service. So it really runs the gamut and it's very customized and individualized.

So very much like an employment agency in that area, an individual comes to us, talks about their likes, dislikes, if they have any previous work history, and where their interests and capabilities lie and we go out into the community very much like an employment agency and attempt to find employers who have openings and make that job match.

The nice thing about “Inroads” and agencies like ours is once that individual is hired, we stay with them. We help them get onboarded. We're there to navigate new and different skills that they need to attain. We're there if they don't understand how to navigate something in their workplace. So we stay with them for as long as they want and need us and as long as they'll allow.

Some folks we place in a job, we get them onboarded and off we go. Others we've been with them for years and sometimes we experience layoffs with them and then we come back and we help them seek other employment. So it really is very customized.

On our campus in Roselle, New Jersey, we have different types of opportunities that they could work there right on the campus if they so choose. And we have a full-service food service program. We have a janitorial maintenance crew that they can work in. We have a very large, probably one of the larger ones in the state, contract packaging and hand assembly program. We've got about 200 people working in that. 

And that is supported by in part by the state and also in part by customers that use our services. So this is a very much a vibrant campus. There's a lot going on there.

We also have a mental health program both for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those who are duly diagnosed. They just need mental health services and support. So we're busy.

Scott:

Oh, I bet. Wow.

Well, what would you say is probably the most maybe the most unique way that you help your clients prepare or something--something you're really proud of at your organization. How something that really, really works well with your clients to help them prepare for the world of work.

Angela:

I think it's multi faceted in that regard. First, I love the idea that it's so highly customized. So we have this breadth and depth of services and supports. But it's like a menu in a way. These are things that they can choose to be supported by or not supported by.

We have programs that of course have their baseline requirements. So for example, we have a program called Transition Plus and this is for young people, 21 to 25 years old who have graduated high school and are not quite ready yet to go int the workforce.

Maybe those skills aren't on those capabilities or there. Maybe there's some anxiety around working. But again, each…So that program has its foundation, you know, things that we check the box and we do provide as a requirement. But again, we're taking that individual uniquely as they come, and we're meeting them where they are, and we're customizing those supports and those skills development specifically around them.

So after they pass through this program, you know, those that are willing and able and ready can go get a job and will support them in that vein. And then you may have others who really that's not the path that they want to take. We will have another program for them, more social, more life skills development and a program they can stay in for as long as they need to and want to.

So it really, I love the fact that everything is so individualized and uniquely driven based on the needs and desires of the person. You know, just like us, we're making our own life plan based on the decisions that we want to make based on our likes and dislikes, things that appeal to us, things that frighten us or intimidate us, we tend to stay away from things we don't like to do. It's absolutely no different.

Scott:

Meeting people where they are--absolutely so important, not forcing people into a mold of whatever professionalism means to us at a particular moment. Angela, great stuff.

We're going to take a little break and we'll be right back.

…

Scott:

Okay, everybody, we're back. This is BizVox. I am speaking with Angela Calzone about her program “Inroads.” And we've been talking about her clients, who she serves, and how she's looking at the individual needs of her clients. So important.

What goes along with that, Angela, what are some of the misconceptions surrounding the employment of individuals with disabilities that you serve and any prevalent issues about their underrepresentation in the workforce?

Angela:

Well, I can answer that based on experience. Having been an employer in my previous life, whether I was a vice president of a PR firm or an executive director of an accounting firm, when approached years ago by agencies like “Inroads” to opportunities to see if we had openings for individuals with disabilities, my first thought as an employer was, oh, goodness, “what is this going to cost me? Is this going to interrupt my workflow with my customers? Are my employees going to be distracted because they're going to have to help this individual or compensate for this individual? Is there a, am I going to get any tax breaks as it relates to this if I employ an individual with disability? What sort of accommodations am I going to have to make?”

You know, as most business owners or business leaders, you know, the bottom line is often our priority and as much as we want to be people focused, at the end of the day, we have to keep the lights on and the doors open. So all of these things as a business owner or business leader sort of run through your head as an employer when someone from our agency or any other agency approaches that person to say, “hey, why don't you hire Johnny here? He's very interested in retail sales or, you know, forklift operating or, you know, working as a person in admissions at a hospital.”

You know, as an employer, you go through that list of, oh, my goodness, this is going to create more challenges for me, my customers, my employees, than it's going to be worth. And I wasn't alone in that concern as an employer.

I see that across the board, but we have done a remarkable job, not only “Inroads,” but all agencies like ours have done a remarkable job at educating employers on this powerful, loyal workforce that has a great deal of integrity that wants to be a part of something better and bigger than themselves.

And I don't think you'll find a demographic that is more loyal, more engaged, more wanting to do well, more wanting to be a part of the employment pool. And you know, just like any other employment agency, we vet these candidates before we bring them to a job site because if they are not work ready, if they don't have the skills and abilities or desire for the job that we're looking to match them with, it's not going to work, whether they have a disability or they don't.

So we have to do our due diligence as well, but it does not detract from your customer flow. You know, it doesn't detract from the workflow of your employees. Employees are supposed to function as a team anyway. So when we're engaged as a team, we help each other, right, regardless of whether that person has a disability or not.

We make sure that our folks are trained so that when they are on the job, they're knowing what to do and if they don't know what to do, they're knowing what questions to ask.

I wish I had this kind of training and support when I was, I mean, at a college looking for a job, it's wonderful.

So I think employers today are much more educated on the benefits of having our folks working in their environment. I think employees are more open-minded about diversity on their teams and as a part of their co-work force. So I think a lot of those barriers have been overcome, but you know, like anything else, you're constantly having to educate, you're constantly having to communicate about the value of this particular demographic workforce.

Scott:

And you reminded me of people I used to work with when I was younger. I mean, we all have the fast-food jobs, right? So I just remember those employees that had some sort of disability, I mean, I don't like to use that word, but I mean, they were always on time. They were always there. They never missed work and it was just like, you have more problems with people who, you know, who have a school schedule or, you know, an extracurricular thing that they're doing or they don't have a desire to be there or they have bigger ambitions than this transitional job.

And I literally went back to the same restaurant where I worked a few weeks ago. And I don't think he recognized me, but I saw somebody who was an employee that someone you might serve in your program. And he was there having lunch 20 years later. And you talk about loyalty and engagement and things like that. I don't think he recognized me. So I let him eat his lunch.

So but it was just like, wow, that I mean, and it's just like all of the problems of people and their individual wants and desires, you know, beyond, you know, it, I don't even know what, what I would call it, but I don't want to call them normal. You know, it's just, you know, you know, you know, it's just, you know, you know, it's it's just a bizarre thing.

But I mean, it is great that people are recognizing the loyalty and engagement of your clients. We're going to take one more break, Angela, and we're going to be right back and talk about some success stories.

…

Scott:

This is BizVox and we are back with Angela Calzone talking about “Inroads.” Angela, I want to hear some success stories that you have working with your clients.

Angela:

Well, I think some of the success stories are those, you know, extraordinary stories, you know, where we've had one client of ours that was on the job at a big box store and he actually foiled a robbery attempt.

We have others who came to us and thought they couldn't possibly work. They didn't have the confidence, the skills, the anxiety was so high and, you know, they are now engaged very successfully at their employers, whether it's in food service or retail or medical.

So, you know, we have these extraordinary stories that we kind of use when we do our

storytelling, but I think the most extraordinary are the ones that are just really uneventful and that a person comes into our agency and whether they're in the high school program, the school to work transition program and they come at, you know, 18, 19 years old and they're going to graduate when they're 21 and, you know, maybe they didn't have the confidence or the ability to be verbal and by the time that they graduate, they're able to have the confidence and ability to either say a few words or use technology to communicate

or there's those times where, you know, we're looking for jobs for people and they get it and they stay with that employer for 10, 12 years.

So it's there, there's so much extraordinary in the ordinary work that we do, you know, in just getting people, whether they have a disability that's seen or unseen to live meaningful, successful, engaged lives, work, if that's their desired goal, be social if that's their desired goal or to live independently if that's their desired goal.

So there are our biggest extraordinary stories are in those ordinary stories where people are just live in their best lives. 

Scott:

The incredible in the ordinary. I love it. I love it.

So you have an annual fundraiser for inroads and community outreach. So can you discuss those for us? What those involved?

Angela:

Sure. So throughout the year, we are a charity. We're a 501c3, which means we're nonprofit organizations. So in addition to the limited state funding that we get, we have to raise money every year and we take donations and sponsors throughout the year.

But one annual fundraiser that we have is typically in the fall, September, October. This year is going to be September 18th and is our annual awards, dinner and casino night.

And I know probably everybody's been to one casino night in their lives and they are

great fun. We get a lot of support from--from the community, both our sponsors, our participants and their families, our local law enforcement shows up and they have a great time as do our regional political leaders.

So we have great support at inroads and we have a really good time and we look to raise as much money as we can at that event. And the food is good and the gambling is fun.

And of course, it's not real money, but it allows us to do fundraising that's very meaningful and important for us coming into the next year.

Scott:

That's great. That's awesome. Okay. So how can someone learn more about maybe the model of your program or be a part of “Inroads?” Is there a way that someone from out of state can be a part of inroads or maybe take a lesson from them?

Angela:

Oh, definitely. You know, there's so much our website is very robust. There's a lot of resources on there. There's a lot of information about “Inroads” and how to reach us, whether they want to donate if they want to volunteer if they're out of state and they may have a family member

who's in need of services like this.

They're certainly welcome to call us or email us and we can connect them with resources in their state as well. You know, we're here to help everybody, not just in our geography. Our website is inroads2.org or you just Google “Inroads to Opportunities.”

We also have Facebook. We have Instagram. We're on LinkedIn.

So we're out there and we're here to serve so anybody can reach out and we'll always take donations of course too.

Scott:

Absolutely, wonderful. Angela, this was a wonderful conversation. 

Thank you so much for being part of Bizvox.

Angela:

Thank you.

Scott:

Again, everyone, the benefits of hiring employees that are differently abled, loyalty, integrity,engagement, what a reward for them and for a business and just incredible lessons, incredible stories. Angela, thank you so much. This was wonderful.

Angela:

Thank you Scott. Thank you so much.

Scott:

And hopefully we can have you on again sometime…

Angela:

Most definitely.

Scott:

…and thanks everybody for listening. We'll see you next time on BizVox. Let's get to work.