MERS Goodwill opens downtown career center

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Downtown Springfield's newest tenant hopes to provide employees to companies throughout the area.|ret||ret||tab|

April 7 is the scheduled opening day for MERS Goodwill Career Center at 115 Park Central Square. The center will work with the Missouri Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and will partner with the Missouri Career Center to help people get into careers, said Dave Kutchback, MERS Goodwill chief of staff.|ret||ret||tab|

MERS Goodwill Industries was created by the 2001 merger of Metropolitan Employment and Rehabilitation Service, a large vocational rehabilitation agency based in St. Louis, with Missouri Goodwill Industries. |ret||ret||tab|

"We primarily work with people that have disabilities or that are disadvantaged. They may be economically disadvantaged or have other barriers that are getting in the way of them being able to establish a good career," Kutchback said. |ret||ret||tab|

The regional agency works with more than 5,000 people a year in eastern and southern Missouri and Illinois. |ret||ret||tab|

The program has a significant success rate. |ret||ret||tab|

"Across the state, about 80 percent of the people that start working in one of our career centers with a goal, ends up with a good job," Kutchback said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Career center locations|ret||ret||tab|

Since the MERS Goodwill merger, the agency has opened career centers in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and West St. Louis County.|ret||ret||tab|

Several elements made downtown Springfield an attractive choice for the newest center.|ret||ret||tab|

"I've been really impressed by the town square and the revitalization of it. Whether you go down there in the day or in the evening, there are just a lot of people there. The other thing I like is, when you say the town square, everyone seems to know where that is," Kutchback said.|ret||ret||tab|

Having the bus station only one block away is another positive because it makes travel to the center easy for many clients, Kutchback said. |ret||ret||tab|

MERS Goodwill is leasing the first floor location from Warren Davis Properties. |ret||ret||tab|

The former Bank of America building has been vacant since last July, said Ron Shepherd, property manager for Warren Davis Properties. The building has no other existing tenants. |ret||ret||tab|

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Center services|ret||ret||tab|

MERS Goodwill will use the first floor, which comprises 13,400 square feet, for job training, search and development. Career center services include vocational evaluation and assessments, computer training, job counseling and testing to help match people with jobs. |ret||ret||tab|

"Many people may have clerical skills but have never received proper training on clerical work," said Pete Pinnell, director of rehabilitation services.|ret||ret||tab|

Other initiatives include a program for the deaf, an apprenticeship program and the supported employment program. The latter provides a job coach who teaches the job to an employee and then slowly fades into the background as the employee becomes more confident with the position.|ret||ret||tab|

Along with Pinnell, four other staff members will work with clients at the center: Kerry Malinowski, coordinator of placement services; Liz Drennan, coordinator of evaluation services; Jennifer Whalen, coordinator of deaf services; and Jill Fall, placement services counselor.|ret||ret||tab|

The career center hopes to establish a strong partnership with companies in the area.|ret||ret||tab|

"We actively go out and meet with companies and we establish business advisory councils so that we work hand-in-hand with those employers to help them get good strong employees," Kutchback said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Funding|ret||ret||tab|

A major source of funding for the career centers is local Goodwill retail stores, according to Shine Ann Stafford, district manager in charge of retail operations.|ret||ret||tab|

"Without the stores, there would be no rehabilitation center because 87 cents out of every dollar earned in the store level goes directly in the rehabilitation centers," Stafford said.|ret||ret||tab|

Goodwill will open a new 8,500-square-foot retail store April 10 at 2442 N. Bolivar Road, near the intersection of Kansas Expressway and Kearney Street. Stafford said she expects the store to do well.|ret||ret||tab|

"Having a store back on this side of town is going to be very good for us again. We've had a lot of people asking for it. We've turned a lot of people away from the doors already trying to get in to shop and we are not even open yet, so I'm sure they are ready for us," Stafford said.|ret||ret||tab|

Money from the south-side and north-side stores will be used to help support the career center. In the past, money collected in Springfield was sent to a career center in St. Louis. |ret||ret||tab|

Along with funding from the retail stores, Kutchback said a majority of the funding for the career centers comes from grants, and state and federal agencies including Missouri Division of Rehabilitation, Division of Family Services and the Veterans administration. With a lot of funding coming from the state and federal budget, Kutchback said current budget cuts do affect MERS Goodwill.|ret||ret||tab|

"It affects every social service agency. Because what happens is it affects our clients," Kutchback said. |ret||ret||tab|

"We are fortunate that we are a strong organization that has a number of resources coming in."|ret||ret||tab|

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Future growth|ret||ret||tab|

Kutchback said he still believes MERS Goodwill is strong enough to keep adding new facilities.|ret||ret||tab|

"We are going to open at least two or three more career centers in the next year," Kutchback said. |ret||ret||tab|

He said the official location sites have not been verified, but they will be in Missouri.|ret||ret||tab|

"The needs are great and that's our mission, so we want to keep pushing ahead. This isn't a time to shrink or move back; the needs are even greater for people so it is more important for us to be out there working with those people," Kutchback said. |ret||ret||tab|

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