Phoenix Residential Centers, Inc. has a twenty-five year history of opening doors for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. CEO Gary Toth, LISW is a respected leader and innovator whose distinguished career includes service on the Governor's MR/DD Vision Committee, the Board of the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), and the Board of the Ohio Provider Resource Association (OPRA). In April 2007, Phoenix Residential Centers founded Middlebrook Industries to offer educational and vocational opportunities to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled individuals and assist them in developing independence in daily living, academic and vocational skills. We met recently with Gary Toth and Middlebrook Industries' Administrator Michelle Dobbins, and listened as they provided this overview of Middlebrook Industries' offerings;
Middlebrook Industries offers individuals with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to live life to the fullest. We provide them with vocational training designed to teach them the skills they need to have a career, gain independence, and realize their hopes and dreams. We also have a seniors' group focused on the development of skills needed to enjoy age-appropriate leisure activities in a relaxed atmosphere, much the same as senior centers elsewhere in the community.
Research has shown that many times disabled workers are more loyal and dedicated employees than non-disabled workers. They have better attendance, can learn very difficult tasks, and often have better safety records. Their quality and accuracy in performing job-related tasks can be many times higher than non-disabled workers. Our consumers always strive to do a good job and they take an immense amount of pride in their work. They are very excited to have the opportunity to go to work and earn a paycheck.
Our goal is to help integrate those with whom we work into the community based on their interests and abilities. Through our vocational training programs, they have become excellent workers on supervised crews, offering the services of car washing, cleaning, and lawn care. When you hire either a group of our workers or an individual to work at your facility, we provide them with a job coach at no additional cost to train, supervise, and coach them in how to perform their work safely and satisfactorily.
We also seek to bring work into our facility on a contracted basis to be performed by our workers in a more structured environment. We have wonderfully talented people with many years of work experience. Their quality is top notch, and the companies with which we collaborate have been very satisfied.
Business owners frequently ask about the liability involved in hiring disabled workers, but in reality, there is no more liability associated with hiring disabled workers than any other employee. When you hire one of our workers or crews as a subcontractor or temporary worker, they remain our our employee and we cover all Workers' Compensation, payroll taxes, and liability insurances.
We are also looking to build relationships with schools and colleges to find potential interns who are interested in the services we provide. Our highly trained staff members will eagerly share their knowledge with students who are interested in coupling real life experience with their educational training.
Middlebrook Industries enables the individuals they serve to realize their hopes and dreams. Call Middlebrook Industries today, and don't forget to tell them The Middleburg Heights, Ohio Community Advocate
sent you!
