HOM Furniture Honored for Providing Jobs for Disabled

November 20, 2017  by Larry Thomas in Community / Charitable Support, Industry   

The award, which was presented in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, cited the Minnesota retailer for its work with Rise, an organization that supports more than 2,500 Minnesota residents with disabilities.

A number of Rise clients work at HOM’s Coon Rapids, Minn., corporate headquarters, performing a wide range of tasks, including collecting and recycling more than 2.5 million pounds of plastic, cardboard, and Styrofoam annually.

“Rise is fortunate to have HOM as a business partner because from senior management and throughout the entire company, they have supported Rise’s mission and sought out additional work opportunities for us,” said Rise President Lynn Noren. “HOM includes Rise workers as valuable members of their team. It’s a great partnership.”

Rise workers are included in HOM’s annual awards presentation and are personally acknowledged for their individual and collective good work.

“For the past 11 years, Rise’s work team, as well as their trainers and supervisors, have proven to be a valuable addition to our organization in so many different ways,” said Dan Lentz, operations personnel and safety manager for HOM Furniture.  HOM employees view the team from Rise as an extension of the HOM team, not as a separate organization, he added.

MOHR’s mission is to advocate and support its nonprofit members in providing meaningful services to persons with disabilities and communities served.  “We cannot overemphasize the importance of employers in our efforts to provide meaningful services to people with disabilities in Minnesota,” said Mike Burke, president of MOHR.