infoUSA Benefits from Nebraska Ticket to Work
Lonnie Michael used to work long and hard in order to find stable, long-term employees for infoUSA.
But since he discovered Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation and Ticket to Work, Michael knows there's a place he can turn to when he's in the market for dependable workers. For Michael, hiring people with disabilities is good business.
During the past five years, Michael has hired more than 100 people through Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation because he knows infoUSA will be getting a dedicated and loyal worker.
Not to mention skilled.
"The results have been outstanding," said Michael, a training manager at Omaha-based infoUSA. "I had a need for employees, and we were put in touch with good, dependable people. They're dependable and they appreciate having a good job."
Ticket to Work is administered by the Social Security Administration and strives to raise awareness among employers about the advantages of hiring people with disabilities. Ticket to Work's goal is to help people with disabilities obtain meaningful, long-term employment opportunities while at the same time address the financial barriers to healthcare. Ticket to Work legislation allows people with disabilities to retain their Medicaid benefits while being employed.
Many of the employees Michael has hired end up staying with infoUSA for an extended period of time. In fact, two employees recently celebrated their five-year anniversary with the company.
infoUSA's best success story originated in Columbus, where a person with disabilities was struggling to find steady employment. She interviewed with Michael and moved to Omaha when she was offered a job. Five years later, she is still with infoUSA.
Michael discovered this underutilized labor pool by chance. Out of the blue, he received a call from an administrator from the Iowa School for the Deaf, wondering if Michael would be willing to interview people with ties to the school, which is located in Council Bluffs. Michael ended up hiring a few, and they have stayed on as long-term employees. Later, when Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation approached Michael to see if he still needed more employees, the result was a given: Michael quickly answered "yes." "I can't say enough good things about it," Michael said. "It's been a positive experience for the company and for the employees."
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