Your Story Made Here: Edge Manufacturing
Your Story Made Here: Edge Manufacturing
By Melissa Long- 21Alive
By Ian Hoover- 21Alive
May 20, 2014 Updated May 20, 2014 at 5:21 PM EDT
BLUFFTON, Ind. (21Alive) -- How many companies can say that one of their goals is to get their employees to leave? That's what Edge Manufacturing of Bluffton is hoping for each time it reaches out to hire someone with a record.
In today's "Your Story Made Here", find out why this growing company is doing well and doing good!
Companies like Amazon.com have huge storage facilities with row after row of containers and bins filled with products. Someone has to make those bins and when they break…someone has to fix them.
Jason Brooks says: WE do industrial totes, tubs, wash containers…lot of it's for aerospace or even military type use. WE also do refurbishing of bulk boxes and containers for the auto industry.
They also make things that protect pallets from breaking which is a growing industry. And foldable containers is another one.
Jason Brooks says: You ship out a container full of product…you deliver the product and then when it comes back, you're basically shipping air back in those containers. We take it where we can actually have collapsible container so you can get more in that truck load. It saves time, saves money, maximizes logistics.
They do it out of this 60 thousand square foot plant in Bluffton. The 40 employees here perform a variety of tasks. Welding, forklift, fabrication, lasering, sales, marketing, general labor. But the workforce here isn't your usual group.
Edge Manufacturing hires felons….and gives them a second chance when many others won't.
Jason Brooks says "We had a lot of people showing up with a record who needed help. But the record was the very reason they wouldn't get it.
Our goal is to get them in, train them, get them some experience so they can actually move on so that opens that spot up for someone else who has a felony.
Brooks says once the applicant sees there's no angle to it…other than just being a good community citizen, most of the employees do a great job. Edge also understands these workers need more than just a job. That's why they hold classes in money management, job interviewing and lifestyle.
Jason Brooks says Show them how to be fishers instead of just giving them a fish.
You want to leave better than when you came.
The company's mission to help others certainly hasn't hurt them. New innovative techniques and cutting edge services have helped Edge Manufacturing grow and thrive.
It's mission to reach out and help is allowing many people in need to turn a page in their story and start a new chapter.
