These adults with special needs don’t let their disabilities define them.
Thanks to a job opportunity from Green Home Experts (GHE), they’re proving it.
Last year, Maria Onesto Moran, CEO and founder of GHE began hiring adults with special needs.
“I’ve been in this business for 12 years, and 2019 was the first year we started this,” Onesto Moran said. “I wanted to provide an opportunity for those who may face obstacles with job employment.”
Based in Brookfield, Ill., GHE implements programs and supplies products for ComEd and other energy efficiency clients.
The 25 part-time employees make energy efficiency kits for low income-eligible ComEd customers. Kits contain energy saving-devices, including an advanced power strip, LED lightbulbs and more.
“Our staff is making the same kit over and over,” she said. “In an industry where a lot of people would struggle with the repetition of the job, our staff thrives on it.”
The kits are delivered by community action agencies to customers who apply for financial assistance through ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Program.
In 2019, employees assembled 50,000 energy-saving kits for ComEd customers.
“We have a hard time getting them to stop working,” Onesto Moran said. “They don’t miss a beat.”
GHE works closely with non-profit organization Helping Hands, community support services and Riverside-Brookfield High School’s transition program to find employees.
GHE plans to expand its business in hopes it can provide more employment opportunities for people with special needs.
