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Maine's CHOICES CEO Project
Spotlight on Employers Archive
Graffam Solutions assists small businesses
Graffam Solutions
This column highlights Maine employers and their experiences employing people with disabilities. Graffam Solutions plays a unique support role by helping companies successfully employ workers with disabilities.
Graffam Solutions provides human resource services and legal counsel to companies that employ between 20 and 150 people. Marine industry companies have benefited from these services as have employers in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Read the full article: Spotlight on Employers
Becky Shepherd of Wild Oats Bakery & Café shares experiences
Wild Oats Bakery & Café
Brunswick, Maine
The Wild Oats Bakery & Café has been providing breads, cakes, cookies and pies to customers in Brunswick, Maine since 1991. Over the years, the bakery’s staff, menu and reputation have grown. In addition to baked goods, the bakery now offers hot entrees, sandwiches and soups, and its staff numbers over 20. When we learned that The Wild Oats Bakery & Café has significant experience employing workers with a disability, we decided to talk with owner Becky Shepherd to learn more.
Becky said that having employees with disabilities tends to bring people together and reinforces community. “Our employees give each other rides home and provide each other with social support,” she said. “People are reminded that they need to treat all people equally, and that everybody has a right to contribute and does contribute to our productivity.”
Read the full article: Spotlight on Employers
Bangor Hydro Electric Company values diversity
Susan Faloon of
Bangor Hydro
Electric Company
Bangor Hydro Electric Company (BHE) has successfully employed people with a disability for many years. “We believe that work is an important part of everyone's life,” said Susan Faloon, BHE’s communications officer. Employees with a disability, including those that require accommodation to perform their work, work in the same positions as non-disabled employees, such as in the call center and line operations.
“One of our meter readers happens to be deaf,” said Faloon. “We are able to provide American Sign Language interpretation via teleconference technology. The interpreter can hear the speaker and sign the conversation back to the same room via the monitor in real time. This allows our employee to fully participate in all meetings and is extremely convenient.” She described this employee as one of the first to sign up for workplace events. “He is extremely hard working, dedicated and actually looks forward to the challenges of working outside in Maine’s winter weather conditions,” she said.
Read the full article: Spotlight on Workers
