Former NFL Kicker Nate Kaeding talks to Jess Schamberger, Vice President of Operations at Goodwill of the Heartland about her background, along with the programs that Goodwill provides to create training and employment opportunities to help those overcome barriers to independence Jess has previous experience running the contract manufacturing business for Goodwill, which handles light assembly […]
Pat O’Connor has done volunteer work for many years. In this article, he shares lessons learned from his current volunteer work as a Chairperson of The Avenue of the Flags Program (a community fundraiser run by volunteers) and as the Head Usher at his local church. He implements Lean Six Sigma skills such as 5S, […]
by Brion Hurley This is an interview with Jess Schamberger, who is the Vice President of Operations at Goodwill of the Heartland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She discusses some of the lean and Six Sigma improvements implemented in the donation receiving area, as well as the light manufacturing services they provide to local businesses. They […]
by Brion Hurley In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Mark Novak quickly joined a disaster relief trip to help rebuild communities in Mississippi. He soon found out there were many frustrating aspects of the process that needed to be addressed; supplies were scarce or late to arrive, communication of problems were accomplished too late in the […]
Cedar Rapids (IA) Goodwill of the Heartland employees worked on a 5S event to improve the layout, organization and movement of donations through their west side facility, using a 5S event format. The team reduced hard goods material movement by 42% with a new layout, and reduced soft goods processing movement by 30%. Download the event […]
Iowa Prison Industries (IPI) provides work training to those incarcerated at Iowa’s state prisons. More than 90% of offenders in state prison are scheduled to be released, and their goal is to teach them how to get and keep a job, once they get out. To help with the job training, the prison provides manufacturing services to […]