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ATL Dependable Profile: Ali AlSaedi

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The only thing Ali AlSaedi ever wanted for his home country was peace. That’s why, when offered a job as a translator for the U.S. Army, he responded with a resounding “yes”.

The year was 2003 and hopes were high that coalition forces could help rebuild a better Iraq, out from under the rule of Sadaam Hussein.

“I had a dream that I wanted to see something peaceful,” Ali shares, a mixture of pride and sadness in his voice. “That is why I joined.”

Ali traded his quiet life in the governorate of Maysan for life in the tumultuous city of Baghdad where he would live on the Army base.

“At the beginning, everything was cool and safe,” he describes. But things wouldn’t stay that way.

Not every Iraqi was in favor of the coalition. An insurgency rose up; violence broke out. Attacks, snipers, and IEDs became the norm. Simply walking from one office to the next had become life-risking—let alone leaving base. He became separated from friends and family back home. His dream had cost him everything.

In 2006, violence reached an all-time high.

“You’re a target,” Ali explains, who bravely carried on despite the risks. “To this day, I’m very proud of what we did. I [was] not only trying to help my people—I [was] keeping my friends safe.”

It wasn’t until 2009, as troops began to withdraw from Iraq, that Ali was offered an SIV (special immigrant visa) to move to the United States. Blacklisted by his own country, for his service to coalition forces, Ali felt he had no option but to make the move. He explains, “I wanted to come, but at the same time I didn’t have a choice.”

Ali arrived in De Moines, Iowa ready to begin his new life. Unfortunately for him, the country was at the peak of a recession, following the housing bubble crash two years prior.

He remembers this hard time:

“When I could not find a job for several months, I felt like words from Martin Luther King were true—that I had been given a check from America, but the check had bounced.”

Ali made ends meet taking irregular contract jobs, but ultimately decided to go back and continue his education to become an engineer. About that time a former security detachment urged him to move to Atlanta where Ali could escape Iowa’s uncomfortably low temps and give him the city-life he craved.

He made Clarkston (a popular refugee hub in East Atlanta) his new home and started back to school. It wasn’t long before he earned an internship at a popular software company as a technical support engineer. Upon learning he could take any and all training and exams for free as part of the internship, Ali spent nights and weekends soaking up all the information (and caffeine) that he could.

In just three months he became one of only 14 individuals in the state of Georgia to earn his expert certificate—an impressive feat that usually takes three years.

His brilliance and ambition soon gained him a job on the research team of a local fiber optic company, but his heart was calling him home. Home to Iraq. Home to his family, who he hadn’t seen in years.

In October of last year Ali flew home to his father, his dozen brothers and sisters, and their children—his nieces and nephews, who he speaks of fondly. The trip was a breath of fresh air for Ali , who had spent years in devoted service, then launching a career.

But the challenges were not over. Ali returned back to the U.S. to find out his former position had been filled and he would need to find a new job. He took to the internet and began applying at many agencies. It wasn’t long before he got a call from Yonten Basnet, a coordinator at Amplio Recruiting, a local Atlanta staffing agency.

“It was phenomenal,” Ali recalls. “I got a call. The next day I got an appointment. The third day I got an interview—and on the same day I got a job!”

That job was CAD Programmer at an Atlanta construction company, where Amplio has recently placed 7 qualified techs, including Ali, who is grateful to be working again.

“I just wanted to get back to work. I hadn’t worked since October. But to have a job 25 minutes from my home—paying bills, having benefits, keeping food on the table and a roof on my head—I’m very happy with it.”

He says his favorite part of working for the construction company is the diversity—its desks filled with individuals of all ages, nationalities and walks of life. It is a place where he is judged not by his name or skin color, but by his intellect and experience. This hasn’t always been the case.

Ali speaks openly about these encounters:

“I have to say [skin color] is a factor in employment and status in life. I love America so much—it is the beacon of freedom. To come here and see this is really tough. People shake my hand and ask me where I’m from and they pull away and it makes me feel very bad. Many of these have never even served their country.”

Still, Ali is grateful. Grateful for this country; grateful for his new job; and grateful for all the opportunities that lie ahead.

Last year Ali experienced a dream come true when he became a U.S. citizen, which he says was “like being born again.” As for his dreams for the future, he shares that establishing a family makes top of the list, followed by finishing his Master’s degree, and traveling the world.

Ali put his life on the line for the dream of peace in Iraq. And while that dream still hasn’t come to pass, every day he is doing his part to bring kindness and peace to his little part of the world.

At Amplio, we’re staffing great companies with talented and dependable individuals. If you’d like to learn more about hiring refugees at your place of business, visit our website at www.ampliorecruiting.com

 

RAL Dependable Profile: Claudy Ngoy

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For 23-year-old Claudy Ngoy (pronounced “cloudy nah-goy”), life was tough from the start.

Born in the Congo, and growing up during “war time”, as he describes it, nothing was granted. His family of farmers did their best to provide for—and protect—Claudy and his siblings from the conflict that raged all around them.

Still, he faced unimaginable horrors: the death of his Papa, and his brothers, and ultimately being forced to flee his home village and take refuge in neighboring Zambia.

“It was difficult to find shelters,” he remembers. “Life was so very hard.”

Claudy, his mom and sisters ended up in a refugee camp, where they could live in safety, but crowded conditions and poor sanitation caused diseases to run rampant. Education was equally poor, an unfortunate consequence for Claudy who was just entering the pivotal high school years.

Through these challenges, young Claudy understood that even this life was better than that back home.

“There is no peace in my country. Guns shooting. Government is no good. People destroy. [There is] racial discrimination and conflict. The rebels are very bad,” he explains, “They take small kids—12, 15, 16—and train them to fight [for their military].”

Unable to return to Congo, the family applied for resettlement with the help of UNCHR.

After years of having no place to call home, they were approved for entrance into the United States and resettled in Raleigh, North Carolina.

It was 2017, and by now Claudy was an adult—and, as the only male, the head of the household.

He needed a job. But not just any job—a good job with a livable wage that would enable him to provide for his mom and two school-age sisters.

“There is nothing for free. If you don’t sweat, you don’t eat,” Claudy shares about his perspective on work.

After a life of hardship, he did not expect opportunity to fall in his lap—so he went looking for it. Fortunately, Claudy’s pastor knew about a local staffing company helping refugees like himself find work.

Claudy met with Tucker Stevens, Managing Director of Amplio Recruiting’s Raleigh branch and was quickly connected to a job at a local landscaping company.

He is grateful for the opportunity, which has provided him the means to pay rent, bills, travel repayment, and, most importantly for his mama’s much-needed medication.

“I’m trying to save for a car also,” he shares, hopefully. “But it is very hard.”

 

To Claudy, the job has meant much more to him than just a paycheck. He’s learned valuable skills that will enable him to grow within the company and help him achieve his dreams of buying a car, returning to school—and marrying the love of his life, his girlfriend Rose.

This respectable young man is among the many grateful and ambitious refugees ready to add value to companies and communities across the world—and across the U.S. At Amplio, we believe hiring refugees is a win-win: your business gains loyal and dependable employees, while restoring dignity and hope to the displaced.

We would love to introduce you to the workforce making a name for themselves in dynamic cities like Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Dallas, and Houston. Give us a call today, or visit our website to learn more about our services, and the benefits of hiring the refugee workforce. 

Company Story: Canopy Lawn Care, Raleigh NC

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Canopy Lawn Care was started in 2015 with a vision of re-engineering the industry approach to residential lawn care.

A full-service residential lawn care and landscaping company, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, their innovative approach has quickly set them apart from the competition. Their business utilizes cutting edge technology and eco-friendly practices, but what they’re most proud of is their team.

Canopy flipped the typical org chart on its head, believing that valued employees would provide valuable service to their customers. And it’s working.

“The top of our org chart is our field team,” their website shares. “The rest of us are their support team… We serve them, and they in turn serve you. That’s how it works. We invite you to experience what a difference this makes.”

The benefits are clear—not only did Canopy triple in size in 2017, but they’ve managed to overcome of one of the industry’s most common problems: high turnover.

“Recruiting and [retaining employees] is the number one pain point for most growing companies in the service industry,” Director of Operations, Ben Wright, explains. “Canopy has been able to solve this in multiple ways including diversifying our efforts in recruiting, training, and overall employee care.”

Amplio, he says, has played a big role in that.

Connected through their local Jobs for Life chapter in Research Triangle, Canopy was drawn to Amplio’s mission: to connect Raleigh-Durham businesses to the dependable refugee workforce, in turn connecting refugees with opportunity to earn a livable wage and re-establish their shaken lives.

Raleigh-Durham Managing Director Tucker Stevens began working with the Canopy team to find candidates who would make a great fit at the growing company. In a month’s time they hired six refugees—five from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We’re happy to be contributing to a solution to this terrible problem,” said Canopy CEO Hunt Davis in a recent blog post. “This is a win-win, we are growing and need new members on our team, and there are a lot of people displaced by this and other crises that need opportunities.”

The opportunity to make an income and rebuild has been life-changing to these individuals, who repay the investment with their loyalty and ambition.

“We taught one guy how to edge a sidewalk,” Ben shares. “The next day we let him loose edging and he didn’t stop. His supervisor [found him] five houses down, still edging!”

In the midst of high tensions regarding refugee resettlement, Ben challenges other businesses and individuals to consider the value in hiring the displaced:

“They are people. They have a unique, personal story—stories that give perspective of a broader worldview. There is a great need and they are capable, able and ample to be meaningful members of any society they find themselves in.”

We are proud to partner with Canopy to provide exceptional service to the Raleigh community through the dependable refugee workforce.

If you’re a business owner or manager in the Research Triangle area looking to reduce turnover while making a social impact for good, we invite you to give us a call or visit our website to learn more about our services.

August Partner Spotlight: Jobs for Life, Triangle Area NC

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Each month this year, Amplio will be highlighting a different non-profit partner providing job preparation and job training within the refugee communities we serve. More than just words, we are committing to financially support the work of the partner we select each month and want you to join us! We will match every dollar given to the Amplio Foundation this month, up to $1000, in support of this month’s partner.

 

“Restoring dignity. Changing lives. Transforming communities.”

That’s the mission behind global non-profit, Jobs for Life, operating classes in cities from Washington state, all the way to Australia—and everywhere in between.

Founded in downtown Raleigh in 1996, Jobs for Life has spent the past 22 years connecting ministries and businesses to “help prepare men and women for meaningful work.” They believe joblessness lies at the core of many of society’s biggest challenges—crime, substance abuse, depression and more—and that the church is uniquely positioned to step in and help men and women obtain and experience the dignity of work. While the church has long been engaged in the fight against poverty, it is estimated that only 2% of churches invest in workforce development, whereas over 60% offer more short-term poverty relief in the form of food pantries, soup kitchens, or clothing closets. Their goal is to “flip the list” and break the cycle of poverty for good.

Though their impact has since spread worldwide, the Triangle Area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill remains one of the largest Jobs for Life networks. Raleigh alone hosts approximately 30 of the 200 classes held nationwide and produces more than 200 graduates each year.

Jessie Hathcock, business relations manager for the network, shares with us about the 8-week volunteer-led program which highlights:

  • 32-hours of content and practical training including resume development, mock interviews, creating an elevator speech, and vocational planning.
  • A focus on “soft skills” such as character development, conflict resolution, and building confidence.
  • A mentorship program where each participant is partnered with a “Champion” (mentor) to walk alongside them throughout the program and help them create and fulfill a vocation plan.

The participants, she shares, hail from a broad range of backgrounds. In other words– there’s no such thing as a “typical” student. Classes are held everywhere from prisons, to homeless shelters, to churches and apartment complexes. Many individuals are looking to get back on their feet, while others are already engaged in the workplace, but ready to use their entry-level experience to move up in their company or field of business.

Success stories range from a former inmate who, upon graduation, went on to obtain his very first living wage job, to a former engineer who overcame a drug addiction and was able to work his way from a fast food employee to an engineering firm.

Included in these success stories are several individuals from the Triangle’s prominent refugee and immigrant population. Jessie shares, “They have a very high number of students who show up and graduate,” adding, “The humility and perseverance of these individuals is incredible. They have engineering degrees and they come here and are willing to work wherever.”

Jobs for Life shares a mutual passion for restoring dignity and empowering individuals to obtain self-sufficiency through work and we, at Amplio Recruiting, are proud to support their endeavors.

As with many non-profits, they rely on generous donations from individuals and businesses to continue to expand their reach across the nation, and across the world. This month, we invite you to partner with us to help spread hope and the dignity of work through their mission. That’s why every penny you give through the Amplio Foundation in August will be matched (up to $1,000) and given to help their worthy cause.

To make a charitable donation, visit the Amplio Foundation page. Scroll down and click the Donate Now button. Fill in the amount and payment information, as well as whether you would like for it to be a one-time gift or recurring donation. Click the Give button and you’re done! Thank you for partnering with us to support the refugee workforce.

 

ATL Dependable Profile: Aline Macumu

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Five million.

That is the estimated number of men, women and children displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to the country’s complex and ongoing violence.

Aline Macumu and her family are among these.

When war inevitably reached their village they fled to Rwanda. Despite Rwanda’s own troubles, they have generously hosted refugees from neighboring countries including approximately 74,000 Congolese refugees alone since 1996.

The family settled in the capital of Kigali, where Aline’s dad could secure a job to provide for their growing family. Aline continued her education, first high school, then onto college.

Year after year passed.

Year after year dangerous conditions remained back home in Congo.

The family filed for refugee status with UNCHR who reviewed their case and determined their eligibility for resettlement. After a grueling vetting process they were approved to relocate to the United States.

They had spent ten long years in Rwanda.

Aline was 24 when she first set foot on American soil, a place she would now call “home.” The opportunities were endless—but the work would be hard.

Her family settled in Stone Mountain, East Atlanta, a popular hub for arriving refugees. And, like many others, Aline took a job at a chicken processing plant, well below her capacity, simply to make a paycheck.

The commute was long. The work conditions, hardly humane. Still, she showed up and worked hard at a job well below her college education, and well below livable wage.

When Aline became pregnant, she knew it was time to acquire a job with hours that would better suit her soon-starting role as a parent, and pay that would enable her to go back to school to take steps toward her dream—becoming a doctor.

A friend told Aline about Amplio Recruiting, an Atlanta staffing company connecting refugees to jobs with livable wages and growing potential. Aline met with Stephen Assink who immediately recognized her intelligence, strong work ethic and personable disposition.

He placed her in a second-shift position at a local hair and beauty product manufacturer, House of Cheatham—a job which has finally given her the stability she needed to thrive.

Her shift starts at 2:55pm, but for Aline, work begins well before then.

“I take my baby to daycare, then go to school, study, then go straight to work.” Aline shares about her typical day. “It’s not easy, but it will be good in my future.”

Aline is just six short months away from being a certified medical assistant, the first rung on the ladder of her dreams.

“I like caring for people,” she explains. “I have a big heart.”

Beyond her role of line operator, Aline has served as an Amplio team lead. Aline is a people-person to the core, and speaks six languages, including French and Swahili, which come in handy while overseeing her team of 30 Amplio employees. As team lead, Aline welcomes new employees and communicates any needs or problems back to the Amplio office.

It’s been nine months since Aline started at House of Cheatham and she has grown in her skills and knowledge immensely. So much so that last month she was hired on permanently with the company– an accomplishment we are all proud of.

Aline and thousands of resilient refugees are proving themselves across the U.S. workplace each and every day. They are unshakeable in their resolve to rebuild a life that was so unfairly taken from them, by no fault of their own.

They are dependable. A recent study by the Tent Partnership for Refugees showed that 73% of companies who hired refugees “reported a higher retention rate for refugees than for other employees.” When given the opportunity to earn, learn, and achieve their dreams, refugees repay their employers with fierce loyalty.

If you’d like to learn more about how hiring refugees can add value to your company, visit our website to learn more about our benefits and services and contact us today.

July Partner Spotlight: The Alliance, Houston TX

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Each month this year, Amplio will be highlighting a different non-profit partner providing job preparation and job training within the refugee communities we serve. More than just words, we are committing to financially support the work of the partner we select each month and want you to join us! We will match every dollar given to the Amplio Foundation this month, up to $1000, in support of this month’s partner.

In the hot, Houston summer of 1985, a union of Cambodian, Ethiopian, Laotian and Vietnamese refugee organizations joined together on a mission to better help the many refugees settling in the area. They called their unique collaboration the “Refugee Services Alliance”.

The organization has changed a lot in the past 33 years, but its mission to provide “opportunity for all” has remained the same. Now operating simply as “The Alliance”, as of this year, the organization developed dozens of programs to help refugees, immigrants and the underserved residents of Houston move towards self-sufficiency.

In 2017 alone these programs served 5,595 clients representing 30 countries around the world. From driver’s education to English as a second language, The Alliance is providing practical help to put at-risk residents on the road to success.

Reza Nazari joined the organization in 2015, just one year after arriving in the United States from Afghanistan on a SIV (special immigration visa). He shares that the majority of the Alliance staff are like him—new Americans using their broad range of language and experience to help others navigate the same transition.

As an Employment Counselor, Reza helps find employment opportunities for individuals based on their unique skill-sets, then assists with resume and job interview preparation.

“For refugee and asylee clients who are fully authorized to work in the United States… obtaining employment can be a challenge,” the organization’s website explains. “Our Employment Services help this unique population find employment through a range of services, including customized job development and placement, pre-employment counseling, life skills training, employment up-grade and follow-up services, vocational training and re-certification assistance.”

Through this continuum of programs, Reza and his team walk alongside clients to ensure lifelong success.

“My favorite part of my job is having the opportunity to advocate for the people in need,” he shares. “I work with a team of very friendly, reliable and confident colleagues who are there to help me.”

While establishing a new Amplio location in late 2017, CEO Chris Chancey and partner Luke Keller began making connections in the Houston area. One of these connections was The Alliance.

Reza shares about the initial contact, and the difference it’s made since:

“It was the first time we heard about a recruiting agency that works solely with refugees. We responded with excitement. The Alliance and Amplio Recruiting share a common goal—to help refugees become self-sufficient. The outcome is always positive. Amplio helps transform the lives of people through providing employment. This helps The Alliance improve its self-sufficiency rates even more.”

This May, newly named Houston Managing Directors, Dirk and Raquel Cameron, helped onboard their first group of candidates through the partnership.

“Alliance has been a very active partner in helping us identify candidates for Amplio’s clients,” says Raquel. “They continue to be an important partner for Amplio in Houston.”

Beyond The Alliance’s extraordinary employment program, their Kijana Youth Program made a big splash last year when ten graduating seniors were not only admitted to colleges—they earned full-ride scholarships.

“These students were from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is so significant. It truly is the American Dream.”

At Amplio, we are proud to partner with this incredible organization helping the refugees, immigrants and underserved communities of Houston. We encourage you to visit The Alliance website where you can learn more about their dynamic programs or even volunteer.

Partner with The Alliance for an even greater impact. Through the month of July, make a donation to the Amplio Foundation and your donation will be doubled and given to help their great cause.

To make a charitable donation, visit the Amplio Foundation page. Scroll down and click the Donate Now button. Fill in the amount and payment information, as well as whether you would like for it to be a one-time gift or recurring donation. Click the Give button and you’re done! Thank you for partnering with us to support the refugee workforce.

DAL Dependable Profile: Pedram Farahmandian

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In the heart of the Middle East lies a country that has become “home” to an estimated 2,000,000 displaced individuals from neighboring countries—Iran.

Iran now hosts the world’s 4th largest refugee population and has even been praised for their “exemplary” efforts by the UN.

Still there are those who tell another story. Residents who once lived in peace, increasingly persecuted for their beliefs. Pedram Farahmandian and his family are among those.

 

 

After converting to Christianity, Pedram’s mom and step-dad were imprisoned and tortured before fleeing to nearby Turkey in 2010. The sudden escape came as a shock to young Pedram, who was only a teenager.

Still to this day, he remembers the challenges they faced: “Turkey was the hardest. The only apartments you can find are in unsafe areas. My step-dad had to get dangerous, black market jobs where they pay you half.”

The family patiently endured the long process of applying for refugee status and resettlement. In 2013 they were approved for entry into the United States, and resettled in Dallas, Texas.

Pedram, at that time 19, sought out opportunities to contribute to the family finances. He took a job delivering furniture, but the day after day heavy lifting began to wear on him, especially already having some health problems. After returning to school to continue his education, he wondered where he might find a sustainable job that could accommodate his schedule.

His mom had been working with a new local staffing company, Amplio Recruiting, that was helping refugees like her connect to jobs in the Dallas area. She referred Pedram to Abby Davis, Managing Director, who recognized his potential and helped him fill out an online application for a job at a local technology company, Lead Tag.

 

 

It wasn’t long before Pedram was called in for an interview for an Agent position, and landed the job.

“The process was great and very easy,” Pedram says of his experience with Amplio, “Abby was very friendly and helpful.”

Pedram, who started in the company’s call center, quickly proved himself and was promoted to a Junior Software Developer role within two months, earning a substantial pay raise.

“Pedram is incredibly bright,” shares Abby. “He’s very good with computers and even has a Networking Certificate. He is a very responsible young man.”

In addition to working hard at Lead Tag, he’s attending school to become an engineer, and even working as a D.J. on the weekends.

 

 

“I’m taking first year classes at Brookhaven, prerequisites for earning an engineering degree. This job has helped me build my resume and learn new skills. It’s also enabled me to make good money to pay my own bills.

Pedram has shown incredible resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Far from a strain on society, he and other refugees are proving their value—their tenacity, their talent, and intelligence—across the U.S.

At Ampio, we exist to connect you with this dependable Refugee Workforce. To learn more about the benefits of hiring refugees at your place of business, visit us online. We offer permanent and temporary staffing solutions. Give us a call to find out if the Refugee Workforce would make a great fit for your company today.

June Partner Spotlight: Waypoint Church, Durham NC

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Each month this year, Amplio will be highlighting a different non-profit partner providing job preparation and job training within the refugee communities we serve. More than just words, we are committing to financially support the work of the partner we select each month and want you to join us! We will match every dollar given to the Amplio Foundation this month, up to $1000, in support of this month’s partner.

 

When minister Lawrence Yoo wanted to reach the nations, he started a church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

Anchored by Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, the Research Triangle area has become one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States, doubling its population over the past decade.

The area boasts a myriad of colleges and universities, worldwide companies and start-ups. Education, plenteous jobs, and affordable housing make the area a popular destination not just for students, but refugees and immigrants from around the world.

The Research Triangle is a conglomerate of all ages and nationalities, living and working together, but as Lawrence Yoo and his wife began to notice—divided when it came to worship.

“We began to ask, ‘What’s up with the local church in the south?’ It’s so segregated and divided—everyone going to different churches, or no church at all,” Lawrence explains.

Burdened by the vision of a unified church, he and his wife, Jina, established Waypoint Church in 2014 with the purpose of reaching their community, meeting practical needs, and providing a place where all nations could worship together.

In just four short years, that vision has come to life. Their congregation currently represents over 38 nations across the world.

The ministry extends a helping hand to international students and refugees, connecting them with valuable tools and resources to thrive. They partner with World Relief, a refugee resettlement agency, where Lawrence serves on the board, and together have put in more volunteer hours than any other local church, despite their humble size.

Lawrence has such a heart for the community that he started a restaurant with the intention of providing a living wage to refugees.

Sushiōki is now a local favorite, serving up hand-held sushi rolls “you eat like a burrito”. Lawrence sees the restaurant as a gateway into more sustainable careers—careers being obtained with the help of a new connection—Amplio Recruiting.

Raleigh-Durham managing director, Tucker Stevens, had a problem: with deep roots in the business world, he had an abundance of job opportunities, and no one to fill them.

For Lawrence, this was no problem. With roots deep in the refugee community, he began sending Tucker names and numbers of talented and dependable Raleigh-Durham refugees ready to work.

“I will just text him names and numbers. ‘Here’s Ahmeed, here’s Emmanuel…’ a name and a number and he contacts them and meets them from there. It’s constant.”

Refugees face two common obstacles when it comes to jobs. The first is fear, a challenge made nearly obsolete by the trust Lawrence has built within the refugee community.

“Some refugees are afraid. But the ones I send all take the job because they trust [the relationship.]” he explains.

The second obstacle is underemployment.

“They may get jobs immediately, but a lot of them are in food service. A construction job may be, ‘Okay I’ll call you when I need you.’ You can’t raise a family on that. They need consistency, and benefits.”

Through this relationship with Amplio, refugees are connected to temp-to-perm, full-time positions that provide a living wage and opportunity for growth.

Pastor Lawrence and the Waypoint congregation’s desire to help and love all people is apparent, and their hands-on approach is making a difference in the Raleigh-Durham community.

 

“Lawrence is a prime example of how to serve refugees well,” Tucker Stevens shares. “If you are in this arena and want to grow… you’d better know Lawrence!”

As our June partner of the month, we’re highlighting their great work to give you the opportunity to partner alongside them in their mission. In the coming years, the church plans to build out an “International Center”, housing offices for all areas of refugee and immigrant ministries within the Triangle, that would be on a convenient bus route. The vision is a self-sustaining central hub for services and resources like ESL, resume building, financial support, networking and more for helping these new arrivals.

For the month of June, any donation you make will be doubled by Amplio and given to help this worthy cause. To learn more about Waypoint, you can visit their website at www.waypointrdu.com

 

To make a charitable donation, visit the Amplio Foundation page. Scroll down and click the Donate Now button. Fill in the amount and payment information, as well as whether you would like for it to be a one-time gift or recurring donation. Click the Give button and you’re done! Thank you for partnering with us to support the refugee workforce.

Company Story: Gates Corporation, Atlanta GA

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Karen Hall is no stranger to the challenges of human resources. A two year veteran at Gates Corporation, a parts distribution center located in a rural community well outside outside of of the urban sprawl of Atlanta, she is responsible for everything from recruiting to retirement—and everything in between.

She assiduously manages the company’s 75 employees and roughly 25 temps that work in two shifts, pulling and packing orders of package hoses, water pumps, belts and more.

“It’s a very fast-paced, busy environment,” Karen explains, “We have production metrics for all of the employees. We’re constantly trying to improve the way we do the job and stay on task.”

Several months ago she stumbled upon an NPR interview with Chris Chancey, CEO of Amplio Recruiting, who was sharing about the benefits of hiring the “refugee workforce”. The prospect of increasing dependability and efficiency piqued Karen’s interest. She called Chris to learn more, and shared the struggle she had in finding enough dependable employees in a rural community to meet their production quotas. She eventually ended up signing contracts to fill three temporary positions at Gates—Daywoe, from Liberia, and Waleed and Norri, from Afghanistan.

The company has been pleased with the results—so much so that they hired on Daywoe as their first permanent employee last month. By this, they have given him the opportunity to achieve the American Dream he has always longed for.

Daywoe has lived in the United States for over a decade, but this job marks the first that has given him and his family the financial stability they need. The move from temporary to permanent employee has provided him with a pay increase, amazing health benefits and extensive fork lift training. This financial stability has enabled him to purchase a reliable car, and even put a down payment on a house for his family.

“Daywoe was lit up and excited about the pay and benefits,” Karen shares, smiling. “He works so hard to get up to speed in production. He’s very conscientious.”

Daywoe, Walleed, and Norri have made an impact at Gates, and not just because of their “excellent performance”, as Karen explains:

“People are people… and people—refugees and people in general—want to be able to provide a good life for themselves and their families. They just want to be given a fair shot.”

Here at Amplio, we’re grateful for the way Gates Corp. is leading the way in opening the door of opportunity for refugees, giving them that “fair shot.” We recognize there are many challenges for manufacturing companies hiring in rural areas around the country and we desire to be a vital partner in providing staffing services for these companies.

If you a socially-minded businessman or woman, or are simply looking for ways to decrease turnover and increase dependability and efficiency at your company, we would love to connect to tell you more about the benefits of hiring the Refugee Workforce.

If you are in need of labor staffing in a rural location, reach out to us so we can determine potentials ways of serving your company. Visit our website to learn more, or give us a call for more information today.

Team Member Highlight: Tucker Stevens

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Tucker Stevens, Amplio’s newest managing director, is one of the many young and driven entrepreneurs inciting positive social change in the Raleigh-Durham community.
Tucker was born just after his twin sister making him the youngest of five. He had a modest childhood, growing up in a cozy home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“My siblings were my best friends,” Tucker reminisces of his tight-knit family. “We played baseball in the backyard and had family dinner almost every single night.”

His love for sports carried on into middle and high school, where he played both soccer and basketball at his small Baptist private school. When it came time to graduate with his class of 42 seniors, 8 of them went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tucker and his twin sister included.

At UNC, Tucker studied business, with a focus on entrepreneurship and sustainability—and didn’t waste any time putting his knowledge to work. He went into software sales, and even launched his own business selling a product he designed for his entrepreneurship class—a self-leveling picture frame.

When a professor told him he needed to patent the frame, Tucker took the advice, and even moved to Austin, Texas where he could grow the business, surrounded by experienced mentors. He spent his days freelancing and coaching sports, and “free time” growing the business, but sidelined it after realizing it wouldn’t be profitable long-term.

Tucker moved again, this time to Maryland where he took part in a 9-month residential post-grad program at Trinity Forum Academy. While there, he completed a research thesis on non-profit operations and philanthropic ethicacy—a complex subject, to say the least.

“Basically, it looked at the dichotomy between philanthropy and charity. What are the ethics of sacrificing short-term for the long-term? How should we view spending money on valuable human capital even if it delays opposing short-term options?” Tucker explains.

The thesis piqued his interest in profit and nonprofit social impact. He returned to Raleigh-Durham, eager to use his acquired knowledge and experience to make a difference in the community.

Together, with a team of individuals, they launched ReCity, a “hub for social impact”. Their 12,000 square foot facility serves as a shared space for “collaboration that results in meaningful, systemic, and transforming change for Durham’s community.”

“It brought together nonprofits and for-profits—all the resources in one place, one big building with housing and education and employment,” explains Tucker, who also says, “It set me up phenomenally well for what I’m doing now for Amplio.”

So how did this Raleigh entrepreneur become connected to a refugee staffing business located 400 miles away? A timely connection.

After two years of serving as Director of Operations, Tucker was ready for his next venture. “The chair of the ReCity board had met Luke (Keller), and when I ran into him he said, ‘Oh, you’ve gotta meet this guy!’ That morning I had been at a coffee shop, applying for a job—two hours after that I’m sitting at Panera with Luke. It was the most philanthropic effort I’d seen, yet it’s for-profit. After an hour of talking I knew I was going to do it.”

“It” was connecting local businesses to the Refugee Workforce, in Raleigh-Durham as Amplio’s newest Managing Director.

Tucker flew down to Atlanta for the company’s annual “Amp Camp” training and to interview with founder and CEO Chris Chancey. “At the end of Amp Camp we shook hands on it.”

Tucker hit the ground running, reconnecting with local businesses and immersing himself in the refugee community. Finishing a contract already begun prior, he started six refugees with jobs at Canopy Lawn Care within just weeks of being hired.

With its heavily refugee-populated community and abundance of socially-minded businesses, Tucker has already secured several other contracts with Raleigh-Durham companies, and is certain there will be many more on the horizon.

The only “problem”, he says is, “Now I have a list of businesses I want to start in order to hire refugees!”

Tucker is the descendent of two families with very different American Dream experiences. On one side, his grandparents immigrated to America, fleeing persecution in World War II. On the other, his great-grandparents were born into poverty and worked their way up to become employers in their own community. This family history and his faith has contributed to Tucker’s passion to create opportunity for all people groups to flourish.

“When I first met Tucker, I knew he was the perfect fit for our managing director in Raleigh-Durham,” says company President, Luke Keller. “He’s incredibly gifted in sales and operations, and cares deeply for the refugee community. His attention to detail and his intentionality in serving our clients with excellence is bar none.”

Tucker is eager to connect Raleigh-Durham and Triangle businesses to the dependable Refugee Workforce, who he describes as “kind, humble, and resilient.”

“I’ve been blown away by every refugee I meet,” he shares. “The things they’ve gone through… I am constantly reminded of how impressive these people are and how deserving they are of a reasonable life, a reasonable wage.”

At Amplio, we’re proud to provide a win-win labor shortage solution to businesses in Raleigh-Durham. To learn more about our services and benefits, visit our website or contact us for a quote.