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Team Member Highlight: Stephen Assink

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Stephen Assink’s passion for people, job experience, and grit make him the perfect fit for Amplio’s Managing Director position, in Atlanta.

Stephen grew up in rural Mississippi, on family farmland. A self-proclaimed “country boy”, he enjoyed all things outdoors with his dad and older brother. His love for play was matched with an equal passion for learning. Stephen excelled at his local private school all the way from kindergarten to graduation, and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi.

There, Stephen found his groove in philosophy, and fell in love with the college experience, and even spent a semester studying abroad in England. After college, he joined “The Fellows Program”, a nine-month post-graduate program in Charlottesville, Virginia so he could better determine which career path to take. He worked part-time at an e-learning company, and ultimately decided to stick around to pursue a higher education at the University of Virginia.

While finishing his masters, Stephen met his wife, Katherine, and the two were married shortly after. His Masters in hand, Stephen landed a job with Thriving Cities, a research company designed to help leaders and local government better understand their environments to know how to best help them.

Able to work remotely, the couple moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Katherine could pursue her bachelors in nursing at Emory University. Stephen continued to travel often, consulting for Thriving Cities.

At the beginning of 2017 he began volunteering on the side with Friends of Refugees, a local organization in the nearby Clarkston community.  “I was motivated by political rhetoric,” Stephen says, referring to the heavily publicized debate over refugee policy. During this time, he grew to understand and love the refugee community, igniting a passion to advocate on their behalf.

Meanwhile, in his career, Stephen began to feel like it was time to look around and see what other opportunities might await. Little did he know, a casual connection would lead him to a job right at the intersection of his experience and passions.

“I knew Luke Keller from church, so I reached out and asked, ‘Do you know anyone hiring?’ and he said, ‘Hey—we’re hiring!’”

It was summer 2017, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Luke and his business partner, Chris Chancey, had experienced rapid growth at their unique recruiting business staffing local companies with refugee workers. Stephen interviewed at and was originally offered a job as Account Manager at Amplio Recruiting.

“I had done account management in the e-learning company I worked for, and operations at a non-profit. I love research—but I also enjoy working with people [and] I believe in the mission of helping immigrants and refugees get jobs.”

Now, Stephen serves as Managing Director of the Atlanta location and spends his days caring for clients, and working with the team to match refugees to open contracts with local companies.

“I’m literally working with people all day every day,” he says. “I won’t romanticize the work—it’s hard.” But every temporary frustration, he says, is outweighed by his passion for staffing Atlanta companies with the Refugee Workforce.

“We’re placing people. We’re placing women—Syrian women. It’s awesome. One, they’re Syrian. Two, they’re women. Three, they don’t speak good English. They don’t have cars, yet they’re flourishing at their jobs. A shift manager came in and said his productivity was up 80%. It was blowing his mind.”

Since 2015, the Amplio team has made it their mission to bridge the gap between local companies experiencing labor shortages, and refugees who can not only fill the jobs, but do a great job.

“How do you know if you’re selling a good service?” Stephen asks, “When you have month-over-month loyalty from customers. I’ve been working with some of the same companies for over a year now and love seeing the impact our employees are having for our clients over time.”

“Stephen has brought a focus on processes and details,” CEO, Chris Chancey, shares. “His goofy sense of humor keeps us all laughing! We can’t imagine our team without him.”

Stephen and the talented team of Amplio are eager to connect you with the most fluent and well-educated members of the refugee community. If you’re feeling the pinch of labor shortages, or in need of increased efficiency and dependability at your workplace, visit our website to learn more about hiring the Refugee Workforce at www.ampliorecruiting.com.

 

Revised: 11/19/2018

Dependable Profiles: Omega Thompson

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For Omega Thompson and his family, refuge in the United States meant the ability to reunite after years of separation.

Omega was born in the coastal country of Liberia, in West Africa. He doesn’t remember the passing of his father at a very young age, nor the bloody civil war that killed more than 200,000 Liberian natives in a seven-year span.

Fearing for their lives, his mom moved the family to the neighboring country of Ivory Coast, where they settled in the port city of San-Pedro. Omega fondly remembers this time, when he says he made many friends, who became like family.

When Omega was 17, his mom left him in the care of his four older brothers, to try her luck at life in the United States, as a refugee. Met with promising opportunities, she eventually applied for family reunification, a program available to the children, spouse or parents of refugees who have been resettled.

In 2008, Omega and two of his older brothers were approved, and left the Ivory Coast to pursue a new future in the United States. They reunited with their mom in the small town of Clarkston, Georgia, a popular hub for refugees in the state.

When asked about the transition, Omega says, “It was difficult, but not too difficult,” adding that his fluency in English has been his biggest asset. Through the help of World Relief, the brothers were able to secure jobs and move into an apartment together.

After working at several jobs, in the U.S., Omega was looking for a good opportunity to grow his skills and move up in a company. While working the overnight at a local bakery, a friend told him about a local business helping refugees find good work. Intrigued, Omega immediately called and set up an appointment to learn more.

He met with Amplio employee, Stephen Assink, a company new-hire with a passion for connecting local companies with dependable refugees. After completing his application, Omega left hopeful for a job that would utilize his talents and help him achieve the independence he longed for.

Soon after, Omega received the phone call he’d been waiting for—a warehouse position had opened at a local hair and beauty product manufacturer, House of Cheatham.

“Stephen said, ‘If you want to do it, I can text you the address and start tomorrow,’” he shares, “So I said, ‘Okay!’”

Omega went to the Amplio office where they equipped him with the protective shoes and clothing required for the job. After catching a ride with a friend, Omega started the next day, stacking boxes in the warehouse.

“That was a Thursday,” he remembers, “On Monday I went back and was promoted to another department.”

A company challenged by the current labor shortage, Omega’s supervisor recognized his unprecedented work ethic and moved him to a department known as “the compound”, where product is mixed and held in large tanks. Within days of starting he received a $3/hour raise and an increase in hours.

Now, just weeks later, Omega has been given the incredible opportunity to be trained on the forklift, a skill that will grant him yet another promotion.

Pride rings in his voice as he praises the company he so loves working for. “I enjoy everything,” he says, “We laugh all day. The department I work in is like a family.”

He says the job has grown him, and given him the ability to become independent; a significant triumph since Omega has plans to marry the love of his life next month.

But he is most thankful for the ongoing support from Amplio. Mainly Stephen, who checks in on him regularly.

“He helped me a whole lot. Every day he would call over and check on me,” he shares. “Most [staffing] companies only care if you are showing up to work, but he checks on me all the time to see how I’m doing.”

Omega tries to “pay it forward by” helping other refugees, translating and telling them about Amplio. “They really need help,” he says, “It’s really difficult for refugees that come to this country and don’t speak or understand English. If there’s any assistance you can offer these people, it would be very awesome.”

Thanks to House of Cheatham, and their partnership with Amplio, Omega and other refugees are able to experience career success, dignity, and the ability to provide for their families. And because of the dependable and driven individuals that make up the refugee workforce, companies like House of Cheatham are experiencing a significant increase in productivity.

Amplio is the only staffing company connecting you with the legal and motivated refugee workforce. We would love to tell you about our distinctive services and the benefits of hiring from this untapped labor pool.

Visit our website to learn more at www.ampliorecruiting.com or give us a call today.

Team Member Highlight: Bethlehem Bidiglen

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Bethlehem Bidiglen, an Ethiopian native, was forced to flee her home country, after standing up for his beliefs put her husband in danger.

While she doesn’t talk much about her early childhood, Bethlehem shares fondly about her experience in Europe, when she was a teen. She moved to France at the age of 16, and spent next ten years eating and breathing French culture.

After being in a relationship, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first son. Alone and overwhelmed, Bethlehem decided to move back to Ethiopia.

“I was not good to stay with my child alone,” she remembers, painfully, “I was really depressed. [So] I went back home and spent a lot of time with my family.”

Bethlehem moved home, spending her days caring for her new son. But after spending more than ten years in France, she struggled to readjust to a very different country than she left behind.

About this time, she was reunited with a childhood friend and the two began dating. He was a successful pharmacist, who was also very involved and expressive when it came to local politics. Despite Bethlehem’s apathy regarding the subject, the two became married and began building a life together.

“We don’t talk about [politics] at home,” Bethlehem laughs. Then continues on, explaining the day that changed their lives forever.

“My husband was opposed to the [current] government. I remember the last time they came [to our] home. They asked me, ‘Where is he?’”

Knowing her husband’s life was in grave danger, she called him, warning him not to come home. He fled immediately.

“God saved him,” Bethlehem emphasizes, “After that he had contact with his cousin, not me, because [we] were afraid they would search my phone.”

After months on the run, her husband was granted asylum in the United States. Bethlehem and her son followed shortly after, resettling in Atlanta in 2015.

Familiar with Western culture after her time in France, Bethlehem shares that the hardest part of resettling was not her own adjustment, but her son’s.

“He was around five,” she explains. “I chose for him. And when [I saw] it was not comfortable, [I felt] very guilty.”

Despite this challenge, the family began taking steps to reestablish their lives. Her husband started a job at a local store, while Bethlehem got a job at the local farmer’s market. But was soon disturbed by their treatment of immigrants like herself.

“Some cashiers would ask permission to go to the toilet and they wouldn’t allow it,” she shares candidly. “Growing up in Europe, employers were respectful and respected my rights. When I came here, I was shocked.”

Bethlehem left the job and started work as a waitress, but after the birth of a second son, long days on her feet became exceedingly difficult.

“I didn’t know what to do because I was really tired, but my boss was a really good person. I was dishwasher, and had to run the food. After two cesareans, it was hard.” She explains.

“I said, ‘God, I need help. Let me get [another] job.’ Then my neighbor said, ‘Come with me.’”

He took Bethlehem and her husband to Amplio Recruiting, a visit she won’t soon forget. “We opened the door, and there was Chris [Chancey]…He was really welcoming.”

“I told him I was looking for a job and He asked what I did before. I told him I was from France and spoke French and he said, ‘Maybe we need you a little bit. We’re going to sign a contract. That’s how it started!” Bethlehem finishes, smiling happily.

But the Amplio CEO shares another side of the story.

“When Bethlehem came with her husband, after finding out what we were doing, she said, ‘I’ll work for free. I just want to do whatever I can to help the community,’” Chris retells, laughing, “What was I supposed to say to that?”

With her linguistic skills and multicultural background, Chris recognized these assets, and offered her an office position at the company.

Just three weeks into the job, she has already moved from part-time to full-time hours. She spends her days helping Amplio employees and learning the ins and outs of the one-of-a-kind staffing company. “My favorite part is being able to help people. Give them hope,” she shares.

Bethlehem, who speaks French, Amharic, and very good English, adds that she is most proud when she is translating. “When Ethiopian people see me working here they are surprised—they are happy to see me here.”

When asked about her future, she talks of taking “office classes”, or continuing her education as a caregiver. “Who knows about my future. I just love helping people,” she says.

These days, her husband is back in school in hopes of returning to the pharmaceutical field. The family was blessed by the arrival of Bethlehem’s mom, last year, who watches the littlest family member while they work, and their oldest attends school. Together, they spend their weekends going to church, playing together, and watching Ethiopian movies from back home.

“I am really happy,” she shares, grateful for the opportunities she has been given.

Closing, she expresses what she hopes the world will come to understand about the refugee community she has grown to love so much. “We don’t choose to be a refugee. Life made us like this. You could, tomorrow, be a refugee. Who knows? We don’t know about tomorrow.”

In light of life’s curveballs, refugees like Bethlehem have proven themselves resilient, hardworking, hopeful—and a benefit to companies who have recognized and utilized these strengths.

At Amplio, our desire is to connect you with the legal and motivated refugee workforce that will not only meet, but exceed, your employment needs.

Contact us today to learn more about our services and benefits and discover whether Amplio employees might be a good fit for your company. Send us an e-mail, or visit our website at www.ampliorecruiting.com to learn more.

 

An Open Letter to Clarkston

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Dear Clarkston,

As Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to take one moment to tell you thank you.

When we started our business to help refugees get jobs in Atlanta, we knew very little about you and the beautiful people that call you “home”.

We did, however, believe that you were comprised of hard-working, resilient people who simply needed  an opportunity to prove themselves in the marketplace. We believed you were made up individuals with big hopes and dreams for themselves, and their families, and that your challenging pasts had birthed within you a strong resolve for the future.

You, Clarkston, have proven our beliefs true time and time again. You have shown up, worked hard and held your heads high. Every time you  walk onto the construction site, clock in to the manufacturing plant, or step into the kitchen we see your pride and your determination shine bright.

 

You are home to the refugee workforce…and the more you prove this ideal to be true, the more you become Atlanta’s only answer for continued economic growth. You are not just the most diverse square mile in the country, but you are home to a people of limitless potential and undeniable dignity.

 

With these ideals in hand, we believe not only will you fill the jobs that this city is dependent on, but you will start the companies that Atlanta will one day be known for.

Thank you for your relentless and joyful pursuit of a better life. We are grateful for you.

 

Sincerely,

Chris Chancey, Amplio Founder & CEO

 

 

Company Story: Decatur City Church, Atlanta GA

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For one Atlanta church, the answer to their biggest challenge was found in the very community they were trying to help.

Three years ago, when North Point was looking to start a church in the Decatur, Georgia area, they knew it must be designed with the same excellence displayed across their other existing campuses.

North Point’s goal is to create comfortable church environments for the unchurched. A goal made more difficult by the fact that Decatur City Church was initially set up to be a portable location, meaning they would not have a building of their own.

A partnership with Emory University allowed them to use one of their conference centers as their weekly hub. Now they faced the challenge of launching a large-scale portable church with a very complicated logistics system, one that would require set up and tear down every single weekend.

Weekly “load in” begins at 12am on Sundays, an 8+ hour process that takes over 25 team members to accomplish. Maintaining this team proved to be a formidable task.

Ryan Fitzgerald, Service Programming Director at Decatur City Church, shares about their early struggles.

“For the first year, we navigated relationships with people,” He shares, “Finding the right people to set up and tear down was one of the biggest stressors.”

In the months following, they continued to struggle with finding a reliable and hard-working team they could build a system around. The situation reached a tipping point.

“We were desperate,” Ryan remembers, “We were even looking on Craigslist.” They looked into various labor solutions, to little or no avail.

In early 2017, the church held a special Sunday focused on refugees, who make up a vast majority of the population within the nearby city of Clarkston.

“Loving our neighbors is what we want to be known for,” Ryan explains, “We spent a Sunday talking about the refugee situation—a big topic in the news at that time.”

As the church leaned into how they could better serve their neighboring refugee community, they were introduced to an idea that might also solve their biggest challenge. Ryan was connected to Chris Chancey, founder of a new company that was staffing local businesses with the refugee workforce.

“We bumped into the idea of what if Amplio could provide people to set up and tear down the church,” Fitzgerald shares, “It seemed like a good opportunity to put our money where our mouth was.”

The church hired a handful of guys through Amplio, and the results were beyond what they could have hoped for. Within the first couple of weeks they were able to achieve the consistency they had been longing for. The collaboration proved to be a big win-win.

“They are incredibly talented, and we get to pitch in and invest in [these] people [who are] figuring out how to make a life work here,” Ryan shares, adding that the church has also established many partnerships in Clarkston, as refugees have become a “big focus” for them.

He shares about the pride the newly hired refugees displayed after just a couple weeks on the job. “One day, at the end, they all took a selfie with the stage behind them to show their families what they did. Here they were, being exposed to high quality production, rivaling [that of] any production industry. They were proud of what they created and [we] felt great about giving them the opportunity to help us in a big way.”

Patrick Riesenberg, who was brought on staff in July of this year, chimes in on the value Amplio workers have brought to the church. Patrick, who works more closely with the team than any other staff, says the coolest aspect of the relationship is the team’s investment in what they do.

“The effort, energy, and excellence they bring is fantastic,” Patrick shares, “It’s a consistent group of key players. They took the time to learn the system and figure out how they could do it better. Seeing that level of ingenuity and dedication has been remarkable.”

Ryan, who was responsible for their onboarding, describes the impact the team has made on overall efficiency.

“When we started working with Amplio, we had a couple [other] labor solutions we were employing at the same time,” he explains, “[In many cases], we were able to replace two workers with one refugee. We want to be great stewards of what [God has] given to us. That was a huge win.”
This partnership has proven beneficial for both parties. Decatur City Church has gained hard-working, reliable, and invested team members. This not only solved their labor shortage problems, but became a great way for them to give back to the community. At the same time, these refugees have gained pride, knowing they are doing meaningful work, while providing for their families.

Strategic partnerships like these are growing all over Atlanta, and into other cities, as Amplio connects great companies with the talented refugee workforce.

We believe this untapped labor pool is the labor shortage solution you’ve been looking for. To connect and learn more about our services and the benefits of hiring refugees, visit our website at www.ampliorecruiting.com.

 

Photos courtesy of Decatur City Church

5 Refugee Myths and Why They’re Wrong

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With the refugee crisis still in the spotlight, it’s important to draw the line between fact and fiction, in order to gain a more accurate worldview on the issue.

To help, we’ve done the research to uncover the truth behind five common refugee myths.

 

Fact: A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Currently, an estimated 60 million men, women, and children are displaced, worldwide, the majority living in refugee camps within countries neighboring their own.

While an immigrant is someone who makes the choice to relocate to another country, a refugee’s only choice is to stay in danger, or flee.

 

 

Fact: Refugees are men, women and children who are often fleeing terrorists themselves.

Terrorist groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram, who are known for their widespread massacres, have caused hundreds of thousands to relocate to safety.

The United States’ meticulous refugee application process can take up to two years. The rigorous 10-step security screening includes confirmation of refugee status by UNHCR, checks against watch lists, biometric screening, and in-person interviews.

Of 800,000+ refugees admitted to the U.S. since September 11, 2001, there is no record of even one committing an act of terrorism.

In an admonishing speech, by U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, she said, “If your aim is to attack the United States, it is hard to imagine a more difficult way of trying to get here than by posing as a refugee.”

 

 

Fact: Immigrants, including refugees, help the economy by starting new businesses, working tough jobs, and paying taxes.

 A study recently done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that refugees have “had a net positive value in the United States over the past decade”—an estimated $291.1 billion in revenues, to be exact.

A report released by the Tent Foundation, explained this phenomenon: “Refugees who take jobs also create them. When they spend their wages, they boost demand for the people who produce the goods and services they consume.”

 

 

Fact: Refugees are given a mere 3-6 months assistance, and are expected to repay the cost of their plane ticket within 3 ½ years of their arrival.

As Samantha Power put it best, “You might be surprised… to learn how little refugees actually receive from the U.S. government. Resettlement agencies are given a one-time amount to cover initial housing, food, and other essential expenses of $2,025 for each refugee.”

With their remarkable resilience and the help of companies and organizations like Amplio, refugees are able to secure housing and jobs within this time frame, all while acclimating to an entirely new language and culture.

 

Fact: Most refugees are taking entry-level jobs, or creating jobs through starting their own businesses.

While most Americans scoff at low-paying service industry jobs, refugees are more than willing to take them on.

The U.S. construction, manufacturing and hospitality industries are experiencing notable labor shortages that refugees can help fill—that is, if they’re not starting their own company. A recent Harvard study showed immigrants are nearly twice as likely to start companies than native-born Americans.

 

The truth is, there are ample jobs to go around, and ample dependable employees to fill them with. Let Amplio connect you with this talented and dependable refugee workforce.

For more information about our services and benefits, visit www.ampliorecruting.com

 

 

 

Team Member Highlight: Chris Chancey, Founder & CEO

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It’s been nearly over four years since Amplio CEO, Chris Chancey, relegated his refugee staffing business to nothing more than another item on his list of failed start-ups. Little did he know, just days later, two auspicious phone calls would put the company back on the map in a big way.

Chris is an only child, raised in south Georgia, an area he fondly describes as “the place where the tea is sweet and people are sweeter!”

But small town living taught Chris some big life lessons. His dad, a mail carrier for the US Postal service, was up and off to work every day before the sun, and spent after-hours coaching Chris’ sports teams and selling products for various direct sales companies.

“I admired his work ethic,” Chris explains, “I saw him model consistency and diligence.”

His mom started as a secretary and finished as an IT director with a local business. “She was constantly learning and never backed down from a challenge,” says Chris, describing her approach to work.

Another childhood influence in Chris’ life was his uncle, the pastor of their local church, who would take him to hospitals to care and pray for the sick and needy.

“We sat in some uncomfortable situations and environments,” Chris remembers, “but selfless moments of being there, and caring for people, and loving on them—it helped make me who I am.”

Unbeknownst to Chris, these influences were shaping him for the unique roll he would fill later in his career.

After graduating, Chris left small-town life behind, moving to big-town Athens, to attend the University of Georgia. It was there that he met, dated and married his wife, Sarah.

Shortly after their wedding, the couple moved to Colorado where Chris attended Denver Seminary to pursue, what he felt was, a calling to pastor. Looking back, he recognizes some “breadcrumb” moments, as he calls them, which led him to where he is today.

“In seminary I had an Old Testament professor who, identified [the Israelites] with modern-day refugees. We would pray, as a class, for the millions of people around the world looking for a safer place to live. My wife and I began to pray this together, too. It was breaking my heart. I remember thinking, this is happening in the world and shouldn’t be that way.”

Around this same time, Chris began taking more of an interest in business. He explains the revelation he had about leveraging it to impact others.

“I thought I was supposed to be a pastor, but I realized, the more I read the Bible, that there’s a lot in scripture about work, business, and stewardship. I thought that [this] would be a great way to leverage the strengths God gave me to serve the world.”

Chris and Sarah started jobs at a local Chick-fil-A and, after just a few months, were given the opportunity to run a restaurant together. This proved to be a huge learning curve, as neither possessed a lot of business experience.

“We made a lot of mistakes, but we learned a lot,” Chris remembers.

Their biggest takeaway was the incredible impact their roles gave them, within their team, and out in the community.  “That gripped us,” he says, “We said, ‘We want our lives to be about that. How can we use business to help as many people as possible?’”

 

Chris graduated with a degree in Business Stewardship, and the couple moved back to Atlanta to be close to family. Chris began working for HOPE International, an organization helping people start businesses in the developing world. He describes this five-year period as “a great season of learning”, with many opportunities to hear from highly successful men and women, and learn how they were leveraging their businesses to serve people.

This idea of social entrepreneurship burned within him. Outside of work, Chris and Sarah continued to try different business ventures, many he now deems “half-baked ideas”. But Chris remained determined.

“There was a point when I put a card in my pocket to take note of the problems I saw in the world. I wanted to write down just three big problems. At one point, I had a few things written down. Suddenly I realized that two things on the list could be solved by each other.”

Those two problems?

  • Refugees are being resettled, but not given opportunities to work
  • A huge labor shortage in the U.S.

 

In their search for affordable housing, close to family, the couple had conveniently moved into a diverse community, made up largely of refugees.

“I was the annoying white guy who would ask, ‘Where are you from?’ Chris laughs, “We would engage people in conversation, but they always ended with talented people telling me they couldn’t find a good job. They were either underemployed, or not employed at all.”

At the same time, Chris was connecting with business owners, through HOPE, who were experiencing a massive shortage of dependable employees.

“It started to click,” he says, “Maybe I’m uniquely positioned to be a part of this.”

 

Chris began testing the waters, taking talented refugees and pairing them with jobs. He battled through whether the company should be non-profit or for-profit, and communicated with companies about the benefits of, what he coined, “the refugee workforce.”

But after a year and a half of connecting more than 75 refugees to jobs, the business hadn’t netted a single dollar. Chris wavered between discouragement, and fear of giving up on a good idea too soon. Unable to figure out a working business model, and wary from working a full-time job and navigating life with a newborn, he closed the  companies “doors” in fall of 2015.

Despite this negative experience, Chris remained optimistic. “There was a thread of hope that if I walked away from it, I would see something,” he shares.

 

Then, just two weeks later, Chris received an unusual phone call from a local company, Engent, Inc.

“Matt told me they wanted to hire forty refugees,” he shares, “but they wanted to hire on our pay roll and workers comp. I told him we couldn’t. I had tried, but there was no precedent in the business.” But when Chris politely declined the VP responded, “I’ll give you three days to figure it out,” and then hung up.

Though caught off guard, Chris quickly regained focus for a scheduled phone meeting with a potential HOPE investor. He hopped on the call, and could hardly believe what happened next.

“Five minutes into the phone call he said, ‘I just sold a successful staffing agency… and now I’m serving as a consultant for start-up staffing companies.’”

Chris was awestruck. “I felt like God had done more in two phone calls, in five minutes, than I had accomplished in a year and a half,” he shares. “We talked about microfinance, then I told the guy everything. He said, ‘If you really want to be set up in three days, I think we can make that happen.’”

The Chicago consultant immediately connected Chris with contractors and partners that could get the company back off the ground—under a working model. Three days later Chris called the company back with the good news, “They couldn’t believe it,” he says.

Since then, Amplio has connected dozens of Atlanta companies with talented refugees. In 2016 the company finished with $300,000 in revenue for the year, finally giving Chris the sense of security needed to leave HOPE to focus on Amplio full time. He also brought Luke Keller, founder of The Lantern Project, on board as a business partner which, as Chris explains, took the company to a new level.

“We were both focused full-time, and able to connect with the right companies, and recruit the right people.”

This growth has allowed them to hire three new Atlanta office team members, since the spring—two of these refugees themselves. They’ve also launched into several cities across the U.S. where local directors are making connections and laying ground for expansion.

Currently, Amplio is projected to close the year at ten times last year’s revenue. Despite this incredible accomplishment, Chris is most proud of seeing his vision being brought to life.

“I enjoy seeing our community thrive through what we’re doing,” he finishes, “I enjoy seeing our team work together towards this bigger vision. Something bigger than ourselves.”

 

Now, Chris has the honor of sharing stories like Banny, Imran, and Mandah across the country. In his free time, he loves exploring new places with his wife, Sarah, and their now 3-year-old son.

Amplio may be a happily-ever-after story, but it was certainly no overnight success. Thanks to the drive and passion of Chris and his team, dozens of businesses are experiencing the benefits of hiring from a previously untapped labor pool—the hard-working and dependable refugee workforce.

If you are an Atlanta, Dallas or Raleigh business owner, we would love to connect and share more about our services and benefits. To learn more, visit www.ampliorecruiting.com.

Five Tips to Nurture a Culturally Responsive Workplace

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As more immigrants and refugees resettle in America, workplaces across the country are more diverse than ever.

Many companies are recognizing the added value these individuals bring to the U.S. economy, and have moved beyond tolerating diversity, to fully embracing it.

But filling your company with employees of different color, language and background can be challenging in many key areas.

Effective communication is fundamental to an efficient workplace, but made even more challenging by varying culture styles.

Unity is imperative to move towards common vision, but a struggle when paradigms mean different values.

Conflict is inevitable in any company, but can be exacerbated by conscious or unconscious prejudices and biases.

This is why, in this day and age, it is imperative for businesses to be trained in and practice cultural responsiveness, sometimes called cultural sensitivity.

Cultural responsiveness is “the ability to learn from and relate respectfully with people of your own culture as well as those from other cultures.” In other words, being aware of, and respecting, the point-of-view of others of others who are different than you.

Whether you’re an owner or an employee in a diverse workplace, or you’re looking to integrate refugee workers into your company, here are five simple ways to become more culturally responsive.

 

1.) Understand the difference between an immigrant and a refugee. 

An immigrant is defined as “a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.” This can include a variety of reasons. Some migrate to be closer to family; others to obtain political or religious freedom; some to pursue prosperity.  Regardless of reason, the term “immigrant” infers a choice.

A refugee is defined as “a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or disaster.” There are currently dozens of countries, across the world, ravaged by civil war, experiencing widespread drought and starvation, and suffering at the hand of oppressive rulers. “Refugee” infers zero choice, other than to stay and suffer, or leave and live.

 

2. Don’t leave anything to chance. 

Communication is key. Be direct with instruction, and don’t assume that the other person immediately understands. Overstate tasks, and ask questions to access comprehension. Avoid demeaning tones, and be patient with questions.

It’s better to over-communicate on the front-end than have to make amends for lost time, resources, or relationship on the back-end.

 

Value them as a person, not just as an employee, or a co-worker. A common leadership saying is, “People don’t care about how much you know until they know about how much you care.”

Did you know that 85% of immigrants (including refugees) in the U.S. have never been inside an American home? The more we close ourselves off, the more we perpetuate our conscious and unconscious prejudices.

Regardless of culture, every human being has the same basic needs of love and belonging. Ask about their country, their experiences, their families and education. Find commonalities, and most important, listen.

 

4. Understand honor-shame culture. 

Whether you are aware or not, the Western world operates under a “guilt-innocence culture”. Basically, people who break the law, or do wrong, are guilty and seek justice or forgiveness to make right their wrong.

This culture greatly differs from the “shame-honor culture” that dominates much of the eastern world. While westerners ask, “Is what I do acceptable?”, individuals from shame-honor cultures ask, “Is who I am acceptable?”

It is crucial to understand these differences in the workplace, in order to understand others’ actions and responses. For instance, someone from an honor-shame culture would rather not show up than be late and embarrass (shame) his or herself. On the flip side, they will jump through hoops and work hard to bring honor to their family and people group.

 

5. Praise publicly and challenge privately. 

This is a great general rule of thumb for any leader, but especially when dealing with those who operate under the honor-shame mindset. When dealing with conflict, undone or incorrect tasks and other common workplace experiences, it is of utmost importance to protect the honor of your employee. Correction is necessary, but shame is optional. Calmly meet, privately, with the person to address the problem.

Oppositely, when you recognize an employee or co-worker going above and beyond the call of duty, take the time to commend them in front of others. This will go a long way in your relationship—a person who feels valued will be productive and lifelong team members.

 

Featured Location: Raleigh, NC

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The Triangle is the area of North Carolina anchored by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. These university cities comprise a diverse and dynamic community that is attracting both young professionals and refugees alike.

In fiscal 2016, North Carolina was one of the ten states that resettled more than half of refugees arriving in the United States. Many of the 3,342 North Carolina took in landed in popular Triangle area.

Affordable housing and growing job opportunities are definite attractors, but it is the area’s receptiveness that is the icing on the cake, a factor most likely attributed to its abundance of university students.

But no open-minded communities are exempt to the occasional holdouts. Local businessman, Nate Hill, describes the cultural climate towards refugees as “pretty good”.

“There’s a lot of controversy,” he shares, “There’s a lot of support—yard signs that say ‘Refugees welcome here’, [but] still hesitancy about how it will play out.”

This controversy stems from concerns after the 2015 Paris attacks that left 130 people dead and three times as many injured. The attacks were attributed to ISIL—the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, otherwise known as Syria.

Immediately, politicians across America rose up, demanding increased security and screening of incoming refugees. Of the first was North Carolina governor Pat McCrory, who stated, “I am making a request to the President of the United States to cease allowing immigrants coming from Syria until we get thorough verification that all the immigrants coming in are not safety risks.”

McCrory’s predecessor, current Governor Roy Cooper, stood by this stance, however, criticized President Trump’s 2017 immigration order, issuing the statement, “…We need to make sure that our homeland is safe and the vetting process is thorough and that it is tough. But at the same time we do not need a religious test.”

Despite initial concerns, North Carolina ended up settling more than 600 Syrian refugees in 2016 alone, many settling in Durham. World Relief, an international organization, is one of the many nonprofits helping these new arrivals to thrive. “The Triangle area is a very welcoming place,” says senior case specialist, Jenny Bodnar, “Our office has more volunteers than any other World Relief office in the country. This community is very supportive of refugees and a welcoming place for newcomers.”

Many other churches and organizations have taken the lead to help these new arrivals navigate the challenges of adapting to their new life. Government assistance, in the area, lasts a mere 90-180 days after refugees arrive, a mere drop in the hat when one is expected to find housing, secure a job, and learn a new language, among other things.

In this regards, one big benefit to refugees is The Triangle’s flourishing economy. In fact, it’s growing job market and affordable cost of living earned the Raleigh-Durham the number 4 spot in MoneyWatch’s Best City for Job Seekers in 2017.

While new businesses pop onto the scene, daily, many of these opportunities are created by shortages. Shortages, he says, that are most evident in the construction and service industries—housekeeping, custodial service, yard maintenance and more. This “non-glamorous” work tends to be high in turnover, but makes for  the perfect “in” for newly arrived refugees eager to get back on their feet.

Amplio Managing Director, Tucker Stevens, is working hard to close the gap between The Triangle’s eager refugee community and businesses in need. Amplio is the only Raleigh staffing company connecting companies to this highly beneficial, but mostly untapped labor pool—the refugee workforce.

If you are among the many socially responsible business owners within The Triangle, who are passionate about leveraging your company to positively impact lives, we would love to connect.

E-mail Tucker or visit our website at www.ampliorecruiting.com to learn more about our distinct Raleigh staffing services.

 

Amplio Places First in Annual Lion’s Den Pitch Competition

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This week, Amplio founder, Chris Chancey, and business partner, Luke Keller, traveled to Birmingham for the 4th annual Lion’s Den event at Samford University.

“The… event features 4 businesses presenting to 300 attendees and a Panel of Lions in a pitch competition similar to a “Shark Tank” type experience with a twist. The Kingdom-focused Panel will look for sharp business minds focused on producing financial, social, environmental, and spiritual results in their chosen endeavors, known as the “quadruple bottom-line”. Live audience voting will determine the business that best survives The Lion’s Den.” (from The Lion’s Den website)

Amplio’s powerhouse team stole the show—winning 1st place by a wide margin after live audience voting.

Congratulations Chris and Luke on your phenomenal accomplishment!

 

 

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