In a post-pandemic world, many Vancouver businesses continue to struggle with their hiring efforts thanks to a shift in mindset in today’s workforce. However, for one local entrepreneur and her beloved restaurants, finding a capable and hardworking employee only requires an understanding of resources, a willingness to be patient, and setting aside stereotypes by understanding that good help isn’t hard to find…you just have to look in the right place.
Both The Cove on SE Columbia Way and The Hammond on NW Lake Road are restaurants owned and operated by spirited business owner Gwen Goodrich, who relishes the impact her food and services have on patrons. However, perhaps not as obvious is the impact her restaurants have on those living with IDD, or individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In fact, since partnering with Trillium Employment Services, The Cove as well as The Hammond have welcomed a number of IDD employees to their team over the past few years, building a framework for a working family within the business that cares as much about each other as they do their product.
To learn more, we sat down and spoke with both Karen Williams of Trillium and Gwen Goodrich, owner of The Cove and The Hammond.
“My father and I both opened the Hammond in 2018,” says Goodrich. “We built The Cove during COVID and opened it in August of 2021. My dad, George, has been in the restaurant industry since he was a teenager and has done consulting for years. I was actually in the wine industry for 10 years prior to opening The Hammond.”
Clearly, this dynamic father-daughter duo has put their unique skill sets and experience to incredible use with these two businesses, with Gwen specializing in running the front-of-the-house while her dad handles the kitchen. However, while this pair serves as the roots for their family-oriented businesses, it is their team building and hiring that has blossomed the identities of these local hubs.
“We were approached by Trillium early on as they actually had an idea for one specific candidate in their employee pool, setting up a trial shift to see if it was a good fit for both us and them,” says Goodrich. “We wanted to make sure we provided a welcoming environment that offered tasks they could feel confident and comfortable about. We really had an amazing working relationship with this type of employee and have since grown in that department.”
Trillium, which linked up with The Cove back when they opened in 2021, specializes in providing services that help recruit, train, and retain employees with disabilities.
“Trillium started in the early 80s, so this type of service has been around for a long time,” says Williams. “We support about 750 people with developmental disabilities and around 450 companies across many industries.”
“Our IDD employees have been amazing and extremely committed to their job as well as are well loved by the whole staff,” says Goodrich. “It’s no different than how we hire any of our employees.”
To boost this testimony by Goodrich, Williams from Trillium provided some unique stats to back the business benefits of employing people with disabilities. For example, 62% of employees with IDD have kept their job for three years or longer, a 70% positive relationship to market performance, and performance from IDD employees ranging between 75%-89% when it comes to attendance, motivation, integration with co-workers, work quality, adaptability, etc.
“It’s really important for us that we make a placement with an employer that’s a value add,” says Williams. “We want to make an addition that furthers a team’s goals. This is not a social program but rather helping businesses tap into a talent pool that they didn’t realize they had access to.”
“We are very fortunate to not have a high turnover,” says Goodrich. “I believe we now have three employees with IDD and I honestly cannot wait to bring on more. During our trial shifts they are assigned to a sous chef and also have a rep from Trillium to uncover just what kind of job they not only like but excel at.”
The Cove actually recently won the award for Most Inclusive Small Business for Clark County for their 24th annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month event, having been nominated by one of their employees along with a couple of employees from Trillium.
“It definitely came out of nowhere,” says Goodrich. “We felt so grateful and honored.”
Goodrich, admirably proud of her team at both restaurants, underscored the importance of hiring employees with IDD and the positive impact that comes with it on not only a moral ground, but across the entire businesses.
“I think it’s important that when you have a business in any community that your staff reflect that community,” says Goodrich. “We need to have an open mind on what anybody’s capabilities are, and we have only had one great experience after another. Trillium has been amazing to work with.”
