If you stop into a Starbucks across the North Shore of Massachusetts, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter someone trained and supported by Northeast Arc. Currently, 9 individuals with disabilities or autism are employed at stores in Beverly, Gloucester, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody, Salem, Saugus, and Swampscott. It’s the result of a partnership with the coffee chain dating back to 2019.
Sal Palermo, a job developer at Northeast, conceived of the idea while grabbing his daily cup of coffee at the MarketStreet Lynnfield location.
“I saw how busy it was, and that no one was really cleaning up the tables or refilling things,” says Palermo. “So, I approached the store manager with a list and I said, ‘This is what we could do. I have someone that could help your store.’”
That outreach resulted in Brett Gray, a Peabody resident being hired, where he worked with his job coach Michael Blunt, now a program manager in NeArc’s Community Employment division.
“We basically experimented: What is Brett good at? How can he support [Starbucks]? How could Brett fill in and make the jobs of other employees more efficient?” recalls Blunt. Eventually that work with Gray became the model for how other Starbucks employees could be trained. A key component, says Blunt, was the partnership with Starbucks store managers. “They understood us, they worked with us. So, it was a partnership, a constant back-and-forth in a positive way.”
That type of relationship is one of the keys to success when it comes to matching individuals with local employers. Northeast Arc currently supports more than 130 people in a range of roles, from food service to retail to manufacturing to administrative positions. Most individuals are referred for support to Northeast Arc by the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services or MassAbility. Some participants go straight into jobs, while others receive hands-on training through Project parcels or Project Pizza, a collaboration with Amazing Pizza and More in Salem.
Supported employment is critical to the employees – especially because of chronic under-employment among people with disabilities – but also to the employers. Northeast Arc’s team works hard to help companies fill staffing gaps.
“I would say [our participants] were set up for success by our training programs. They show up for their shift. They’re not calling out. This job is meaningful to them. They want to work and be part of the Starbucks community.” says Lauren Tobey, service manager in NeArc’s Community Employment division. She adds that Starbucks is sending a strong signal by hiring workers with diverse abilities. “I think it shows that larger companies can be inclusive. We can make the point to other corporations, other larger businesses, that you’re going to have reliable worker showing up wanting to work and eager to learn.”
Starbucks has shown its commitment to inclusion through its foundation, which recently awarded a $1,000 Neighborhood Grant to support NeArc’s supported employment efforts.
Blunt hopes that the Starbucks partnership will inspire other large organizations to hire people with disabilities.
“They have the resources and the manpower to support our individuals,” says Blunt, also highlighting the importance of routine. “They all have a specific way of doing things. So, I think that’s really helpful for a lot of our individuals. They love the structure.”
For his part, Palermo is always looking for new partnerships – whether it’s major corporation or a mom-and-pop operation. Because for Palermo, each new relationship is a chance to connect someone with meaningful employment.
“I’m not afraid to ask and have a conversation,” says Palermo. “I love going up to the employers and talking to them and saying, ‘Hey, would you hire somebody?’ And if they say no, that’s okay, I’ll go back in 6 months.”