Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1169532
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 Maine Woodworks has evolved from a small operation making unfinished pine furniture into a $1.5 million furniture manufacturer with a 14,000-square-foot pro- duction facility that employs 18 people, approximately half of whom have a disability. Proceeds from Maine Woodworks' sales are used to fund CWS programs and to pay Maine Woodworks' employees. Maine Woodworks in an unusual entity because it has all of the challenges of any other manufactur- ing business in a competitive marketplace. It is both a social enterprise and a business. It doesn't receive any state funding and is self-sustaining. ree years ago, the organization and its board made the decision to invest time and resources in the branding and marketing for Maine Woodworks. ey decided to make Maine Woodworks' social mission a bigger part of its story and shared that story as widely as possible. One part of that story is that it is often very difficult for people with disabilities to find employment on their own and Maine Woodworks and CWS are both helping to address that problem. Maine Woodworks' employees receive rigorous training, learning how to build furniture to spec. Having the opportunity to work and earn an income can be transformative. "When people with disabilities have the opportu- nity to work, it opens a whole world for them to live a fully integrated life in the community, just like anyone else," said Heidi Howard, executive director of Creative Work Systems and Maine Woodworks. Maine Woodworks' rebranding efforts were paired with a Lean Six Sigma initiative that helped make its shop floor as efficient as possible, which has allowed the workshop to increase production. e organization is hoping to eventually have a national footprint and is starting to see significant interest from interior decorators and designers. Creative Work Systems has more than doubled its size in the last four years, which is a strong rate of growth for a nonprofit — most human-centric nonprofits grow at a rate of 2% each year. Today, CWS offers residential support, day programs, case manage- ment, care coordination and employment services to people with disabilities from Waterville to Southern Maine. While Maine Woodworks is not the sole reason for this growth, it certainly has played a role in CWS' ability to expand its services. Leadership at CWS/Maine Woodworks hopes that as more businesses and employers hear about Maine Woodworks' success, that they will become interested in hiring people with disabilities. "e individuals with disabilities who work at Maine Woodworks are such motivated and dedicated employees," says Howard. "Our hope is that more organizations in the future are able to recognize this and integrate people with disabilities into their workforce." C at h e r i n e B e r c e , a M a i n e b i z c o r r e s p o n d e n t , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t e d i t o r i a l @ m a i n e b i z . b i z Scott David Bogdahn at his workstation in the Maine Woodworks workshop in Saco. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Visit mainecreditunions.org to learn more about the campaign or make a donation. Aligned with the shared principle of coming together to give back to their communities, credit unions across the state collectively participate in the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger. Since its inception in 1990, the Campaign has raised over $8.5 million, with 100% of all funds raised staying in Maine. In 2018 alone, $792,901 was raised! 14.4% of Maine households 1 in 5 Maine children are food insecure. and