May 8, 2025 • 22 mins
“What happens when life knocks you down—and no one seems willing to help you up?”
In this heartfelt and inspiring episode of CEOs You Should Know, host Matt Holliday of 96.7 KISS FM Austin sits down with Keith Sommer, Senior Vice President of YSK Talent Solutions, a nonprofit staffing agency powered by Goodwill Central Texas. What starts as a casual chat about career paths quickly unfolds into a masterclass on resilience, reinvention, and the incredible power of purpose-driven work. Keith takes us behind the scenes of his own personal journey—from broadcast journalism to being laid off and facing uncertainty—to discovering a mission-driven career at Goodwill. His vulnerability sets the tone for a deeper conversation about transforming not just individual lives, but entire communities, through education and employment. Listeners will discover:
- The powerful and often misunderstood scope of Goodwill Central Texas and how it operates like a business engine for social good.
- How YSKTalent Solutions supports everyone from those reentering society after incarceration to highly-skilled professionals seeking a fresh start.
- The wraparound services YSK provides, from transportation to financial literacy coaching—ensuring that those placed in jobs are supported in every aspect of their lives.
- The remarkable true story of a formerly incarcerated man who became a CDL instructor and bought his first home—all because someone believed in him.
🔥 Memorable Quote: “If you’re willing to put in the time, energy, and effort—we’ll walk with you. You’re not doing it alone.”
Whether you’re navigating your own career crossroads or just want to hear how real-world leaders are changing lives every day, this episode delivers inspiration, insight, and heart.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My name's Matt Holliday from ninety six to seven Kiss
FM here in Austin, Texas with senior vice president of
GSG Talent Solutions, part of Goodwill Central Texas Keith Summer.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hi, Keith, Hey, Matt, how are you? Thanks for having
me today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm doing fantastic.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I'm doing wonderful.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So it's funny the way I like to start these
things off. I don't want to make it seem like, oh,
he didn't do his homework or oh he didn't do
his research, because I kind of like to go into
this not knowing much, because that might be a listener
or someone that we that we talk to every day
on the radio station that may not know. So I
like to kind of view it from their perspective when
(00:38):
I learn about you and your guys' company or whoever
I'm interviewing whatever CEO or senior vice president today. So
I guess, first off, tell me a little bit about yourself? Sure,
free standard question?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Absolutely? Yeah, help me Matt. So again, Keith Summer, senior
vice president of GSG Talent Solutions with Goodwill Central Texas
and a little bit about me Originally from San Antonio,
Whent School at Texas Tech was a broadcast journalism major,
so spent a little time in front of the camera
and then also behind the camera doing sales, and then
(01:11):
got into leadership roles within the media industry for the
first part of my career.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Then in.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Gousa was twenty two thousand and nine twenty ten, went
through layoff and had to recreate myself and I was
unemployed for about a year. It was a real hard
time during that time, and I ended up getting referred
to a friend of mine's wife over at Goodwill and
she said, they said, you know, hey, come talk to us.
(01:40):
You know, we might have a job for you. And
I said, I've never done retail. I don't know anything
about thrift and they laughed and said, Goodwill is so
much more. You've just come talk to us. You've got
to learn what we do here. And so I started
at Goodwill and they brought me in originally to create
and run a private staffing age agency. So we already
(02:01):
had government contract with the state of Texas, and that
contract is specifically designed to help people with medical barriers
and persons with disabilities connect to work with the state.
So it was really a rewarding opportunity to be part
of an organization that's giving back and trying to help
people connect to work, and we were making it larger.
(02:22):
We were going to go call on commercial businesses all
over Central Texas. So I came in and became part
of that as the first sales guy. Air quotes just happened.
You can't see them, and we built out a really
amazing operation. We've helped thousands of people connect to employment,
and I've since moved up into senior executive leadership and
(02:43):
I'm just extremely passionate about what I do helping people
and the mission that we have at Goodwill Central Texas
and GSG Talent Solutions.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
That's what it's all about. Yeah, I love it. So yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I can already think of so many questions I have,
But I guess the first one let's go back to,
like you mentioned, maybe the average Joe might think Goodwill
is just all at a thrift store and that's it. Yeah,
but you said there's so much more, so much to it.
Explain a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Do we have four hours? I'll just say I'm gonna say,
but you know what I mean, do it as condensed
as possible. Yeah. So, so every Goodwill is independent from
each other. So every good Will think of them almost
like a territory. So Goodwill Central Texas completely different than
Goodwill San Antonio all over the country. So each Goodwill
has its own CEO, its own boarder, directors, and decides
(03:33):
what business units are going to be in that particular territory.
So thrift is the commonality amongst all of them. We
are a thrift retailer. People donate. The money that we
generate from the sales goes back to support the mission
that we provide, which is transforming people's lives through the
(03:54):
power of education and work. And so people come into
Goodwill and they say, I need help find a job,
I don't know how to write a resume, whatever their
block or obstacle might be. We give free services to
those people that we self fund, and we fund those
through social enterprises, through business lines. So everyone knows thrift
(04:17):
good Will retail, but we have so much more. So
I personally oversee the rest of our B to B
business units. So we have a nonprofit staffing company called
GSG Talent Solutions. We operate very much like a regular
staffing agency. We do direct hire, tempt to perm solutions
payrolling services. I think what makes us really unique and
(04:37):
different though, is we provide wrap around services to our
temporary employees who are out on an assignment. So if
someone calls us and says, hey, I can't get to work, well,
we're going to help them with a bus pass, or
we're going to get them an uber, or if they
say my car broke down, we're going to fix their car.
Or if they need help with their utility bills or
grocery bill or cell phone bill, we're going to help
(04:59):
them be able to satisfy and take care of that
immediate need to make sure they can get to work
and show up, while at the same time coming alongside
them and helping them with financial literacy or budgeting solutions
and trying to help them improve where they're currently at.
So six months from now, they don't have to ask
(05:20):
for help and support because they've learned how to how
to budget or save their money in a different, more
efficient fashion. And so that's a really cool piece that
we do. I also oversee our commercial janitorial company. I
oversee our commercial three pl fulfillment company, and our commercial
landscaping company.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So yeah, we've got a few things. In all, the
revenue that we generate from those nonprofit business lines go
back to help fund the free services we provide to
the community for people in need.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you said, yeah, like you said the mission correct.
Is there a statement specific statement or sentence you guys have,
yes'll tell us yes.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
There is. I actually already did. I snuck it in there.
I did hopefully transforming people's lives through the power of
education and work.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
There you go, You like how I did that? No,
it's great, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Well, and you know those are just the business line.
So we also have we have an adult high school
called the Excel Center and the Excel So if someone
did not life happens, you know, happens to everybody. If
someone had to drop out of high school. It used
to be you couldn't go back to high school after
a certain age in the state of Texas. Wow, we
advocated and got that law changed back in like twenty fourteen,
(06:38):
and now we have an adult high school where folks
between the ages of eighteen and fifty three years old
can go back to school and get their high school
diploma and set themselves up for success. We also have
our good Will career in technical academy that has TWC
approoved certifications for in high demand industries and so you
(07:01):
can actually go back and get your diploma, your high
school diploma and some industry certifications and really set yourself
up career wise to have a career, not just a job.
And so it's really amazing to see the lives that
are transformed during that. Good Will is also big on sustainability.
(07:22):
Obviously being a thrift store, you know, the steps that
the product goes through before it hits the landfill is amazing.
We try to do everything we can in our power
to sell it, repurpose it, whatever it might be, to
minimize the impact on the environment.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I guess this is just a little random question. When
you were talking about the territories, just so I have
an idea how many territories are there, like in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
That's a I should know that.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Oh, like a ballpark, it's like in.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And fifty around there.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Okay, just to get idea of like how how big
you guys are and how many different I guess routes
you can go as far as you know your mission
and how you guys accomplish it. So let's see another
thing that I heard people you said with maybe medical
(08:19):
disabilities or some other sort of disabilities, is are your
guys' services just limited to those folks or could it
be anyone?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Great question, It can be anyone.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
We we work with folks. I mean, that's just one
part of our mission. We also help folks who may
be formally incarcerated second chance hiring. But we also we
also work with businesses and agencies that requires very strict
background thresholds. We work with entry level administrative positions, production
(08:56):
technicians and manufacturing all the way up to doctors, attorneys, biochemists, epidemiologists, accountants,
I mean across the board.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's great because you know, like
you said, life happens, and you know that's that's just
the way it is. Sometimes someone may have a much
easier path to what they want to accomplish than someone
someone could have a really tough road ahead of them
to get something that maybe someone else could easily attain.
(09:31):
But that's great that you guys can help anyone.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's really it's really cool, and it's it's extremely rewarding
as a leader and as someone who had had went
through unemployment for an extended period of time at one
point in my career that when you go through that,
it's it's very humbling. Most of us don't expect to
go through that. I think, I think for myself. I
(09:55):
can only speak for myself. I lost confidence in my
ability and and it was a really scary time. So
that's what our folks are going through, and it's important
for us to be there for them. And that's why
we have the GCTA and the Excel Center that we
have our job placement services. We also have a whole
workforce Advancement team that meets their case managers who meet
(10:18):
with folks who come in and they help career path
them into what they want to do. Another thing we
provide is free counseling for our employees, both internal and
our temp employees.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, So I want to talk about that with the
like you said, the L word layoffs, because I feel
like now more than ever, I mean, like you said,
it's happened almost everyone, It's happened to you, it's happened
to me. I've been there too. Let's go back to
twenty twenty one. I just move to Orlando, Florida and
(10:51):
three months into the job. I'm just getting settled. I
have my new apartment lease. I think everything's going great
and the job and I get laid off. That same
feeling that you were talking about, it's like the world stops.
But then also a million thoughts are going through your head.
(11:12):
Oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? What can
I stay here? How am I gonna pay my rent?
How am I going to afford to eat and live?
Pay my car bill?
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Million thoughts? Million, what's happening?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Yeah, so let's put myself maybe in someone who could
possibly be listening shoes. I get laid off here in
Central Texas and I'm looking to get back into the
job market. What would be my first steps in approaching GSG.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah. So we have our community centers called the Goodwill
Community Centers located at ten fifteen Norwood Park Boulevard here
in Austin, and you can come there and go into
intake and they'll do an assessment, see where you're at,
and you'll get assigned a case manager, and that case
manager will help you. We're not everything to everybody. Our
(12:03):
focus is employment. We're trying to get you a job.
We do provide financial support on many levels, but depending
on the severity of your situation. We are partnered with
many other nonprofits in the community. We work really closely
with them. So if it's housing, we might refer you
out to someone who specializes in housing. If it's food sustainability,
(12:24):
we might work with the Central Texas Food Bank or
another partner out there. The goal is to make sure
you're stabilized and that you have a foundation. And because
that's critical, is to have that foundation. I have a
place to live, i have food on my tables, I've
got childcare, and I've got transportation. If you can stabilize
(12:46):
those four things, then let's get you a job. Let's
get you a job where you can dive in and
you can be successful and we can create a career
with an organization.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah. Man, you guys must get tons of different like
I said, paths of life, you know, coming through your
guys's doors.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
If you could.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Maybe narrow it down to or maybe generalize the majority
of folks that come in, what are some of the
most common stories you hear, maybe as of recent of
folks walking in. Let's say in that same category of
I just lost my job and I'm looking for employment.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Wow, that's a tough question. So let me share a story.
A gentleman came in one time. It's formally incarcerated, and
he came in he needed help. He had been applying
for a job and nobody would hire him. So he
enrolled at the GCTA and he got his CDL certification.
(13:50):
So we have CDL certifications, phlebotomy, CNA, medical coding, and billing,
electrical helper. We have a lot of different avenues people
can take and shows CDL. We got him a job
through GSG Talent Solutions, driving for a local company, and
he showed up for work every day. He had a
(14:10):
great attitude. He over six months, he got promoted. Well,
he became a team lead, then he became a supervisor.
Then he became their training coach who was training the
new CDL drivers that came into the organization. So he
got promoted and all this happened over a period of time.
(14:31):
So he was a temporary employee with us for about
ninety days. Then he went permanent with the company that
we had placed him with, and that's where he got
these other promotions. Well, he circled back with us at
one point and thanked us and he said, you have
no idea what getting my CDL certification did for my life,
(14:51):
and y'all placing me with an amazing company. I bought
my first car, I now have a family, and I
just bought a house.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
And those are the life changing I mean, I just
got chills just telling you the story. Those are the
life changing stories that we hear. And you know, I
know that they don't happen to everyone, but that's my
dream and vision is that it can happen to everyone.
And that's why I do what I do every day
and I wake up and I show up.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And as we're talking and learning more about you guys,
it almost it's a thought in the back of my
head that maybe people listening to this right now might
hear it's like this is too good to be true,
Like where is the catch in this?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Where what is it really? Yeah, there's no cats.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I mean, if you're willing to put in the time,
energy and effort, we're willing to put in the time,
energy and effort with you. You're not walking alone. You've
got a team of people who their mission is to
transform your life through education at work. That's what we're
here to do.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Wow, I want to know just from your perspective. I mean,
I feel like you may have talked about this several times,
but when you wake up in the morning and get
ready to go to work, what is the thing you
are most excited to do?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I would say, engage with my team and my peers.
I believe as a leader, my job is to care
about my people and put them first before revenue, before
job placement, before anything else. It's my team, my internal team.
(16:47):
Because if I put them first and I'm a servant
leader for them, the rest will take care of itself
because they will know where they stand with me. They
know that I'm an open book, I'm transparent, I'm loyal, trustworthy,
and if we can establish that in an organization, everything
(17:10):
else will take care of itself. Outstanding customer service will
take care of itself, partnerships will take care of themselves.
All of that will take care of itself. When you
take care of your team.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
I mean, it shows how much you guys have accomplished.
I mean it takes it.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Like you said, it takes you know, the person walking
through the door takes their their effort. Yeah, but it
also takes your guys' effort too. On your side, you
guys do a lot a lot of hard work and
put a lot of effort in on your your own time,
and man, you all have helped so many people.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Thank you very much, and you know, shout out to
my team because they are phenomenal. Shout up they do.
They do an amazing job, and I'm blessed and grateful
that I just get to be a part of that
with them.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Now, that also comes with some challenges and having to
overcome things. Like we said, life happens. I feel like
I may know the answer, but the hardest thing you've
had to overcome, let's say, personally for you in your life,
I would love to know.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Man, I don't want to cry on air, so personally, personally,
I would say it was when I when I got
laid off, I had opportunities to move out of the state.
I had jobs. However, I had also recently just gone
through a divorce and I have two daughters shout out
(18:42):
to Tannis and Tatum, and I did not want to
leave them.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, so I took the.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Road less traveled and probably the harder road, which is
why I was unemployed for a while until I found
where I should be which was goodwill. So that was
probably the hardest, most difficult thing in my life personally,
I guess professionally as well. They kind of went hand
in hand. Yeah, but i'd tay like more recently, it's
(19:13):
it's change management. You know, change is always happening, and
how do you keep a team together and inspired and
believing even in the midst of change. And I think
it's my job as a leader to create a safe
space for frustrations and feelings to be shared, while at
(19:35):
the same time keeping us pointed in the right direction
and remembering why we're here. It's for the mission. It's
for the people who walk in the door, and it's
to transform their lives. And yeah, ours are shaken up
a little bit here and there, but we have a
job to do and we need to come to work
with our mission hat on and perform it for our
(19:57):
clients who walk in our door.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
You got have you guys have and you do and
you continue to do.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
As we wrap up, I want to ask which I
ask first?
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Because, like I said, as we've been learning about GSG
talent solutions through goodwill, I keep trying to think of
those listening right now that may think now, but that's
not my situation. Now, that's different. I have way too much. No, no, no,
(20:32):
you don't know my situation. You guys can't help me.
I just want to reaffirm to them that no matter
what your situation is, you guys are a place they
can go to.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Absolutely And you know what if if it's not a fit,
let us connect you to a place where it is. Yeah,
that's what we want to be. We want to be
that hub. Our CEO, Rob Neville has a vision and
it's a powerful vision and and and I love being
a part of an organisation that both lives in the
moment and looks forward three, five and ten years. And
(21:06):
we want to be that connector bringing people together, bringing
nonprofits together, bringing this community together to really make a
difference in people's lives.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Through education and employment.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Education and work, education and work, transforming people's lives.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Transforming people's lives through education and work. So I'm interested
in coming to GSG.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Where do I go? Website? Phone number? Do I email?
Where is the first step?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah? So the GSG website is a dot com It's
GSG Talentsolutions dot com. And then you also have Goodwill
Central Texas dot org. So either way you can connect
with the organization and.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
They will transform people's lives through.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
The power of education. Network.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
There we go, Keith, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Hey, thank you, thank you so much for having me on.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
That was Keith Summer, senior vice president of GSG Talent Solutions,
part of Goodwill Central Texas.
My name's Matt Holliday from ninety six to seven Kiss
FM here in Austin, Texas with senior vice president of
GSG Talent Solutions, part of Goodwill Central Texas Keith Summer.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hi, Keith, Hey, Matt, how are you? Thanks for having
me today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm doing fantastic.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I'm doing wonderful.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So it's funny the way I like to start these
things off. I don't want to make it seem like, oh,
he didn't do his homework or oh he didn't do
his research, because I kind of like to go into
this not knowing much, because that might be a listener
or someone that we that we talk to every day
on the radio station that may not know. So I
like to kind of view it from their perspective when
(00:38):
I learn about you and your guys' company or whoever
I'm interviewing whatever CEO or senior vice president today. So
I guess, first off, tell me a little bit about yourself? Sure,
free standard question?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Absolutely? Yeah, help me Matt. So again, Keith Summer, senior
vice president of GSG Talent Solutions with Goodwill Central Texas
and a little bit about me Originally from San Antonio,
Whent School at Texas Tech was a broadcast journalism major,
so spent a little time in front of the camera
and then also behind the camera doing sales, and then
(01:11):
got into leadership roles within the media industry for the
first part of my career.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Then in.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Gousa was twenty two thousand and nine twenty ten, went
through layoff and had to recreate myself and I was
unemployed for about a year. It was a real hard
time during that time, and I ended up getting referred
to a friend of mine's wife over at Goodwill and
she said, they said, you know, hey, come talk to us.
(01:40):
You know, we might have a job for you. And
I said, I've never done retail. I don't know anything
about thrift and they laughed and said, Goodwill is so
much more. You've just come talk to us. You've got
to learn what we do here. And so I started
at Goodwill and they brought me in originally to create
and run a private staffing age agency. So we already
(02:01):
had government contract with the state of Texas, and that
contract is specifically designed to help people with medical barriers
and persons with disabilities connect to work with the state.
So it was really a rewarding opportunity to be part
of an organization that's giving back and trying to help
people connect to work, and we were making it larger.
(02:22):
We were going to go call on commercial businesses all
over Central Texas. So I came in and became part
of that as the first sales guy. Air quotes just happened.
You can't see them, and we built out a really
amazing operation. We've helped thousands of people connect to employment,
and I've since moved up into senior executive leadership and
(02:43):
I'm just extremely passionate about what I do helping people
and the mission that we have at Goodwill Central Texas
and GSG Talent Solutions.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
That's what it's all about. Yeah, I love it. So yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I can already think of so many questions I have,
But I guess the first one let's go back to,
like you mentioned, maybe the average Joe might think Goodwill
is just all at a thrift store and that's it. Yeah,
but you said there's so much more, so much to it.
Explain a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Do we have four hours? I'll just say I'm gonna say,
but you know what I mean, do it as condensed
as possible. Yeah. So, so every Goodwill is independent from
each other. So every good Will think of them almost
like a territory. So Goodwill Central Texas completely different than
Goodwill San Antonio all over the country. So each Goodwill
has its own CEO, its own boarder, directors, and decides
(03:33):
what business units are going to be in that particular territory.
So thrift is the commonality amongst all of them. We
are a thrift retailer. People donate. The money that we
generate from the sales goes back to support the mission
that we provide, which is transforming people's lives through the
(03:54):
power of education and work. And so people come into
Goodwill and they say, I need help find a job,
I don't know how to write a resume, whatever their
block or obstacle might be. We give free services to
those people that we self fund, and we fund those
through social enterprises, through business lines. So everyone knows thrift
(04:17):
good Will retail, but we have so much more. So
I personally oversee the rest of our B to B
business units. So we have a nonprofit staffing company called
GSG Talent Solutions. We operate very much like a regular
staffing agency. We do direct hire, tempt to perm solutions
payrolling services. I think what makes us really unique and
(04:37):
different though, is we provide wrap around services to our
temporary employees who are out on an assignment. So if
someone calls us and says, hey, I can't get to work, well,
we're going to help them with a bus pass, or
we're going to get them an uber, or if they
say my car broke down, we're going to fix their car.
Or if they need help with their utility bills or
grocery bill or cell phone bill, we're going to help
(04:59):
them be able to satisfy and take care of that
immediate need to make sure they can get to work
and show up, while at the same time coming alongside
them and helping them with financial literacy or budgeting solutions
and trying to help them improve where they're currently at.
So six months from now, they don't have to ask
(05:20):
for help and support because they've learned how to how
to budget or save their money in a different, more
efficient fashion. And so that's a really cool piece that
we do. I also oversee our commercial janitorial company. I
oversee our commercial three pl fulfillment company, and our commercial
landscaping company.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So yeah, we've got a few things. In all, the
revenue that we generate from those nonprofit business lines go
back to help fund the free services we provide to
the community for people in need.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you said, yeah, like you said the mission correct.
Is there a statement specific statement or sentence you guys have,
yes'll tell us yes.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
There is. I actually already did. I snuck it in there.
I did hopefully transforming people's lives through the power of
education and work.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
There you go, You like how I did that? No,
it's great, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Well, and you know those are just the business line.
So we also have we have an adult high school
called the Excel Center and the Excel So if someone
did not life happens, you know, happens to everybody. If
someone had to drop out of high school. It used
to be you couldn't go back to high school after
a certain age in the state of Texas. Wow, we
advocated and got that law changed back in like twenty fourteen,
(06:38):
and now we have an adult high school where folks
between the ages of eighteen and fifty three years old
can go back to school and get their high school
diploma and set themselves up for success. We also have
our good Will career in technical academy that has TWC
approoved certifications for in high demand industries and so you
(07:01):
can actually go back and get your diploma, your high
school diploma and some industry certifications and really set yourself
up career wise to have a career, not just a job.
And so it's really amazing to see the lives that
are transformed during that. Good Will is also big on sustainability.
(07:22):
Obviously being a thrift store, you know, the steps that
the product goes through before it hits the landfill is amazing.
We try to do everything we can in our power
to sell it, repurpose it, whatever it might be, to
minimize the impact on the environment.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I guess this is just a little random question. When
you were talking about the territories, just so I have
an idea how many territories are there, like in the country.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
That's a I should know that.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Oh, like a ballpark, it's like in.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
And fifty around there.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Okay, just to get idea of like how how big
you guys are and how many different I guess routes
you can go as far as you know your mission
and how you guys accomplish it. So let's see another
thing that I heard people you said with maybe medical
(08:19):
disabilities or some other sort of disabilities, is are your
guys' services just limited to those folks or could it
be anyone?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Great question, It can be anyone.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
We we work with folks. I mean, that's just one
part of our mission. We also help folks who may
be formally incarcerated second chance hiring. But we also we
also work with businesses and agencies that requires very strict
background thresholds. We work with entry level administrative positions, production
(08:56):
technicians and manufacturing all the way up to doctors, attorneys, biochemists, epidemiologists, accountants,
I mean across the board.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's great because you know, like
you said, life happens, and you know that's that's just
the way it is. Sometimes someone may have a much
easier path to what they want to accomplish than someone
someone could have a really tough road ahead of them
to get something that maybe someone else could easily attain.
(09:31):
But that's great that you guys can help anyone.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's really it's really cool, and it's it's extremely rewarding
as a leader and as someone who had had went
through unemployment for an extended period of time at one
point in my career that when you go through that,
it's it's very humbling. Most of us don't expect to
go through that. I think, I think for myself. I
(09:55):
can only speak for myself. I lost confidence in my
ability and and it was a really scary time. So
that's what our folks are going through, and it's important
for us to be there for them. And that's why
we have the GCTA and the Excel Center that we
have our job placement services. We also have a whole
workforce Advancement team that meets their case managers who meet
(10:18):
with folks who come in and they help career path
them into what they want to do. Another thing we
provide is free counseling for our employees, both internal and
our temp employees.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, So I want to talk about that with the
like you said, the L word layoffs, because I feel
like now more than ever, I mean, like you said,
it's happened almost everyone, It's happened to you, it's happened
to me. I've been there too. Let's go back to
twenty twenty one. I just move to Orlando, Florida and
(10:51):
three months into the job. I'm just getting settled. I
have my new apartment lease. I think everything's going great
and the job and I get laid off. That same
feeling that you were talking about, it's like the world stops.
But then also a million thoughts are going through your head.
(11:12):
Oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? What can
I stay here? How am I gonna pay my rent?
How am I going to afford to eat and live?
Pay my car bill?
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Million thoughts? Million, what's happening?
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Yeah, so let's put myself maybe in someone who could
possibly be listening shoes. I get laid off here in
Central Texas and I'm looking to get back into the
job market. What would be my first steps in approaching GSG.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah. So we have our community centers called the Goodwill
Community Centers located at ten fifteen Norwood Park Boulevard here
in Austin, and you can come there and go into
intake and they'll do an assessment, see where you're at,
and you'll get assigned a case manager, and that case
manager will help you. We're not everything to everybody. Our
(12:03):
focus is employment. We're trying to get you a job.
We do provide financial support on many levels, but depending
on the severity of your situation. We are partnered with
many other nonprofits in the community. We work really closely
with them. So if it's housing, we might refer you
out to someone who specializes in housing. If it's food sustainability,
(12:24):
we might work with the Central Texas Food Bank or
another partner out there. The goal is to make sure
you're stabilized and that you have a foundation. And because
that's critical, is to have that foundation. I have a
place to live, i have food on my tables, I've
got childcare, and I've got transportation. If you can stabilize
(12:46):
those four things, then let's get you a job. Let's
get you a job where you can dive in and
you can be successful and we can create a career
with an organization.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Yeah. Man, you guys must get tons of different like
I said, paths of life, you know, coming through your
guys's doors.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
If you could.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Maybe narrow it down to or maybe generalize the majority
of folks that come in, what are some of the
most common stories you hear, maybe as of recent of
folks walking in. Let's say in that same category of
I just lost my job and I'm looking for employment.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Wow, that's a tough question. So let me share a story.
A gentleman came in one time. It's formally incarcerated, and
he came in he needed help. He had been applying
for a job and nobody would hire him. So he
enrolled at the GCTA and he got his CDL certification.
(13:50):
So we have CDL certifications, phlebotomy, CNA, medical coding, and billing,
electrical helper. We have a lot of different avenues people
can take and shows CDL. We got him a job
through GSG Talent Solutions, driving for a local company, and
he showed up for work every day. He had a
(14:10):
great attitude. He over six months, he got promoted. Well,
he became a team lead, then he became a supervisor.
Then he became their training coach who was training the
new CDL drivers that came into the organization. So he
got promoted and all this happened over a period of time.
(14:31):
So he was a temporary employee with us for about
ninety days. Then he went permanent with the company that
we had placed him with, and that's where he got
these other promotions. Well, he circled back with us at
one point and thanked us and he said, you have
no idea what getting my CDL certification did for my life,
(14:51):
and y'all placing me with an amazing company. I bought
my first car, I now have a family, and I
just bought a house.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
And those are the life changing I mean, I just
got chills just telling you the story. Those are the
life changing stories that we hear. And you know, I
know that they don't happen to everyone, but that's my
dream and vision is that it can happen to everyone.
And that's why I do what I do every day
and I wake up and I show up.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And as we're talking and learning more about you guys,
it almost it's a thought in the back of my
head that maybe people listening to this right now might
hear it's like this is too good to be true,
Like where is the catch in this?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Where what is it really? Yeah, there's no cats.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I mean, if you're willing to put in the time,
energy and effort, we're willing to put in the time,
energy and effort with you. You're not walking alone. You've
got a team of people who their mission is to
transform your life through education at work. That's what we're
here to do.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Wow, I want to know just from your perspective. I mean,
I feel like you may have talked about this several times,
but when you wake up in the morning and get
ready to go to work, what is the thing you
are most excited to do?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I would say, engage with my team and my peers.
I believe as a leader, my job is to care
about my people and put them first before revenue, before
job placement, before anything else. It's my team, my internal team.
(16:47):
Because if I put them first and I'm a servant
leader for them, the rest will take care of itself
because they will know where they stand with me. They
know that I'm an open book, I'm transparent, I'm loyal, trustworthy,
and if we can establish that in an organization, everything
(17:10):
else will take care of itself. Outstanding customer service will
take care of itself, partnerships will take care of themselves.
All of that will take care of itself. When you
take care of your team.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
I mean, it shows how much you guys have accomplished.
I mean it takes it.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Like you said, it takes you know, the person walking
through the door takes their their effort. Yeah, but it
also takes your guys' effort too. On your side, you
guys do a lot a lot of hard work and
put a lot of effort in on your your own time,
and man, you all have helped so many people.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Thank you very much, and you know, shout out to
my team because they are phenomenal. Shout up they do.
They do an amazing job, and I'm blessed and grateful
that I just get to be a part of that
with them.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Now, that also comes with some challenges and having to
overcome things. Like we said, life happens. I feel like
I may know the answer, but the hardest thing you've
had to overcome, let's say, personally for you in your life,
I would love to know.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Man, I don't want to cry on air, so personally, personally,
I would say it was when I when I got
laid off, I had opportunities to move out of the state.
I had jobs. However, I had also recently just gone
through a divorce and I have two daughters shout out
(18:42):
to Tannis and Tatum, and I did not want to
leave them.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Yeah, so I took the.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Road less traveled and probably the harder road, which is
why I was unemployed for a while until I found
where I should be which was goodwill. So that was
probably the hardest, most difficult thing in my life personally,
I guess professionally as well. They kind of went hand
in hand. Yeah, but i'd tay like more recently, it's
(19:13):
it's change management. You know, change is always happening, and
how do you keep a team together and inspired and
believing even in the midst of change. And I think
it's my job as a leader to create a safe
space for frustrations and feelings to be shared, while at
(19:35):
the same time keeping us pointed in the right direction
and remembering why we're here. It's for the mission. It's
for the people who walk in the door, and it's
to transform their lives. And yeah, ours are shaken up
a little bit here and there, but we have a
job to do and we need to come to work
with our mission hat on and perform it for our
(19:57):
clients who walk in our door.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
You got have you guys have and you do and
you continue to do.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
As we wrap up, I want to ask which I
ask first?
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Because, like I said, as we've been learning about GSG
talent solutions through goodwill, I keep trying to think of
those listening right now that may think now, but that's
not my situation. Now, that's different. I have way too much. No, no, no,
(20:32):
you don't know my situation. You guys can't help me.
I just want to reaffirm to them that no matter
what your situation is, you guys are a place they
can go to.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Absolutely And you know what if if it's not a fit,
let us connect you to a place where it is. Yeah,
that's what we want to be. We want to be
that hub. Our CEO, Rob Neville has a vision and
it's a powerful vision and and and I love being
a part of an organisation that both lives in the
moment and looks forward three, five and ten years. And
(21:06):
we want to be that connector bringing people together, bringing
nonprofits together, bringing this community together to really make a
difference in people's lives.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Through education and employment.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Education and work, education and work, transforming people's lives.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Transforming people's lives through education and work. So I'm interested
in coming to GSG.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Where do I go? Website? Phone number? Do I email?
Where is the first step?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah? So the GSG website is a dot com It's
GSG Talentsolutions dot com. And then you also have Goodwill
Central Texas dot org. So either way you can connect
with the organization and.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
They will transform people's lives through.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
The power of education. Network.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
There we go, Keith, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Hey, thank you, thank you so much for having me on.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
That was Keith Summer, senior vice president of GSG Talent Solutions,
part of Goodwill Central Texas.
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