Tops Friendly Markets announces 'first-of-its-kind' agreement to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities
Press Release:
Northeast Grocery, Inc. (NGI), the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets (Tops), and New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID) today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that will expand corporate administrative employment opportunities for those with disabilities at competitive wages.
“Our companies have a long-standing commitment to the sustenance of the communities we call home, both literally and figuratively,” said Mike Miller, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Northeast Shared Services (NSS), NGI’s shared services group. “Central to that is opening doors for everyone to have access to career pathways that increase their independence and foster personal and professional growth. We couldn’t be prouder to partner with NYSID and take even bolder action to help those who bring such unique and diverse skillsets and perspectives.”
NYSID’s member agencies offer support services to individuals with disabilities, including meaningful employment. Under the new agreement, NYSID member agencies will staff for janitorial and mail fulfilment services for NGI’s respective Schenectady and Buffalo, NY headquarters. Janitorial services will be carried out on-site, while mail fulfillment services will occur at the Center for Disability Services mail fulfillment integrated business in Albany, NY. The janitorial and mail fulfillment contracts will create about 20 jobs at the start, and employees with disabilities will work in integrated settings and earn competitive wages.
"We are thrilled to partner with an organization that prioritizes employing individuals with disabilities. While the effort is 'socially good,' it also helps to significantly boost our economy by offering competitive wages and meaningful work. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities is 67 percent, but NYSID and NGI are working hard to improve that number to create strong New York State communities,” said Maureen O’Brien, president and CEO of NYSID.
Both Price Chopper/Market 32, founded in 1932, and Tops, founded in 1962, have been supporting that effort for decades, offering a variety of employment and training opportunities geared toward the recruitment, retention and advancement of workers with disabilities at what are now almost 300 retail locations combined across New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.
“This partnership is a celebratory mile marker along the journey that our companies committed to many years ago – a journey to equitable and accessible employment in our communities,” said Yvone Clark Rogers, NSS director of diversity, equity, inclusion and talent. “To be a neighbor among the families that are spread across the vast regions in which we operate, means we have a vested interest in the fulfilled lives of many, and in being an environment where they are represented and valued. This is an exceptional example of how businesses can operationalize their values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Price Chopper/Market 32’s Hiring Advantage Program provides on-site, hands-on exposure to a variety of jobs so that individuals, including those with disabilities, can determine which occupation best suits their career goals for placement with the company. Tops has formed several strategic partnerships with local schools and support providers to develop employment pipelines for those with disabilities. Both companies also closely collaborate with state agencies and community-based organizations that prioritize employment opportunities for the disabled. NGI’s agreement with NYSID now elevates these innovative strategies to corporate administrative operations.
“We strive to be a model for good corporate citizenship, not just in the retail grocery industry, but beyond,” said Miller. “Over the years we have witnessed the incredible impact our career development programs have made in the lives of those with disabilities and, in turn, the countless ways their talent and dedication have positively altered the trajectory of our companies. We couldn’t think of a better way to pay their contributions forward than by working alongside NYSID to create even more opportunities for growth and advancement.”
NGI and NYSID are already pursuing an expansion of this partnership, under which a NYSID member agency operating a custom apparel business would become the exclusive provider of an employee-facing e-commerce storefront for all NGI-, Price Chopper/Market 32- and Tops-branded apparel. Individuals on the autism spectrum would create branded merchandise and fulfill orders in an integrated work setting at competitive wages.
“All working-age New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to pursue a career or vocation of their choosing and it falls on each of us to do our part to open doors and reduce barriers to employment for those with disabilities,” said New York State 108th District Assembly member John T. McDonald III, RPh. “It’s one of many reasons why I’m proud the State has made NYSID one of its preferred source providers of products and services. However, we can’t do it alone and I applaud NGI, one of New York’s largest employers, for taking this bold step and incorporating these principles in the private sector. These jobs will help foster greater independence and self-reliance for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, which is key to their health and wellness.”
"Creating opportunities for people with disabilities is important for a fair and inclusive society,",” said New York State 111th District Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara. “As the father of a son with autism, this goal is very personal to me. Studies show that having a job helps people with disabilities become more independent. The partnership between NGI and NYSID is a great example of how we can make the workforce more inclusive, and I am committed to expanding these opportunities to make a difference."
