Ramsey Khelifi started working at Carolina Pottery as a Pricer in January of 2019. Ramsey was referred to JCI from Vocational Rehabilitation for assistance with employment services. JCI develops partnerships with employers in counties served to provide job opportunities for participants.
“I am having a blast! I like everything about my job. The people here are great. Donna, my Employment Specialist, is phenomenal. It felt good going out exploring jobs and meeting managers. Donna would not give up on trying to find me a job, and this one is great.
I price items and sometimes help out with the trucks that come in with new products. There are thousands of items and lots of ribbons to price, and I mean lots of ribbons. Pearl, my Job Support Specialist, helps me by opening the product boxes and keeping things organized.
It’s great when I get my paycheck because the money allows me to continue my hobby of magic and gaming”, said Ramsey.
Ken Langston, the former store manager, had a long relationship with JCI, and he introduced the new manager, John Laughter to Donna Gilmore, Employment Specialist with JCI.
“Donna has been awesome. She is there if when I need her and we communicate very well. She lets me know when she has a client she thinks would be a good fit, and I let her know what we are looking for, we have a great working relationship. I’ve had a lot of people from JCI come in and introduce themselves and tell me what they do and who they support and that makes a real difference.
Our store currently has five clients employed. We have had more or less depending on the time of the year. Some people we hire seasonally and at the end of the season we sometimes have to let people go, but there is nobody from JCI who is not eligible for rehire.
The clients are fantastic, and JCI’s Employment Specialists have been great keeping me in the loop, they are just a call away. If there is a case where I need to be extra sensitive, they inform me, and we work together to help the client be successful.
Employers should know that I have gotten some terrific people on my team through JCI. They are hard workers and people who appreciate coming to work. JCI is definitely a good place to contact for staffing. I am a pretty tough manager, and I have not had any issues with employees that have come from JCI,” said John Laughter, Store Manager.
Carolina Pottery also supports JCI with donations to the JCI Thrift Store and Donation Center in Smithfield. The staff at Carolina Pottery are very familiar with the thrift store, and so are their buyers who are the ones who decide what is donated.
JCI appreciates this partnership with Carolina Pottery and their willingness to help us achieve our mission of empowering people with disabilities or disadvantages to succeed through training and employment.
-JCI News Release
