Retail

Expansion into Vermillion, SD Community

Goodwill of the Great Plains Announces Expansion into Vermillion Community

Vermillion, SD – Goodwill of the Great Plains is excited to announce the expansion of their service delivery and retail store to Vermillion, SD. On Tuesday, May 2^nd, the Vermillion Chamber and Development Company will be joining Goodwill for a Groundbreaking Ceremony at 11:30 AM on Goodwill’s future store site at 700 Bower Street in Vermillion. The community and public are welcomed to attend.

Goodwill’s mission is to serve as an advocate for economic self-sufficiency through employment and education. This is achieved through servant leadership values of compassion, achievement, potential, integrity, and dignity.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Vermillion community. Today is a special day as it lands in the middle of Goodwill week – a national celebration of the work and impact of Goodwills across the country. This year, Goodwill of the Great Plains is also celebrating its 100^th year as a Goodwill organization. Goodwill’s founder, Edgar Helms (a native of Spirit Lake, Iowa) set the foundation for our work not as a charity but a chance. As a Goodwill we are called to empower individuals and continue to be dissatisfied until every member of our community experiences abundant living. This new location will expand our footprint in South Dakota and further our mission to change lives.” – Briget Solomon, President and CEO of Goodwill of the Great Plains

The Vermillion store will become Goodwill’s 22^nd store in its four-state region and employ 12-14 people in the community. If you love shopping with Goodwill, you’ll love working at Goodwill! Career opportunities will be opened 60-90 days prior to the store’s grand opening. Applications for job seekers will be made available online as the date draws nearer.

To learn Goodwill’s construction progress and future grand opening slated for Q1 2024, follow Goodwill on Facebook and LinkedIn, and visit www.goodwillgreatplains.org to discover more on Goodwill’s history, community impact, and service delivery model.

News Release

Goodwill of the Great Plains Boosts Recycling Efforts with the addition of State-of-the-Art Equipment

Goodwill of the Great Plains is boosting their recycling efforts with the addition of custom, state of the art equipment to their operations facility in Sioux City, IA. Annually, Goodwill recycles over 16 million pounds of material, keeping items that do not sell in their 21 retail locations out of the landfill and on to new uses.

Thanks to generous donations from the community, Goodwill sustains its mission through the sale of these donations. Goodwill takes pride in recycling a significant portion of donated goods that do not end up selling in their stores. “Goodwill’s priority is serving our mission while being a good steward to our donors and continue to reduce our environmental footprint” said John Hantla, President and CEO.

This new equipment could potentially bale up to 8 million more pounds of recycled materials annually. The benefits are efficiency, safety, higher output, and automation.

“The new equipment is truly a sight to see. It’s impressive to see how efficiently the equipment can prepare bales of textiles and other material to be ready for the next step in recycling.” said Vilay Keokenchanh, Chief Operating Officer. “What might take a week or longer to process can now be accomplished in one day.”

Goodwill recycles items such as textiles, leather goods, shoes, purses, stuffed animals, cardboard, and paper. “Goodwill is constantly researching new opportunities to recycle and further their positive impact on the local community and the environment” said Angie Washburn, Director of Operations.

GEM Award Winner-Demico

Congrats to Demico, Retail Associate at our Sioux Falls Norton store, on receiving the GEM award. GEM Awards are giving to Team Members who go the extra mile and demonstrate excellent customer service, superb team excellence, process improvement and Goodwill spirit. Nominated by Klari, Job Center Representative “Demico goes the extra mile by making sure everyone is having a good day. If you ask him to look for something specific he will take the time to look for it. Demico always has a smile on his face and has positive words for everyone

GEM Award Winner-Oscar

Congrats to Oscar, Assistant Manager, at our Aberdeen store on receiving the GEM award. GEM Awards are giving to Team Members who go the extra mile and demonstrate excellent customer service, superb team excellence, process improvement and Goodwill spirit. Nominated by Maria, Regional Manager “Oscar was in charge of the store in Lorrie’s absence. During this time Oscar maintained positive sales and did what needed to be done to keep the store running in the right direction. There was not one situation that arose during this time that Oscar was not in control of. The Aberdeen store is truly blessed to have Oscar on the team. I truly feel Oscar did an amazing job during Lorrie’s absence.

GEM Award Winner-Krystal

Congrats to Krystal, Retail Team Lead at Sioux City (W. 4th St.) store on receiving the GEM award. GEM Awards are giving to Team Members who go the extra mile and demonstrate excellent customer service, superb team excellence, process improvement and Goodwill spirit. Nominated by Vickie, Store Manager, Sioux City (W. 4th St.) “Krystal helps train new associates and helps bring in donations on holidays even though she has plans with family. She always volunteers when help is needed. She never calls in sick and is always up for a challenge”