# Changing Lives While Growing Profits By Hiring Disabled Workers

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2022-04-19
- Length: 25m
- Episode: 98
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-f6c01021-9ce8-4503-9a40-3f98ba4d706b

## Summary

Tony Lopez, Vice President of Manufacturing & Logistics Services at Pride Industries, discusses the company's social enterprise model of employing people with disabilities in manufacturing and logistics. He explains that hiring disabled workers offers significant business benefits, including lower absenteeism, higher retention, and reduced defect rates, while addressing the labor shortage by tapping into an untapped applicant pool. Lopez highlights that accommodations are often low-cost (under $600) and that education bridges the gap between employer hesitation and successful integration.

## Chapters

- [0:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=40) Introduction: Tony Lopez and Pride Industries
- [3:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=220) Defining Disability and the Untapped Workforce
- [7:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=457) Employment Hurdles and Employer Misconceptions
- [11:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=662) Accommodations, Training, and Job Roles
- [14:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=851) Success Stories in Medical Device and Food Manufacturing
- [17:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=1051) Business Benefits: ESG, Retention, and Productivity
- [20:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers#t=1244) Pride Industries' Social Enterprise Model

## Topics

- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Pride Industries (company)
- Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (company)
- Placer Community Foundation (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Hire Diverse Talent or Risk Going Out of Business Featuring Equity Machine Works Founder Justin Sherman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-12-07-hire-diverse-talent-or-risk-going-out-of-business-featuring-equity-machine-works) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Embracing Diversity as a Business Advantage: Insights from IPC President John Mitchell at Apex 2024](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-05-03-embracing-diversity-as-a-business-advantage-insights-from-ipc-president-john-mit) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [184: How to Win the War on Talent by Becoming a Veteran-Ready Organization Featuring Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz, LtCol, USAF, Retired](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-07-184-how-to-win-the-war-on-talent-by-becoming-a-veteran-ready-organization-featur) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [278: How Second-Chance Hiring Changes Lives and Helps Manufacturers Find and Develop Talent with Marcus Sheanshang, President of JBM Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-03-10-278-how-second-chance-hiring-changes-lives-and-helps-manufacturers-find-and-deve) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: Top 5 Manufacturing Solutions in 2020](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-09-29-bonus-top-5-manufacturing-solutions-in-2020) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-19-changing-lives-while-growing-profits-by-hiring-disabled-workers. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Manufacturing Executive.