Thus far, 16 companies have participated in the ADVANCE+ program, hiring a total of over 150 people with disabilities. | David Gyung/Shutterstock

Global Ewaste Solutions hired four people with disabilities after the company completed a workforce inclusion program from e-Stewards.

Global Ewaste Solutions (GES) has completed the ADVANCE+ workforce inclusion program, and the company’s Plymouth, Minn. facility is providing employment opportunities for young adults who are in a school district’s special education transition program, according to an e-Stewards newsletter.

GES is based in Duncan, British Columbia and has facilities in Plymouth and Singapore. In 2016, the company’s Singapore location became the first facility in Southeast Asia to achieve e-Stewards certification.

Launched in 2020, ADVANCE+ provides training and resources to help electronics recycling and reuse companies effectively hire and retain adults with autism and other disabilities. The program, which has successfully graduated a number of companies, has received funding from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. It was developed by e-Stewards, Blue Star Recyclers and workforce inclusion consulting and training firm James Emmett and Company. 

To date, 16 companies have signed up or graduated from the program and collectively hired over 150 people with disabilities, according to the latest tally provided by Bill Morris, founder of Blue Star Recyclers. Those companies are the following (not all are e-scrap companies): 

Apto Solutions, Blue Star Recyclers, Cascade Asset Management, CompRenew, Fernco, GES Minnesota, Kellogg Supply Company, Kuusakoski US, Liquid Technologies, Manitoba Corp/MO, Sage ER, Sipi Asset Recovery, Toyota Motors Manufacturing Indiana, URT (just beginning training), VH Techworks/TX and Vuteq Indiana. 

As part of its participation in ADVANCE+, GES’ Minnesota facility partnered with Wayzata Public Schools, which serves students in several communities in Minneapolis’ western suburbs. In June, GES held a job fair and brought students into its facility to demonstrate what various jobs entail. After the event, GES hired two Wayzata Public Schools students and two other community members. 

“We are experiencing growth across all our lines of business,” Dave Potter, GES’ principal and director of sales, said in the newsletter. “The e-Stewards ADVANCE+ program will enable us to meet the corresponding human resource demands, leverage an outstanding workforce and produce measurable social impact.”

The newsletter states that GES and the school district will continue to expand their partnership. 

(Note: This GES is completely separate from a failed Kentucky e-scrap company that was also called GES.)

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