Today is October 14th my name is Tom Heath and you’re listening to “Life Along the Streetcar”.
About the same time, the Tucson Convention Center was opening, Jim Click, a local car dealer, hired his first employee with a disability. That hire began a path for Click to encourage other business owners to do the same. By the 1990’s he enlisted the help of local agencies serving the disabled population. Those agencies, in return, asked Jim Click to help facilitate the connections with the business community. Thank connection became known as Linkages. Twenty years later, Linkages returns to the TCC and hosts the 7th annual DREAM job fair to connect employers with individuals identifying as having a disability. We sat down with Hailey Thoman, Executive Director of linkages, to discuss their mission and the upcoming job fair.
Hailey mentioned Aqua Design as an example of success. This is an International Landscape Architecture firm based here in Tucson. Their services span the globe a niche specific to the design of swimming pools, spas, and water features- mainly for upscale hotels. They found talent for the company at the DREAM job fair.
Some of the other recognizable names include Raytheon, TEP, Jim Click Automotive, Our Family Services, and TUSD. Hailey stressed, in the extended interview, all size of employers are welcome and wanted. This isn’t simply for larger organizations. If you have a need a for a single employee, this free event is meant for you.
And finally congrats to Linkages for winning a Tucson Metro Chamber’s Copper Cactus Award for Workforce Development. Their award was announced on Friday.
Our intro music is provided by Ryanhood and we exit with Grammy-nominated and award-winning Filmmaker Linda Chorney.
