The pride Peckham's employees take in their work is evident in the way they welcomed the new building planned for the company Friday. Many were at the announcement and ground breaking of an expansion at their Grand River Ave. headquarters, and several came forward to toss dirt themselves.
"I got everybody as a friend," Steve Terrell says of his co-workers. He's worked at Peckham for 20 years. He, like many of the employees, has cognitive disabilities. 75% have serious disabilities of some kind.
"We have a workforce that a lot of employers have overworked over the years," CEO Mitch Tomlinson explains.
Peckham's mission is essentially their employees and they have one of the top ten largest workforces in Lansing. The non-profit company puts that staff to work at everything from clothing production for the military, to custodial work for the state.
That work is spread between many buildings in Lansing and the 70,000 sq. foot expansion they broke ground on Friday will change that. The renovated building will be a corporate headquarters and home to the rehab services they specialize in to get employees ready for the workforce. It will also, eventually, house all their manufacturing under one room.
Over time, Peckham's hopeful it means they can add 200 to 300 new jobs. That's more work for people like Steve Terrell--who personally can't wait to make the move. "I'm very excited."
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