LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Convenience retailer Kwik Trip Inc. was awarded the Business Partner of the Year Award by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) on April 10 for its commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities.
Kwik Trip launched its Retail Helper program in 2013 through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)—a program that helps people with disabilities prepare for and find work. At the time of the launch, Kwik Trip had about 40 Retail Helpers working in its stores. Today, that number is more than 350, with Retail Helpers working at Kwik Trip locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
“Kwik Trip is humbled and honored to receive this recognition, which is a reflection of the dedicated and hard-working Retail Helpers who serve our guests, stores and communities with distinction every day, and the strong partnership we have with the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa and their Vocational Rehabilitation Departments and related agencies,” Joalyn Torgerson, return-to-work coordinator for Kwik Trip, told CSP Daily News.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the basic job functions of a Retail Helper include maintaining positive store image and sanitation standards, monitoring cleanliness and maintenance needs, ensuring a high level of customer service and assisting with essential functions such as stocking, unloading and filling coolers.
"I would like to congratulate Kwik Trip for being recognized for its commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities," said Raymond Allen, secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. “The Retail Helper program is a reflection of the innovative and successful approaches that DWD is advancing to address employers' labor market needs by tapping the skills of everyone who wants to work."
Before hiring a Retail Helper, all DVR staff and service providers are required to follow a list of actions to determine if and why a Retail Helper is needed in any specific store. If that store has not submitted a request for a Retail Helper, DVR personnel and service providers are forbidden to reach out regarding these positions.
"In roughly the last seven years, over 25,000 DVR consumers have successfully reached their employment goal,” Allen said. “This accomplishment would not be possible without strong business partners like Kwik Trip recognizing the value that employing job seekers with disabilities brings to any employer's bottom line."
La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc., with approximately 560 locations, ranked No. 15 in a year-end update of CSP’s2017 Top 202 list of the largest convenience-store chains in the United States.
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