OOD Works

Jeremy Shapira with Giant Eagle & Kristen Ballinger with OOD

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Episode 5

Jeremy Shapira, Inclusion and Diversity Strategy Manager for Giant Eagle, and Kristen Ballinger, Deputy Director of OOD’s Division of Employer and Innovation Services, discuss the partnership between OOD and Giant Eagle. 

Since January 2019, OOD has collaborated with Giant Eagle to embed a vocational rehabilitation staff within the human resources office to increase access to quality jobs for Ohioans with disabilities. OOD partners with Giant Eagle to source candidates for available openings at their food, fuel, and convenience retail locations and distribution center in Northeast Ohio. 

“Not only does the company win from this, but the person who was just hired wins. Their family wins. The community wins. Everyone around this person wins,” Shapira said.

The partnership also supports current team members to keep their jobs and provides disability training for managers. 

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at https://ood.ohio.gov/Podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!