By: Whitney Barnes, Director of Communications and Advocacy at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce
As the premier employer of people with disabilities, Peoria Production Shop (PPS) has been providing packaging, assembly and labor services to Central Illinois businesses for over 70 years.
Around 107 of PPS’ 177 employees are considered targeted employees meaning they have some form of disability, ranging from blindness to down syndrome.
These disabilities often translate into unique abilities once inside the walls of PPS, because the company focuses on placing them in positions where their special needs will help them to excel.
“Our employees don’t see their disability as a barrier to excellence,” said PPS Human Resources Director Pamela Creager. “We believe in the potential of every single person we hire, even if they don’t see it themselves.”
“For example, many of our employees are autistic,” said PPS President and CEO Dan LaTurno. “They are very meticulous about counting and making sure there are the right number of something in a box or kit. The repetitive work is something they can do and that they like because of routine,” LaTurno said.
Providing valuable employment opportunities and developing skills is essential to PPS’ mission. While there are technologies and processes that could make PPS more profitable, they could also reduce their number of employees.
“Coming from a for-profit background, that was one of the things that hit me between the eyes,” said LaTurno, who was used to cutting costs to increase profits. “When we do a quote, of course we look at our profit potential, but we also look at how many individuals we can employ at the job. If we don’t make any money on it, but we can employ 30 people, we would take the job.”
The focus on employees comes with it’s own set of unique challenges. “In some ways it is even more stressful because you are combining your goals to be financially successful with keeping your employment numbers as high as possible,” LaTurno said. “It is a different kind of pressure – the pressure to help people’s lives – that’s an easier one to work with.”
PPS is committed to treating all employees equally in all aspects of the business including benefits, growth opportunities, pay rate increases, and so on.
“We give everyone an opportunity to move up over time,” LaTurno said. “More times than not, the individual will say they want to try something else with more responsibility. We continue to move people up the chain of responsibility until they plateau and hit their sweet spot.”
In her 20 years at PPS, Creager said she has had to terminate very few people because they could not do a job or were not a good fit, because PPS employees are given time to try different jobs until they find their place.
“If they struggle, we give another chance, and if they continue to struggle, we look for a better match.”
PPS’ goal is to provide a safe and respectful work environment so employees can develop self-worth and pride in what they do.
“We really concern ourselves with self-esteem and people feeling satisfied at the end of the day,” LaTurno said.
LaTurno said their strong company culture is in large part because of Creager’s employee assistance.
“She gets involved in people’s lives like I thought you could never do,” he said. “She just gets right in the middle of it.”
Besides her business responsibilities, Creager takes a hands-on role unlike any HR position she has had before.
“I work with the whole person, which may mean helping employees through a bad day, calling a creditor to keep their utilities on, or making arrangements with their landlord to have payroll deductions, so their rent is paid on time,” Creager said. “I may coach them through some math problems to prepare them for an exam for a promotion and I may call a parent to get back-up to support behavior changes or teach relaxation methods to help them get through a difficult time.”
Creager and LaTurno are always asking the question, ‘how can we improve the lives of our employees?’
“For some it may be a training opportunity, and for others it may mean taking his family to the Peoria Chiefs game for an all expenses night out,” Creager said.
LaTurno recalled one time he and Creager helped an employee move into an independent livings space.
“It was nothing fancy, just a little apartment,” LaTurno said. “But it was hers. It was nice to see her have something of her own.”
The positive work environment pays off in their production.
“Our employees want to be here,” LaTurno said. “Their social network is here, their friends are here and perfect attendance is through the roof.”
“We have parties every quarter for people who have gone three months with no absences,” LaTurno said. “They really seem to enjoy that.”
LaTurno was shocked at just how committed employees were during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, as a Caterpillar Inc. partner, PPS was deemed an ‘essential business’. Though many employees would be making more money through unemployment, attendance reached 90 percent by the third week of the stay-at-home order.
“I was just so proud of them,” LaTurno said. “It was amazing to see all the smiles.”
During this time, PPS implemented several procedural changes to ensure the health and safety of their employees. Always taking the extra step, Creager and her assistant were even driving employees to and from work during the stay-at-home order because many were nervous to get on the bus.
Maintaining cleanliness and safety at the factory is not just important for the PPS employees but for their families as well.
“Most of our targeted employees live with their parents and if they are 40, their parents are in their mid-60s,” LaTurno said.
For LaTurno, the silver lining is that some of the changes have had positive effects, and they plan to continue to invest in what has been working. PPS does not receive any government funding but retains non-profit status with a board of directors so they can constantly reinvest in their organization to help their employees all the time, not just during a global pandemic.
Right now, PPS is focused on further lowering health care deductibles employees, many of whom have high medical bills due to their disabilities.
“It is a completely upside-down world for me in a very positive way because you aren’t trying to take from employees you are trying to add value,” LaTurno said.
Their efforts to reinvest and build up their employees helps not just their staff but also their community and environment.
“This company is truly a gem for this community and the people we serve,” Creager said. “We provide outstanding health insurance saving taxpayers thousands of dollars every year. Our employees put millions of dollars back into the community in taxes and spending and will not only retire with Social Security but will have PPS retirement money as well.”
PPS is a recipient of the Energy Star Certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their efficiency.
“All good companies try to reduce their carbon footprint and PPS is no different,” said LaTurno, who credits his predecessor Dick Peplow with focusing the company on energy initiatives.
This summer, PPS is adding a rooftop solar array to lower their energy costs and allow them to give more back to their employees.
While PPS takes great pride in serving Peoria’s major businesses including Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu, their strategic plan includes broadening their baseline of customers.
“My function is trying to drive employment way beyond what we have today by seeking business outside Central Illinois,” LaTurno said.
To help with this initiative the company is relaunching their website and increasing marketing to better communicate what they do and don’t do over the next six months.
“We need to communicate our message to get more business and employ more people,” said LaTurno. “My goal is to double the business and double the employment over the next five years while keeping our ratio of 60 percent targeted and 40 percent non-targeted employees.”
As he nears his first anniversary with PPS LaTurno said he couldn’t be happier that he took the job or more excited about the future.
“Before my life was good, but now it’s great,” LaTurno said. “It’s just a different culture than I ever knew existed.”
###