Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands of SC
OUR MISSION
“Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina helps people with disabilities and other special needs become fully independent citizens through education, training, and employment leading to job placement.”
Goodwill assists thousands of South Carolinians in their quest for independence each year. We believe in the power of work. We have witnessed its power to transform lives. Work helps build self-confidence, friendship, creativity, empowerment, trust, and independence. Goodwill’s mission is to prepare people with employment barriers for work so that they can reach their potential and life goals.
Everyone deserves a chance to have these things in life. Goodwill provides that chance.
HISTORY
Goodwill Industries was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" was born.
The Goodwill movement arrived in South Carolina in 1972 when Lloyd Auten saw the need for Goodwill in the Greenville area. At Auten’s request, Nelson Kittle, Regional Consultant for the Southeastern United States Goodwill Operations, visited Greenville to conduct a survey to determine the need and feasibility of a Goodwill in Upstate South Carolina.
On January 22, 1973, the first public meeting was held to determine interest in bringing Goodwill to South Carolina. Several weeks later on February 28th, “Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina” became a reality when the decision was made to incorporate.
Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina: The Beginning
1973
The initial funding for Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina (“Goodwill”) came from a group of real estate investors. Lloyd Auten asked his partners in a real estate investment, including future board members Pat Grayson, Lou Brummer, and Tom Bruce, to donate 10% of the profit from the sale of a piece of property. The resulting donation of $50,000 provided the foundation for Goodwill.
The original Board of Directors was selected on March 6, 1973. Lloyd Auten served as the first President of the Board of Directors. Tom Bruce (Vice President), Pat Grayson (Secretary), and Larry Brown (Treasurer) completed the original slate of officers.
On March 6th, Goodwill applied for a charter from the state of South Carolina; the charter was approved on April 30th. On May 1st, 1973, Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina was officially incorporated. Its mission: to provide job training and placement opportunities for people with disabilities and special needs and help them become independent citizens.
The new agency was ready to begin work. The first fundraising campaign launched on May 18th, and the Board began the process of selecting a leader. On September 10th, Reverend Cecil McFarland began his tenure as Goodwill’s 1st Executive Director.
McFarland, who had been with the Oklahoma City Goodwill for three years prior to his employment in Greenville, was “excited about the adventure that Lloyd [Auten] proposed”. He was eager to take on the challenge of building a new organization and get his hands dirty – literally! When Ryder Truck Rental donated a truck to Goodwill, McFarland took the wheel to pick up donations from homes in the Greenville area. When volunteer secretary Sarah Greenwood got a call from a donor complimenting McFarland on his courtesy and knowledge of Goodwill, Sara responded “Oh yes, he is one of our better drivers!”
Board member Tom Bruce provided Goodwill with the P.L. Bruce building at 912 Poinsett Hwy and Goodwill’s first store in Greenville – and the first Goodwill store in South Carolina – opened on December 1st, 1973. “The mayor ran the cash register, and we got publicity in the local paper,” recalls McFarland thirty-five years later. McFarland again demonstrated his “hands on” approach to business by pricing the donated items before Poinsett Hwy’s Grand Opening. The Poinsett Hwy store is still open today, serving as Goodwill’s “Liquidation Center”.
Immediately following the opening of the Poinsett Hwy store, Goodwill placed the first fifteen donation boxes in Greenville to give donors a convenient way to donate. Lloyd Auten would remain committed to placing collection boxes in prime locations - even if it required spending some time convincing the owners of those location. “We spent two hours with the owner of McAllister Square,” says McFarland, “until they agreed to place a collection box in their parking lot.”
Goodwill began its contract workshop doing jobs for local businesses on December 31st of 1973. The Goodwill motto “Not Charity, but a Chance” emerged.
At the end of 1973, Goodwill employed 33 people. In a letter to members of the community, Lloyd Auten asked “A Miracle? Right here in Greenville?” and outlined the momentous achievements of Goodwill during its first year. “Surely it is a major miracle that about 20 people, each with their own personal handicaps and problems and dreams, are learning and working and part of our local Goodwill Industries,” he wrote. “You won’t want to miss out on the fun and challenge and growing pains of being part each in our own way of insuring that Goodwill can become a real miracle in the lives of so many people who need a helping hand and deserve it.”
1974
Goodwill celebrated the accomplishments of its first year at the First Annual Dinner Meeting on February 15th, 1974 in the Gold Room of the Poinsett Hotel in Greenville. Monty DuPuy served as Master of Ceremonies and Greenville Mayor Max Heller was in attendance to welcome attendees to the ceremony. Henry Helms, son of original Goodwill founder Edgar Helms, was the keynote speaker.
Katherine Shelton, formerly with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, was hired as Goodwill’s Rehab Director. A grant from the Department of the Visually Handicapped (Commission for the Blind) allowed Goodwill to begin providing work adjustment services for the blind and visually handicapped throughout South Carolina. In September of 1974, Goodwill celebrated its 6th placement.
Goodwill’s 2nd store opened in November 30, 1974 at 719 E. Stone Ave. This store would become “Augusta Rd.”
Goodwill Grows
1975 - 1980
Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina became fully accredited by Goodwill Industries of America (now Goodwill Industries International) in November of 1975. At this time, Goodwill set up a Laundromat at Poinsett Hwy to train individuals with disabilities. During 1975, Goodwill served 141 people and placed 20 people into employment.
In spite of the growth of the agency and the successes it had seen in a very short time, 1976 was a difficult year for Goodwill. The financial situation became dire and Goodwill had to borrow money to meet payroll. The situation soon improved and Goodwill was back on track.
In 1977, Rev. Cecil McFarland accepted the position of Executive Director with Goodwill in Richmond, VA. He was succeeded in Greenville by Dr. Robert Langford, who began his tenure with Goodwill on June 6th, 1977. Blinded in an accident as a teenager, Langford knew firsthand the career obstacles faced by individuals with disabilities. “My primary motivator is not a column of profit-loss figures,” Langford stated during his time at Goodwill. “Profit is measured by the people that can be helped.”
The Goodwill Board of Directors approved the purchase of the Poinsett Hwy property on June 28, 1977, making it the first property owned by Goodwill.
In 1978, Langford wrote a five-year plan for Goodwill. His goals included providing rehabilitation services for 100 handicapped persons per year by 1983, developing housing for 50 handicapped person involved in Goodwill’s rehabilitation programs, achieving $300,000 in annual store sales, and providing extended employment for 50 handicapped persons per year in the contract workshop program.
The 1st Goodwill newsletter – “The Recycler” - was published in June, 1978. In August, Goodwill sold the first load of salvage clothing abroad, and Dick Roundtree donated the trailer that would become Goodwill’s first Attended Donation Center (ADC).
Dr. Robert Langford resigned as Goodwill’s Executive Director in October, 1980. Al Oliver served as Interim Director until February 1981, when William “Bill” Oakley” became Goodwill’s 3rd Executive Director. “I see myself leading the new Goodwill Industries,” Oakley wrote in a document titled “Goodwill Tomorrow”. “I love this work and don’t want to do anything else, anywhere else.”
1981 - 1993
Under Bill Oakley’s leadership, Goodwill had a renewed emphasis on growth and attention was directed to opening new retail stores and gaining additional contract work. With the additional revenue generated by this expansion, Goodwill was able to continue to grow and provide additional training programs for the people it served. In “Goodwill Tomorrow”, Oakley stressed that “we should be identified as a regional and not a Greenville asset,” leading to increased presence in other areas of the Upstate. “I want any person with a disability in our service area to be able to receive Goodwill services if they want them and need them,” he said.
On March 16th, 1983, Goodwill held its 10th Annual Meeting at the Colonial Court Hotel on Wade Hampton Blvd. During Goodwill’s 10th year, it provided services to 87 people and had revenues of $796,918.
Two years later in 1985, Goodwill served 172 people and placed 41 people into competitive employment. Total revenues were $1.3 million. Goodwill was on its way to achieving its own independence, relying more on earned revenue than on contributions from United Way or friends of Goodwill as it had in the past.
The United States flag was taken to the United States Capitol on January 23rd, 1988 by Senator Strom Thurmond and flown for Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina. Later that year, Goodwill began offering rehabilitation services in Anderson and was able to purchase two new trucks.
Lloyd Auten, founder and the original President of Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina, passed away on June 10, 1991.
1994 – 2001
Goodwill’s Vehicle Donation program launched in 1994. This program spawned the “Wheels to Work” program to help people attain reliable transportation to get to work. Just five years later, the Donated Vehicles program received 874 donated vehicles.
In May 1997, Goodwill expanded into the Midlands region, with the first Columbia-area store opening on St. Andrews Rd.
In September 1997, Bill Oakley resigned as Executive Director. He would take the position of Executive Director of Goodwill in Savannah, GA.
Oakley was succeeded by Doug Bell, who began his tenure on January 2nd, 1998. In 2000, Bell wrote, “At Goodwill we want to be known not just as a not-for-profit that helps people, but as an organization that is a sound investment. We especially want the financial and corporate communities to see the value their investments in Goodwill reap for the individuals we serve, for our community, and for the economy.”
1998 was a busy year for Goodwill. Six new stores would be opened in 1998, including two new stores in the Midlands. Goodwill also expanded the job training programs available to clients by implementing the Food Service Training Program in January 1998. An existing kitchen at Goodwill’s headquarters on Industrial Dr. in Greenville was remodeled into a training kitchen so individuals could train for employment in the Food Service industry.
On September 24th, 1998, Goodwill celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Annual Meeting. The event was held at the Palmetto Expo Center in Greenville and included guest speaker Fred Grandy, the president of Goodwill Industries International, and congratulations from Governor David Beasley. Former Executive Directors Robert Langford and Cecil McFarland were in attendance. Goodwill served 312 people and placed 144 people into competitive employment during its 25th year.
In 2001, the East North Street store became Goodwill’s first “Million Dollar Store”, a small testament to the success of Goodwill’s retail program. It would be joined by many others in the coming years.
Goodwill Today
2002 – Present
In February of 2002, Doug Bell left Goodwill. William “Bill” Wylie served as Interim Director from February through September, then became Goodwill’s 5th Executive Director in September 2002.
“In our 29-year history, we have struggled through times of uncertainty, through times of difficulty, and through times of success,” Wylie wrote in 2002. “Our Goodwill in the 21st Century must now be a time of growth. We must embrace that 100-year-old mission with vision of our own.” This vision included a business approach to Goodwill operations and perfecting the efficiencies that would help support tremendous growth in Goodwill’s mission services.
Goodwill implemented an exciting new way to help people find employment and become independent in 2002 when Goodwill opened its first “Job Connection” at the Western Square facility in Berea in December of 2002. The Job Connection provided resources and services to help people find immediate employment. This new concept for Goodwill’s employment services was immensely successful. Over the next five years, Goodwill would open Job Connection locations in Columbia, Greenville, Simpsonville, Anderson, and Greer.
September 2003 marked Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina’s 30th Anniversary and the celebration was held at the Embassy Suites hotel in Greenville. The year had been one of rapid growth and multiple milestones, but Executive Director Bill Wylie was most proud of the 1,232 people Goodwill helped. “Our most rewarding accomplishment this year was to triple the number of clients served,” he said. “We tripled the number of people who faced fear and found courage; tripled the number of people who were dependent and tasted independence; and tripled the number of people that were devastated by despair and found hope.”
At the end of 2004, the Goodwill Foundation was born. As a separate 501(c)3 organization, the Foundation was a new organization existing to amass the capital needed to support programs and help provide the resources to help people become self-sufficient. In March 2008, the Goodwill Foundation altered its mission to more directly serve Goodwill Industries, with the new mission statement reading: “With excellence and accountability, the Goodwill Foundation will raise, manage and distribute assets to benefit Goodwill Industries of the Upstate Midlands which provides life changing opportunities for the people it serves.”
In 2005, Goodwill moved to its current headquarters and distribution center at 115 Haywood Rd. in Greenville. The Food Service training program also moved to Haywood Rd., taking on the identity of a Subway franchise owned by Goodwill and operated by clients training for the Food Service industry. By housing the training program in a working restaurant, clients were able to receive valuable experience in a “real world” atmosphere. Goodwill also opened its first Clearance at the Haywood Rd location in June 2005. This model gave customers a unique shopping experience, and allowed them to take home real bargains at only 99¢ per pound of merchandise. It also gave Goodwill one more way to maximize the value of every donation and produce the maximum funding possible to support the mission services.
In April 2006, Goodwill opened its first “Computer Works” store in Simpsonville. This program gave donors a safe and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of old computers and other electronic equipment. In its first full year of business, the Computer Works store would recycle over 450 tons of metals, plastics, and other computer components that would have otherwise been disposed of in landfills.
In December 2006, Goodwill Industries of Upper South Carolina became Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina. The name was legally changed so that it would better represent Goodwill’s entire region.
Goodwill was named one of the Top 20 Places to Work in South Carolina in 2007, ranking 8th for Large Companies.
Goodwill’s retail department continued to grow, with six new stores (and a relocated store) opening their doors during 2007. September brought the 1st Annual “Big Dig” fundraiser for the Goodwill Foundation. This “construction theme park” gave children the opportunity to “drive” large construction equipment. It was a huge success, becoming an annual event for Goodwill and the Goodwill Foundation.
In October 2007, Bill Wylie retired. During his five years of leadership from 2002 – 2007, Goodwill more than doubled in size to $23.6 million in revenues, and sextupled the number of people served to over 9,000 in 2007.
“I want to thank each and every person that has come in contact with this agency over the past five years,” Wylie wrote. “I have seen the love in a world that often seems cold and callous. I have seen God in the faces of the people we serve. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
Wylie was succeeded by Patrick “Pat” Michaels, Goodwill 6th and current President & CEO.
In 2008, Goodwill celebrated one million “safe hours” – hours worked without a lost time accident. This momentous achievement was a major benchmark for an agency that had been consistently improving the safety of its employees and workplace for several years, earning multiple recognitions from the National Safety Council along the way.
Goodwill launched a training program in 2008 to train people with visual impairments in the operation of JAWS (Job Access With Speech) software. This software “reads” computer screens to the participant so he/she can navigate the computer and internet. With this software, visually impaired employees can work in jobs such as telemarketing or customer service.
Also in 2008, Goodwill received a grant from the South Carolina Department of Social Services to provide Employee Preparation Programs for DSS clients in four South Carolina Counties.
Today, thirty-five years after Lloyd Auten first envisioned Goodwill in South Carolina, Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina is a thriving not-for-profit and an important piece of the community. In fiscal year 2007/2008, Goodwill served over 15,500 people and placed over 3,000 into employment. While this is a major contribution to the local economy, the biggest impact comes in the lives of people who have, with Goodwill’s assistance, become self-sufficient, contributing citizens in our society. “Goodwill Works”.
Goodwill Industries helps people with disabilities and other special needs become fully independent citizens through education, training, and employment leading to job placement.
GOODWILL HELPS
Goodwill Industries serves the needs of a community. The needs of a community change, as does the population of the people Goodwill serves.
For years, Goodwill's largest constituency included people with vocational disadvantages such as welfare dependency, illiteracy, homelessness and language barriers. Included are people with physical and mental disabilities. Many of the individuals served by Goodwill have multiple disadvantages.
More recently, Goodwill has come to the assistance of people displaced by plant closings and company downsizing. People who find themselves with no savings after a stock market crash, single parents, and recently widowed individuals are all needing to readjust to the workplace in the community.
People like you who just aren't prepared to meet the challenges of survival in today's economic times.
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; Teach a man to fish and he will feed his family and live a long life."
Goodwill offers a Hand Up...Not a Hand Out!
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