We were lucky to catch up with Keith Bourkney recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keith , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

When first starting employU, my wife and I were the only employees on board. As we started receiving more referrals, I quickly realized we needed some more people to carry out the services. I found people that had a passion to help but they didn’t have the experience needed. After about 6 months, I finally hired Melissa, our Employment Services Director. She had much more experience than any of us. We put together a model. Melissa then demonstrated the model and proved its success. From there we were able to start hiring a team of employment specialists. It took some time to find the right people for the position. Hiring candidates who had both passion and experience working with the disability community was essential to providing the best services possible. I would attend job fairs and explore our networks to find employees who were the “right fit.”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I moved from my hometown of Buffalo, New York to Florida in 2001 to work for my close friend’s marketing company. In about 2008 I stumbled upon Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), when moving into a new office for the marketing company and met some of the VR Counselors, who happened to have an office next door. They discussed their programs and the people they work with and talked about signing our company up as a host business for on-the-job trainings (OJTs). We needed employees so⁠ I signed our business up as a contractor.   ⁠
Over the next two years the marketing company had hired more than 20 employees from VR.  One thing that stood out to me was that the people they referred appreciated the opportunity. In an industry where loyalty is rare and people often ask, “what are you going to do for me?”, it was refreshing to hear people say they were grateful for the chance to prove themselves and ask, “what can I do for you?” ⁠
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I enjoyed working with VR and their customers. I also had a newly discovered passion for assisting those within the disability community find meaningful employment. This is where the idea sparked that would eventually become what employU is today. In June of 2012, while maintaining my position with the marketing company, I received my first referrals from VR. I got to know my customers on a more personal level to help them discover a tailored career path that was right for them. From there, employU was born.

At employU, we create inclusive workforces for people with disabilities through education, empowerment, and advocacy.

We act as a support system for our customers and are committed to delivering tailored experiences. We are a one stop shop for career development and employment solutions that is dedicated to providing the tools and resources necessary to cultivate inclusive workforces throughout our communities. This is what sets us apart. employU is something I am extremely proud to be a part of. I see the drive and passion our staff has in assisting our clients and I could not be prouder of how our team and organization positively impacts jobseekers, businesses, and communities.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020, as the world around us changed, employU, like many other businesses and industries, found ourselves in a climate of change. With in-person interactions becoming limited, we needed to change the way our services were delivered to continue assisting the communities around us. Through this, our virtual services were created. We were able to build the infrastructure needed for these services and had them running pretty quickly. Though it was unplanned, this addition has made our services even more accessible to the community and has ultimately allowed us to serve those who were unable to attend in-person.

Any advice for managing a team?

Allowing space for employees to share concerns, solutions, and give feedback is essential to managing a team well. At employU, we truly are a team that works together to find solutions and continuously improve. We strive to not only provide the best services for our clients, but also to exceed standards as a place of employment ourselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://employu.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_employu_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/employU/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/employu-florida/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSxD8sJyVHJgOnaFysqVEQA
• Other: Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/employu/