Congratulations on over a decade of employment to three Holly Ridge Center clients-– Jacob, Arnell, and James! –working for Northwest Center at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, part of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Base Kitsap.
“We thoroughly enjoy having each one of them working for NWC,” said Frederick C. Middleton, Project Manager, Northwest Center. “Jacob and James have overwhelming knowledge when it comes to sports. Arnell is always cracking jokes!”
We are so happy to celebrate Jacob, Arnell, and James, and Holly Ridge Center’s long-standing partnership with Northwest Center and Naval Base Kitsap!
ABOUT ADULT EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Holly Ridge Center Adult Employment Services (AES) supports meaningful, competitive, integrated, person-centered employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Employers, community organizations, public systems, and the regional workforce all gain when individuals with disabilities are meaningfully included in the labor force. National data show turnover among employees with disabilities is just 8%, compared to 45% for other workers (APSE). Lower turnover reduces recruitment, onboarding, and training costs—expenses that can total three to four times an employee’s annual salary, not including hidden losses such as stalled projects, increased workload for remaining staff, and decreased morale (Workable.com, 2023).
Inclusive hiring also correlates with stronger financial performance: companies leading in disability inclusion see 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher profit margins (Accenture, 2018). Creating inclusive workplaces is not only equitable—it is a proven business strategy that strengthens local economic vitality.
Contact us to learn more about supported employment: https://hollyridge.org/aes-contact-page/
ABOUT NORTHWEST CENTER
Northwest Center is a nonprofit building a disability-inclusive world for schools, businesses, and people, from cradle through career.
It was founded by four Seattle moms who just wanted their children with disabilities to learn. In the early 1960s, kids like theirs were barred from school. So, they started their own and changed the world. Those schools became Northwest Center. In 1971, those same moms wrote the first law in the nation guaranteeing public education for children with disabilities. They went on to help write the federal law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which made public education possible for every child in the U.S.
Today, Northwest Center contracts with Naval Base Kitsap, hiring from agencies like Holly Ridge Center to fill their employment needs. Visit their website at: https://www.nwcenter.org.
ABOUT PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton is the Pacific Northwest’s largest Naval shore facility and one of Washington state’s largest industrial installations. Naval Base Kitsap is the Navy’s third-largest fleet concentration area in the United States. Find out more at https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Shipyards/PSNS-IMF/.
Special thanks to Lynette, Holly Ridge Center Adult Employment Services Employment Consultant, for her work on this story.