By Anna Skinner
Zionsville’s Stephanie Burdine has her first-paying job at the Arc of Greater Boone County. She spends her time adding birdseed to Mr. Canary birdfeeders and packaging the product in Arc’s Mainstreet Enterprises, a warehouse and workshop for Arc’s clients.
Arc works with people in the community who have disabilities and helps remove barriers for employment. It does this in a variety of ways, but the warehouse – where clients earn money through business partnerships – has recently improved its program through the partnership with Mr. Canary.
“The Mr. Canary company reached out to me because of a relationship we had in the past with them,” Arc Executive Director Andrew Kirby said. “They asked if we would be interested in assisting with production and inventory control of the birdfeeder products. They are a very small company based out of Carmel with two employees, and they do all of the marketing and operational components. We take care of all the production, supply ordering, supply chain management and inventory. It’s really a perfect match for what we do because we present ourselves as a production solution with our workshop.”
The single-use birdfeeders are designed to attract the American goldfinch. There are four products in the job: the single Niger seed, the single mixed seed, sock feeders and a combination pack of the Niger and the mixed seed. The production process has 12 steps.
“That really makes it a perfect job for what we do. We are providing services to individuals with a variety of developmental disabilities,” Kirby said. “We help train them and get them prepared for a job in the community. Through this production work, the individuals we serve are getting the skills and training they need to be successful. The birdfeeder itself is a unique item and perfect to who we are, because we can break it down to basic steps. Everybody we serve can do at least one of the steps.”
Burdine, who has been an Arc client for approximately four years, said she spends her paychecks on electronics and movies. She graduated from Zionsville Community High School in 2006 and worked briefly at Target afterward. Before working at Mainstreet Enterprises, Burdine participated in various activities and volunteer work through Arc.
“My goal is to live with my brother someday,” said Burdine, who lives with her parents. She said that through working at Mainstreet Enterprises, she hopes to make that happen.
“It’s really changed their outlook on life,” Production Manager Jessica Alexander said of the birdfeeders and Arc’s clients. “Now they’re getting a bigger paycheck and always keeping busy with work, and they have something to be proud of. They feel like they’re making a difference, because they’re producing something they can see in stores and say, ‘I made that.’”
The birdfeeders are sold at Walmart, Kmart, Meijer, Ace Hardware and True Value. Kirby said the goal is to make 1,900 birdfeeders a day, but depending on production, the clients sometimes only complete half that and sometimes they complete double.
“The Mr. Canary relationship had a dual purpose for me initially, because (Arc) is an industry that’s very heavily dependent on state and federal funding, and because of that the state can come to us and say they’re cutting reimbursements or getting rid of programs,” Kirby said. “I believe very heavily in what we do, so revenue diversification is very important, and the birdfeeder contract is a very good way to make sure we are continuing to focusing on that.”
Mr. Canary Company’s involvement
Jan Long, CEO of Mr. Canary Company, has a vision to give work to people with disabilities.
“We have disabilities in my family, and we know even if you have an easy to manage disability, it’s not always easy to get good work,” she said. “I want to do something that showcases what you can do if private business can partner with non-traditional workers. We partner with them as a team. This partnership that we have formed is a really viable business model that helps both of us reach our goals.”
For more, visit mrcanary.com.
