DePaul Industries Releases Disability Employment Statistics for 2011

One of Oregon's '100 Best Companies to Work For,' the $30 million outsourcing organization increased the number of hours worked by people with disabilities by 21% from 2010

PORTLAND, Ore., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DePaul Industries released its 2011 disability employment statistics today, showing an increase of 21% of hours worked by people with disabilities for the 40-year-old organization.

This announcement comes on the heels of DePaul Industries being named one of the '100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon' by Oregon Business magazine for the second year in a row.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nationwide unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 13.6% in January 2011, compared with 9.7% for people without disabilities. In its combined Staffing, Security, and Food Packaging & Contract Manufacturing divisions across Oregon, Washington, and Arizona, DePaul Industries employed 1,513 people with documented disabilities in calendar year 2011 and paid those individuals wages & benefits of nearly $11.4 million. Those numbers are rising.

"With plans in place to nearly triple our employment of people with disabilities within five years, we're excited about this significant increase in hours worked," says Dave Shaffer, President & CEO of DePaul Industries. "It's made possible by business with our customers—the more our customers outsource their staffing, packaging, or security work to DePaul, the more we can leverage the highly effective and highly underutilized workforce of people with disabilities."

About DePaul Industries:
Since 1971, DePaul Industries has focused on its vision of changing the landscape of employment of people with disabilities while growing into the Northwest's most comprehensive outsourcing specialist. DePaul helps people with disabilities to have the opportunity to work through a self-sustaining business model that generates more than 97% of revenue through the operation of three core businesses: food packaging & contract manufacturing, temporary staffing services, and security services. To date, DePaul has trained or employed in excess of 15,000 people with disabilities and paid wages and benefits of more than $200 million.

DePaul Industries has been honored as one of Oregon Business magazine's '100 Best Companies' in 2012 and 2011, and has consistently been named a top staffing firm by the Portland Business Journal for the past few years. The organization has also been honored as one of Portland Business Journal's "Most Admired Companies," and was the recipient of the Oregon Ethics in Business award in 2011.

SOURCE DePaul Industries