I am very pleased to announce that we have won an ISPA Innovate Award! We’ll be recognized along with 14 other spas around the world for business innovations. I am particularly excited about this award because it will give me an opportunity to speak to a large group of my peers about the advantages of hiring people with disabilities.
In March this year, we met with Candeo, an organization that helps businesses to identify unmet employment needs and then works to fill those needs with an individual with a disability. Our laundry mountains had been growing and our employees were getting busier doing treatments (yay!) but were needing help with the laundry.
Candeo introduced us to Holly, whom we hired. They have been coming to work with Holly at every shift to help train her, though she’s super independent with her work and possibly our most enthusiastic employee! Holly’s co-workers were asked to write down their favorite work memory from the first half of the year so far for a spa party and nearly every single one pertained to something awesome Holly said or did!
If you’re needing help at your workplace or have an unmet employment need, even if it is just for a couple of hours a week, I’d guess that Candeo can help you find a perfect employee! Feel free to contact me if you have questions and I’ll put you in touch or reach out to them directly.
Below is the press release for our award:
Des Moines, IA Sept. 3, 2014 – East Village Spa will be celebrated by the International SPA Association (ISPA) at the upcoming 2014 ISPA Conference & Expo with an ISPA Innovate Award. The ISPA Innovate Award is given to spa industry leaders with innovative and successful spa-related initiatives.
Cassie Sampson, spa owner will represent East Village Spa at the 2014 ISPA Conference & Expo, focusing on the topic, “individuals with disabilities find perfect spa employment.”
“Innovation is the driving force behind growth in the spa industry,” said ISPA President Lynne McNees. “Recognizing the innovation that is occurring within ISPA’s membership will encourage and inspire future ideas.”
“Hiring an employee with different abilities and strengths has helped to fill an employment need for us,” said Sampson. “Our laundry assistant, Holly, is proud to be a part of the East Village Spa team and her co-workers are thankful that the work she does helps them to be able to focus on providing great treatments to customers. Her positivity is contagious and we look forward to her shifts. I’m excited that this award will help us educate more people about the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.”
The ISPA Conference & Expo Innovate Session will be held on October 15 at 3:30 pm at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., where a select group of award recipients will share their innovations with ISPA Conference attendees. Attendees can register for the ISPA Conference & Expo by visiting attendispa.com.