Columnist Neal St. Anthony recently shed light on a critical issue for Minnesota-based manufacturers — finding long-term workers (“Manufacturers seek future workforce,” Dec. 10). There are incredible programs across the state that are working to help close the skills gap and build a strong manufacturing workforce. At MDI, we’ve thrived on a slightly different model.

MDI is a nonprofit corrugated plastic manufacturer and production services solutions provider, and nearly half our employees are people with disabilities. When individuals are considered for jobs at MDI, it is based on their ability rather than their limitations. Taking this approach has benefited us as an organization and has provided opportunities for people who are passed over for jobs on a regular basis. While the general population is experiencing low unemployment rates, people with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed.

Our business has grown in the commercial and medical sectors. We’ve nearly doubled our staff, opened a new larger facility in Hibbing, Minn., and added 11,000 square feet of space to our Minneapolis facility. Through MDI’s Career Skills program, our staff members are learning new skills that allow them to contribute to Minnesota’s incredible, $50 billion manufacturing industry. But perhaps most important, our employees experience the independence, pride and sense of purpose that comes from being employed.

I encourage manufacturers across the state to consider the benefits of hiring people whose abilities may not be obvious or seem limited on the surface. Our employees inspire and impress us every single day and represent a truly untapped workforce in Minnesota and across the country.

This letter to the editor was written by Peter McDermott, MDI President & CEO, and published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Sunday, December 17, 2018. View here.