More than a decade ago, Nehemiah Manufacturing started with a goal to push for inclusive capitalism in the workforce. Now, nearly 80% of their 180 employees are “second chance” hires — people with criminal records who would otherwise struggle to enter the workforce.
Franklin Comer is just one of many who have benefited from the program. At the age of 56, he is approaching his one-year anniversary as a warehouse associate at Nehemiah after serving more than 33 years in prison for aggravated robbery and murder. He found his way there with the help of Cincinnati Works, which helped him get his driver’s license and fill out job applications.
“There’s a cohesion here [at Nehemiah] of people that you would never know what their background is, if they didn’t tell you. And to me that’s important,” Comer says. “They don’t care about the past, [there’s a] degree of compassion and understanding that they have here.”
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