Blossom is led by a handful of people who have helped grow this social venture from the very beginning. One of these people is Rob, Vice President of Client Advancement & Skill Development at Quest, Inc.
At Blossom, Rob creates work opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. He is part of the production team who manages the creation of our products and quality assurance. There are aspects in both of Rob’s roles that tie together. “There are some aspects that I think are transferrable: the focus of ensuring everyone enjoys their experience being essential to everyone doing their best within their role; the culture of allowing experiential learning to occur through trying things differently, new or uncomfortable. Blossom is a very good example of this mindset and has been fun to watch,” Rob said.
Since Blossom’s launch, Rob has seen individual growth of our crafters. When given an opportunity, they take it and thrive. Team member, Dylan, was able to launch his greeting card line with the help of Blossom. Eight team members are now fully employed by Blossom. An additional four to six team members assist in part-time capacities, including at local events. Rob’s favorite part of working with Blossom is attending these local events to see our sales team in action and the response of our customers when they learn about our products.
Rob has a positive outlook for the future of employment of people with developmental disabilities. “I hope there is a continuum that ensures all abilities are given access to work,” said Rob. “Many individuals need significant support to be able to learn the pre-requisite skills necessary to be a productive, effective contributor to a work process or business… If someone has the fundamental desire to work, a variety of options are available for that person to achieve that goal based on where they currently are and where they want to go.”
We appreciate Rob and everything he does for Blossom!