Nehemiah Manufacturing Company is a fully operating for-profit manufacturing plant that has been in business since 2009. Nehemiah owns several brands, including Boogie Wipes, Kandoo, and Sun and Earth, and also packages and manufactures several lines for P&G, such as Downy, Dreft, and Febreeze. From its inception, Nehemiah has practiced what they call “second chance” hiring of hard-to-hire and formerly incarcerated individuals and provides a social support team to help their employees succeed. Today, Nehemiah employs 150-180 individuals and about 80 to 85 percent of their workforce is considered second chance.
Nehemiah’s successful program revolves around providing social services and support to individuals returning from incarceration. Nehemiah employs a full-time social service team of three and partners with a host of social service agencies in the Cincinnati area, such as Cincinnati Works, City Link Center, The Life Learning Center (supportive services for “at-risk” individuals), and City Gospel Mission/Jobs Plus. The social support team meets with each new employee to conduct a full assessment of the individual’s immediate barriers to employment. Together they evaluate things like housing stability, available transportation, drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, and outstanding fees and fines to develop a plan to remove the barriers that have historically kept that individual from holding a job.
In ten years of operating, Nehemiah has maintained a low 15 percent turnover rate, which has helped provide the business justification for the company’s mission-driven focus. To learn more about the Nehemiah Manufacturing Company’s second chance program and other good ideas taking place in Ohio, visit: https://www.greaterohio.org/good-ideas-initiative
Image Source: Nehemiah Manufacturing Company