Jobs
A Community of Doers, Part I – Are you a bicycle entrepreneur?
So, a month or two ago, we posted about our vision for an artisan center on the East Side of Buffalo. Well we’re excited that our vision is beginning to take shape…we have lots of ideas and lots of hopes for our humble little warehouse located at 298 Northampton Street. Over the next few weeks, we’re gonna share with you some ideas we’ve had about “dream tenants” . . . entrepreneurs, artists, artisans . . . who provide a service to the community and/or are interested in a community art space. The focus is really on creating and doing. So … Read more
People ask us . . . Why Do You Do What You Do?
From our About page: Question: People ask us . . . Why Do You Do What You Do? (WDYDWYD?) Answer 1: Jobs! We’re committed to creating local and green jobs for the Buffalo community. More importantly, we feel these jobs should leverage the waste in our society to create opportunity. We’re interested in a critical analysis of our economy to identify wasteful business practices that damage our communities and our environment, and opportunities that exist for new ventures. We’re determined to find solutions and to implement alternatives that put people to work. Answer 2: Innovation! As we look at the … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Marcus
Our final feature on our most recent class of apprentices… Marcus is the younger brother of Cliff, one of ReUse Action’s full time employees. Marcus came to us late, having worked a few weeks as an apprentice for Empire Building Diagnostics, the demolition group doing work on the upper floors of the hotel, but we’ve gotten to know him well. In the past 5+ years, Marcus has been through a lot—Hurricane Katrina wiped out all that was familiar, his child was born, he moved to Buffalo, etc. On many occasions he’s expressed his interest in finding a stable lifestyle, atmosphere … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Naya
Like gardening and weeding, de-tiling and sorting tiles are some of the best ways to get to know someone because of the hours spent with a repetitive task in good company. Naya and I first bonded while sitting in a room sorting tiles as she told me her experiences as a black woman in construction. Like Iris from our last group of apprentices (who just got a job at the snack shack, hooray!), Naya is the only woman in the current group. When I asked her why she was in construction and what she wanted to get out of it, … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Robert
I first met Robert several years ago, but now have had the pleasure to get to know him over the course of 15 weeks at the Hotel. Fondly referred to as “google” by the crew, Robert is an amazing source of knowledge and meticulous to the core. Because of his memory and his matter of fact attitude, the crew often turns to Robert to find out answers to the questions that come up in their conversations. They also rely on him as master time keeper since both Michael and I are notorious workaholics and need to be told when it … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Kashawn
When filling out an application at CPG the other day, Kashawn turned to me and asked me what qualities he had and what he was good at. Yes, he has muscle and can lift just as consistently as the other crew members, but those are not the qualities that first strike me. I replied: 1.”Your ability to see something’s wrong before it happens,” for it is often Kashawn who sees when a tub won’t fit through a doorway or if the pallet jack is cutting a corner too hard. 2. “You consistently show up to work.” This is one of … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Darell
Unlike Vern who is a big guy and at times seems to possess a superhuman strength, Darell is of smaller build. Yet the crew calls Darell “Superman,” because what Darell doesn’t have in size, he makes up for in attitude. There is no task too big, no tub too heavy, no pile of tile too high, and it amazes me how Darell’s faith in his ability to overcome and to get a task done makes him such a star apprentice. Here’s what Amanda, our green demo project manager, has to say about Darell: “Over the past couple of weeks I … Read more
Featured Apprentice: Vernon – Seeking Employment Opportunities
We’ve had three months of wrestling tubs, delicately sorting tiles and holding up traffic as we carted materials out of the building on a pallet jack, and now our time is finally ending at the Lafayette Hotel. We’ve also reached the end of nine weeks with our current apprentice group, and while it’s sad we’ll no longer see them everyday, we’re happy they’re moving on in pursuit of full time employment. Since the very beginning when we took on our first apprentice group from the Outsource Center, part of our commitment to our apprentices has been to do everything in … Read more
Lafayette Hotel and The Outsource Center in the News
Here’s an informative article by Mark Sommer in the Buffalo News, all about the current state of Rocco Termini’s Lafayette Hotel renovation.