"Ohio Valley Goodwill Welcomes GII President and CEO Jim Gibbons to Cincinnati!"

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s staff team along with President and CEO, Joe Byrum, were thrilled to welcome visiting Goodwill Industries International (GII) President and CEO Jim Gibbons to the Greater Cincinnati area on Thursday, December 15th. Mr. Gibbons is in town to help celebrate Ohio Valley Goodwill’s 95th Anniversary of service to the Greater Cincinnati community. While the formal Anniversary celebration luncheon will take place on Friday, December 16th at the Sharonville Convention Center, Mr. Gibbons  scheduled his arrival  early in order to tour the Goodwill’s corporate headquarters and meet with the local media. Ohio Valley Goodwill President and CEO, Joe Byrum, conducted the tour in partnership with members of the organization’s marketing, rehabilitation, and operations team members  all of whom  provided a detailed overview of the agency’s programs and services as well as donation processing procedures. The tour included individual presentations by managers in the organization’s award-winning skill training and employment services  areas  as well as within its Work Adjustment and CARE programs (Center for Advocacy, Recreation and Education). In addition, Mr. Gibbons was intrigued to find out more about the organization’s Veterans services and tour the transitional dormitory housed in its corporate headquarters. One of the highlights of Mr. Gibbons morning visit was the opportunity to speak with Goodwill supervisor, Jesse Walker, during the tour of the Production building where donated items are sorted and prepared for sale in the stores. Gibbons was fascinated by Walker’s story of personal success following his military service as a Marine in Viet Nam. After overcoming a series of overwhelming life challenges, Walker is now a supervisor at Ohio Valley Goodwill and is responsible for a team of more than 30 workers. Mr. Gibbons tour was documented by WLWT-News 5 as the Goodwill team conducted the extensive orientation and took advantage of the opportunity to ask  Mr. Gibbons for his  comments about the organization’s mission in the community. “The reason Goodwill exists is to help people with disabilities and our nation’s veterans go to work in our community. Goodwill is a job creator and is proud of its on-going record of success during these challenging economic times, ” said Gibbons. Mr. Gibbons tour was followed by an appearance on WCPO Channel 9 News at noon and then, a formal welcome reception at Goodwill’s corporate headquarters. At the reception, Mr. Gibbons had the opportunity to interact more closely with the organization’s Executive and management staff teams and learn more about its local success. WXIX- Channel 19 also stopped by to catch a few moments of the festivities and speak with Mr. Gibbons about his visit to Ohio Valley Goodwill. Friday, December 16th will feature Mr. Gibbons as the keynote speaker at the organization’s 95th Anniversary Holiday Luncheon which will take place at the Sharonville Convention Center. In addition, Gibbons will be featured on Local 12 Newsmakers with Dan Hurley. Please stay tuned for video links to all of these media stories in the coming days. Ohio Valley Goodwill is grateful to Mr. Gibbons for visiting the Greater Cincinnati area and committing so much of his time towards spreading the message of Goodwill during the holiday season. “We certainly appreciate Jim’s time with us at Ohio Valley Goodwill and his participation in our 95th Anniversary Celebration,” said Joe Byrum, President and CEO.