2. 1
Table of Contents
About Sojourners Care Network .....................................................................................................3
Construction Plus & Logistics ..........................................................................................................4
Community Needs ...........................................................................................................................6
Creation of Recycling Center ...........................................................................................................8
Hours of Operation .........................................................................................................................9
Sojo Eco Recycling Center Student Experience .............................................................................10
Logistics Course Details .................................................................................................................11
Measurable Outcomes ..................................................................................................................12
Economics of Program ..................................................................................................................13
Expansion of Program ...................................................................................................................13
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................14
Exhibit A: Program Replication Guide
Exhibit B: YOSO Schedule
3. 2
Abstract
This case study explores how YouthBuild programs can utilize the Department of Labor’s
Construction Plus guidelines to expand their programs. YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio added
a course in logistics through a partnership with Pickaway-Ross Adult Career Center. This allows
students to earn a nationally recognized certification. Sojourners Care Network, the parent
organization that houses the YouthBuild program, created a recycling and metal buyback center
that reinforces what students learn in the logistics coursework. The addition of the logistics
course and recycling center creates employment opportunities for students in an industry
which is growing in their region, and potentially enhances the long-term sustainability of the
program.
4. 3
About Sojourners Care Network& YouthBuild of SoutheasternOhio
Sojourners Care Network is an asset-based youth development organization serving
Appalachian Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. A nonprofit organization founded early in 1999
by two brothers, Marcus and Richard Games, Sojourners fosters positive development
opportunities for children and young adults living in the most distressed counties of Appalachia.
The initial mission of the organization was to keep rural foster care youth from being placed in
homes in urban settings, far from home. They soon realized that there was more that they
could do to support young people in their area. As the challenging conditions and lack of
opportunities for young people became increasingly evident, Sojourners’ mission expanded to
where it is today – focused on helping the most disenfranchised youth make a successful
transition into adulthood.
The organization wanted to provide meaningful activities for the youth that they served, so in
2000 Sojourners applied for a grant through the Department of Housing and Urban
Development to become a YouthBuild program. YouthBuild programs help low-income young
people ages 16–24 across the country work toward their GED or high school diploma. At the
same time these young people are learning job skills by building low-income housing and are
participating in leadership development activities in their communities.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio (YOSO), Sojourners’ YouthBuild program, is now a critical
piece of the Sojourners Care Network. Training Director Jeff Fite calls it one of the legs of
Sojourners’ “three legged stool” (family foster care support, youth transitional housing, and job
training). YOSO provides the benefits of the YouthBuild curriculum to young people in foster
care and runaway and homeless youth programs. Today, YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio is
one of 261 YouthBuild programs operating nationwide, and one of only 77 serving rural young
people.
5. 4
ConstructionPlus & Logistics
Once it became a successful YouthBuild program,
YOSO wanted to expand their program and provide
even more opportunities and resources for the young
people that they serve. Southeastern Ohio was hit
hard with the collapse of the housing market and
building trades several years ago. This reduced the
already limited employment opportunities for
graduates in the construction trades.
In 2012, YOSO’s staff was excited to learn that the
Department of Labor (DOL) began allowing programs to offer additional training opportunities
through the Construction Plus component of YouthBuild. “Construction Plus” refers to the
inclusion of in-demand occupational skills training opportunities for YouthBuild participants
other than construction. All DOL-funded YouthBuild programs offer construction skills training
to all program participants, although students are not
obligated to earn a construction certificate. In order
to accommodate the time students would be
spending in this new training program; YOSO reduced
the number of housing units they were committed to
building down to the minimum of one per year. With
this new opportunity to significantly expand the
training options provided to their students, staff set
out to discover which industry offered the best
training opportunity for the largest number of
students.
The YouthBuild staff could not find any industries growing locally, so they looked at what was
growing regionally. Census data revealed that each day more than half of the workforce in
Vinton County, where YOSO is located, commutes out-of-county to get to work. Many make the
hour plus commute to the Columbus area to work in large shipping and warehousing hubs.
Columbus is located within 500 miles of 51% of
the population of the United States, and has
become a top-ten city in the growing industry of
logistics. An article in The Columbus Dispatch
from June 2013 noted that Ohio manufacturers
had added about 55,000 jobs to the economy in
the past three years. The YouthBuild staff
decided to take action so that students would be
able to benefit from this trend.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio
defines the field of “Logistics” as:
the science of procuring, maintaining,
and transporting materials, equipment,
personnel, and facilities. Logistics
training is geared toward teaching
students to become familiar with skills
and techniques common to many
shipping and warehouse employers.
YouthBuild student learning to weld
6. 5
To prepare students for employment in the warehouses and shipping hubs that make up the
logistics industry, the YOSO staff researched industry-recognized certifications that would
reflect the skills and knowledge that students would receive through hands-on experience. The
staff found that the Manufacturers Skills Standards Council (MSSC), a national non-profit
organization, had a certification system based upon industry-defined and federally-endorsed
standards, which included two levels of logistics certification.
YOSO then contacted Columbus State Community College in an attempt to create a partnership
that would allow YouthBuild to utilize one of the college’s certified instructors to teach the
MSSC logistics curriculum to YouthBuild students. Columbus State Community College was
receptive to the idea, but suggested that YOSO instead partner with the Pickaway-Ross Adult
Career Center because it also had MSSC certified instructors and was an hour and a half closer
to YOSO’s McArthur location. YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio was able to partner with the
Pickaway-Ross Adult Career Center, who agreed to send a certified MSSC instructor to the
recycling center and provide the approximately 70 hours of classroomtime necessary for
course completion. Upon completion of the course and after passing a final exam, students
would receive a Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) certificate recognized by the Manufacturing
Skills Standards Council.
7. 6
Community Needs
YOSO staff had identified logistics as an industry that was growing in their region, researched an
industry recognized certification, and created a partnership with a nearby educational
institution to provide necessary instruction. They then turned their attention to providing
students with work experience in the field of logistics. The staff wanted to give students an
opportunity to practice the knowledge and skills they would be gaining to better prepare them
for beginning a career in logistics.
In order to match the classroom
education with hands-on training,
YOSO’s staff considered various
models, including partnering with local
businesses that had material handling
elements. Some options were not
selected because other organizations
were providing these services in their
area, and they didn’t want to create
any competition locally. Sojourners
Care Network had also recently moved
into a new 10,000 square foot location,
so they were eager to utilize that
warehouse space instead of traveling
to established shipping locations in order for students to gain experience. Another issue with
partnering with established warehouses was that the YOSO staff felt that training students in
organizations totally separate from their YouthBuild program would feel like simulated work,
and would not provide the same impact and learning opportunities that creating and running
their own warehouse would.
The YOSO staff saw this as an opportunity to create a small business involving logistics that
would function not only as a training mechanism for the students, but also as a way to
potentially generate some revenue for the program. They determined that running a logistics-
based business would prepare students to better utilize their certification in the growing
industry, and increase their chances of beginning a career. In the search for a small business
idea that involved logistics, the staff had to answer two questions important to any business
venture: 1) Is there a need? and 2) Can we make money doing it?
During the YouthBuild staff’s research into census data and discussions of community needs, a
glaring need in their county and the surrounding area became evident. Ohio EPA reports
revealed that in 2009, Vinton County, along with the three adjacent counties (Gallia, Jackson,
and Meigs) that made up their solid waste management district (GJMV), had the lowest
residential and commercial recycling rate in the state (6%). These findings confirmed their
belief that there was a significant community need for recycling in the area.
8. 7
The operation of a recycling center would include many of the same logistical issues as the
other large warehouse and shipping businesses that were growing in the area. This presented
an opportunity to provide students with hands-on training and experience in an industry that
was growing in their region and adding a significant amount of jobs.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio is located in Vinton County which is part of the Solid Waste Management
District GJMV that in 2009 had the lowest recycling rate in the state at 6%, far below the state goal of 25%. This
data shows the severe need for a recycling center in Vinton County and the surrounding area.
9. 8
Creationof Recycling Center
YOSO decided to build their own model for a recycling center which included a metal buyback
center. They named it The Sojo Eco Recycling Center. These services were greatly needed in
their area, as indicated by the low recycling rate and lack of a metal buyback center in the
county. Fortunately, they were already in a facility large enough to accommodate the center,
and they were located along a major highway making accessibility to the public quite easy.
To get all the equipment they would need to begin operating the recycling center, YouthBuild
staff began searching Craigslist and making calls to partner organizations that they believed
might be able to help them in their search. The staff contacted the Jackson Area Ministries who
had an underutilized forklift that they were willing to loan to the YouthBuild program. The local
Solid Waste District helped YOSO in their search and pointed them towards an organization in
West Virginia that had just received grant funding to upgrade their recycling equipment and
were trying to get rid of the old machines. YOSO was able to buy an unused bailer and blower in
West Virginia for less than the scrap metal value. They were fortunate enough to have
individuals on staff with the knowledge and expertise to properly repair the old machines and
ensure they were safe for the students to use. Through donations and the purchase of this
inexpensive used equipment, they were able to accumulate a can crusher and blower, a baler, a
forklift, and a certified scale, all for under $2,000 including setup.
YOSO then met with their local
Solid Waste District to help
determine which recyclable
items could be profitable, which
would allow them to break
even, and which would cause
the business to lose money.
YOSO then created a
partnership with the local Solid
Waste District to purchase from
them most of the same
recyclables that the Solid Waste
District takes in, as well as
offering a metal buyback
service. In order to be able to
offer the metal buyback
program, YOSO met with nearby L&L Scrap Metal to find a wholesaler price list and discuss
potential partnerships. Today L&L Scrap Metal is the primary buyer for scrap metal from the
Sojo Eco Recycling Center, and they also provide technical assistance to the program, including
instruction in the identification and upgrading of metals. The metal buyback aspect of the
recycling center is critical to YOSO’s potential to generate program revenue.
The view from inside the recycling center
10. 9
Throughout this process, students were engaged in designing the business. The students helped
decide how the warehouse space would be arranged to create the recycling center, and
focused on making the space efficient for both staff and customers. Students also gave their
input on hours of operation and advertising strategies, to maximize their customer base and
volume of materials during operating hours.
Hours ofOperation
The Sojo Eco Recycling Center was originally opened only to
staff and families on April 5, 2013 for a two week trial of the
program. After the successful test run, the recycling center
was opened to the public on April 12, operating on Tuesdays
and Fridays from 12:30pm to 3:30pm with Saturdays being
used for processing and material handling. By May 21, the
recycling center had collected 3,793 pounds of aluminum
cans and over 4,000 pounds of cardboard. The hours of
operation for the recycling center increased to 3 days per
week, then scaled back again to two days to keep the staff
and students from being overwhelmed by the high volume
of customers and materials.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio decided on a model in
which the recycling center is open to the public 14 hours per
week. The Sojo Eco Recycling Center is currently operating
on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 4pm. YouthBuild vocational crews spend equal time at
the recycling center and construction projects. The staff hopes to expand their hours to include
Mondays in the near future so they can best serve the Southeastern Ohio region.
YouthBuild student recycling cans
11. 10
Sojo Eco Recycling Center Student Experience
Sojourners Care Network operates two YouthBuild programs in Ohio, one in McArthur and a
recent expansion in Chillicothe. Each YouthBuild crew is split up so that half of the students are
in a classroomwhile the other half are participating in vocational work experience. YOSO’s staff
has created a crew rotation, shown in Exhibit B, which
provides four groups of 5-8 students equal time in all
elements of the program. All students take part in the three
primary activities: construction training, recycling/logistics,
and education.
The students running the recycling center are usually
focused on customer service, due to the high volume of
visitors the recycling center receives. If the flow of
customers slows or the recycling center is not open, the
students spend their time cleaning, loading, and organizing
recyclable materials to prepare for the next day of
operation. Crews are rotated in such a way that all students
at each location are offered the opportunity to experience
both the construction training and logistics training, but are
not required to earn both certifications.
Students working in the recycling center are exposed to
many of the same logistical problems experienced by large
companies, and are compelled to create solutions. In
addition to problem solving, students practice skills in the
recycling center that are relevant to many professions, but
are especially focused on the logistics career pathway. YOSO is currently creating a skills
mastery blueprint to track student progress in the skills being taught. The blueprint will record
each student’s gains in: customer service, equipment operation, ergonomics, data tracking,
fiscal responsibilities, as well as material handling and sorting.
The metal buyback aspect of the recycling center introduces students to fundamental business
principles such as “buy low and sell high” through the process of upgrading donated materials
for resale to L&L Scrap Metal. In the community, many residents make their living or
supplement their income in the “scrapping” industry. It is probable that many of the students in
their program are, or will be involved in this business in the future. The entrepreneurial skills,
such as effective advertising and long term financial planning learned through the recycling
center will be of great value to students whether they pursue a career in logistics or plan to
start their own business.
“The recycling center is all
about logistics—we have
receiving and shipping and
sorting and storing.”
12. 11
Logistics Course Details
The recycling center acts as the working logistics lab for students to gain hands-on experience
that reinforces what they learn in the course provided by the Pickaway-Ross Adult Career
Center. The 70 hour logistics course is offered to students once per grant year by certified
instructors who travel to the recycling center. The MSSC logistics curriculum includes modules
covering: the global supply chain, the logistics environment, safe equipment operation, material
handling equipment, quality control, workplace communication, teamwork and problem
solving, and using computers. The final assessment is delivered online, although paper tests are
available in special circumstances, and contains 80 multiple-choice questions which students
are allowed 90-120 minutes to complete. MSSC provides scores immediately after the student
completes the assessment and allows them to retest in 15 calendar days if they do not pass on
their first attempt. Students who participate in the logistics course and successfully complete
the final assessment will earn a Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) certificate.
Students participating in the logistics coursework
13. 12
Measurable Outcomes
In the first year of the Sojo Eco Recycling Center, 20 students initially enrolled in the Pickaway-
Ross Career Center logistics coursework. Fourteen students finished the classes and took the
logistics certification test. In the end, 9 students from the 2010 YouthBuild grant received a
Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) certificate.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio is dedicated to creating a beneficial program though the Sojo
Eco Recycling Center by constantly evaluating and improving the program. Progress is tracked
through data collection and financial reporting. Data highlights are provided below.
2013
Soft opening April 5, 2013
$26,536 total sales
$5,756 gross profit
$20,298 added to local economy
(through the purchase of
materials from customers)
37,555 lbs. of metal purchased
Over 15 tons of cardboard and
plastic fiber products collected
2014 to date (11/30/2014)
Over $90,000 in sales
Estimated $24,000 to $25,000 in
gross profit
Almost $67,000 added to the
local economy (through the
purchase of materials from
customers)
141,769 lbs. of metal purchased
Since opening
Over $30,000 in gross profit
Almost $90,000 added to the local economy (through the purchase of materials from
customers)
Over 200,000 lbs. of recyclables kept out of landfills
14. 13
Economics ofProgram
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio was able to embark on this expansion of their services
because of the addition of the Construction Plus component to the DOL grant funding model.
DOL considers the recycling center a training cost, which allowed YOSO to use $2,000 of DOL
funds to cover the startup costs. Currently, the largest expense that DOL assumes is the cost for
labor, which amounts to 1.5 staff members. Sojourners Care Network was not able to initially
incorporate the recycling center as a stand-alone Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) because
they would not have been able to cover the labor costs with DOL funding if it was a separate
entity from Sojourners. Currently all revenues generated by the center may only be used for
DOL approved expenses and go right back into
the program. In order for the recycling center
to breakeven, they would need to operate
with the minimum two staff required to run
the center while being open more hours than
they would currently be able to handle. Due to
the limited operating hours, the program is
not sure what the ceiling for recycling volume
is from the community, which makes specific
projections difficult to quantify. The staff is
confident that the recycling center will
continue to grow as it becomes an established
resource for the community.
Expansionof Program
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio is proud to have added the recycling center to their
organization, and is constantly focused on expanding and improving the program. Currently
their YouthBuild program only offers the construction and logistics certifications, but they are in
the process of partnering with a variety of local resources to also offer welding, forklift
operation, and CPR certifications to students to better prepare them for the workforce. YOSO
has added a welding component to their most recent DOL grant and the training program will
begin in the summer of 2015. The forklift operation training that students currently receive
though working in the recycling center has been critical to making YouthBuild graduates more
attractive to potential employers in the logistics field. At least five of their most recent
graduates are currently employed in the logistics field, and cite their forklift operation
experience as a key reason why they were hired. Other graduates have been offered
employment opportunities at a local medical warehouse facility. In order to address the ever
present transportation challenge in Vinton County, YOSO is attempting to start a car donation
program that would benefit their students; they have already received their first donation.
15. 14
Conclusion
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio ultimately expanded their services to include the recycling
center in order to enrich the job training that they would be able to provide young people.
While the main goal of operating the recycling center is to maximize the benefit of the
YouthBuild program for students, it has also become an important resource for the local
community as well as the Sojourners Care Network itself. The Sojo Eco Recycling Center gives
students critical hands-on business experience while allowing them to graduate the program
with a logistics certification to pair with their construction
certificate, making them attractive to potential
employers. The program prepares young people to begin
careers while the metal buyback aspect of the recycling
center benefits the local economy by allowing community
members to supplement their income. The revenue
generated from the metal buyback program is one step
towards making YOSO a sustainable YouthBuild program.
The recycling center not only contributes to economic
sustainability but also benefits the environment by
providing the community with a convenient location to
dispose of their recyclables, which has already kept tons
of material out of landfills.
YouthBuild of Southeastern Ohio is focused on
being an economically and environmentally
sustainable program so that the Southeastern
Ohio community will benefit from this
resource for generations. Operating the Sojo
Eco Recycling Center is part of ensuring that
YOSO is a sustainable program. Training
Director Jeff Fite is wary of being overly reliant
on DOL grant funding, and the recycling center
may have the potential to generate necessary
revenue that would help YOSO continue to
provide much needed services, even if other
funding sources cannot be counted on.
The team is confident in the growth potential of the recycling center and has set goals that
reflect their belief. YOSO hopes to soon be open Mondays to expand the hours of operation
back to three days per week. The team has also helped to oversee the creation of a second site
located in Chillicothe, OH that has significantly expanded their ability to provide training to
students, although they will not be opening a separate recycling center at that location. As the
recycling center continues to grow in popularity it becomes increasingly viable as a stand-alone
LLC, which Fite has suggested could be used to employ graduates after they successfully
complete the YouthBuild program.
“I wasn’t sure why all
the staff was making
such a big deal about
logistics. Then they
took us to a logistics
job fair in Columbus
and some of us got
called with job offers
before we got home.”
16. 15
Exhibit A: Program ReplicationGuide
The Sojo Eco Recycling Center has been open since April of 2013 handling over 34 tons of
material purchased from over 700 customers. Students have received valuable training and the
program is now generating revenue (due to grant funded labor costs.) If this model is to be
replicated, here are some key elements to consider:
Business
o What industries are growing in your region?
o Is there a need in your area?
o Who are the local competitors?
o What certifications could students earn?
Equipment/Space
o Can you operate within your organization’s current space?
o What additional equipment would be necessary to begin?
o Their project is using up about 5000 square feet of shop space and another 5000
yard space. This is probably minimum for such an endeavor.
Knowledge
o What market information will you need to begin operating?
o Who could you partner with to provide support?
Buyer/Customers
o Locate local buyers at organizational level
o Understand expected customer base
o How will you advertise?
Money
o Operating capital to purchase necessary equipment
o Operating capital to begin buying from the public
Transportation
o What transportation will be necessary to operate?
o Compare costs of owning and operating transportation vs. hiring out
Community Approval
o The recycling center is a messy, noisy operation, so make sure your neighbors
and code enforcement folks are okay with whatever business model makes
sense in your area.
17. 16
Exhibit B: YOSO Schedule
YOSO First Two Weeks Schedule
VC-A VC-B RC-A RC-B
Monday,3/12
Morning
Extendedmorningmeeting,Handbook
session,uniforms,paperwork, lockers,
groupassignments,groundrules
Extendedmorningmeeting,Handbook
session,uniforms,paperwork,lockers,
groupassignments,groundrules
Monday,3/12
Afternoon
Education Vocation—NCCER Education Vocation—NCCER
Tuesday,3/13
Morning
Vocation Education—TABE
testing
Vocation Education—TABE
testing
Tuesday,3/13
Afternoon
Vocation Education
(possiblyNCCER)
Vocation Education
(possiblyNCCER)
Wednesday,3/14
Morning
Education—TABE
testing
Vocation—
Recycling
Education—TABE
testing
Vocation—NCCER
Wednesday,3/14
Afternoon
Education
(possiblyNCCER)
Vocation—
Recycling(cont)
Education
(possiblyNCCER)
Vocation—NCCER
(cont)
Thursday,3/15
All day
Vocation—jobsite Education Vocation—NCCER Education
Friday,3/16
All day
Education Vocation—MLK
Day prep
Education Vocation—
Recycling
Joyand Jeff will be doing AmeriCorps paperworkduringWeek1;will workonIDPs,enrollment,
paperworkcompletionduringbothWeek1and Week2.
Monday,3/19
All day
Martin Luther King Day, all groups, all day
Tuesday,3/20
All day
Education Vocation—NCCER Education Vocation—jobsite
Wednesday,3/21
All day
Vocation—
Recycling
Education Vocation—NCCER Education
Thursday,3/22
All day
Education Vocation—jobsite Education Vocation—NCCER
Friday,3/23
All day
Vocation—jobsite Education Vocation—
Recycling
Education
