Have you noticed how clean things have become lately? It has been almost two months since Curtis started work at the makerspace and (co)space.
Curtis came to the organization thanks to a new partnership with Challenge Disability Resource Group. (co)space & YuKonstruct gratefully accepted an invitation recently to be honored for the success of our partnership with Challenge at their upcoming Annual General Meeting on June 14th!
“We support and promote self-starters, entrepreneurship and innovation in the North and consider this success story as another win. Curtis graduated from Challenge’s Employ Ability Skills Program this spring and started with us the following week. THIS is what we do!” Says Lauren Manekin Beille, (co)space’s Director of Coworking.
We interviewed Curtis and here’s what had to say about his role:
Curtis, what is your role at (co)space & YuKonstuct?
I am a proud janitor for the spaces. The dirtier it is, the better I clean!
Why is this job important to you and the organization?
It keeps both spaces open, welcoming and immaculate. It’s working because I received a compliment last Wednesday. The person said, ‘Wow – since you’ve been here the place is so clean. I appreciate all the things you’ve been doing. You do great work and I appreciate you.” That made me feel really good. Also, everyone says hello and gives me high-fives here.
Tell us about your work ethic.
My father has been a strong influence. He works at his job and continues to work at home. He’s always kept busy and never sat around. My motto today is “Safety – no running on the job, Quality – always aim to do better work, and Quantity – do more work than the day before.”
What did you learn at Challenge to prepare you for your business venture?
They taught me to be articulate. Before I spoke with my hands and now I use my words. I did so well that I won the “Most Reliable” Award because I was never late.
Do you have any advice for people in making the leap to being a self-starter?
Keep busy, have a good frame of mind to push forward, commit to always showing up, and be better than the day before. Finally, always smile because it goes a long way.
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