My Story: Derrick Powe

Derrick Powe has been a valued member of the Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana Commercial Services team for the past six years. He started as a groundskeeper and now works as a janitor at the Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center (called Building One) at the former Fort Benjamin Harrison. Goodwill has a large presence at Building One through a contract to provide janitorial and other services. The contract exists thanks to AbilityOne, the federal program that provides employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.

His co-workers and supervisors at Building One have nothing but great things to say about him. The quality inspector at Building One states, simply, “I am a Derrick fan.”

Rod Lange, Goodwill’s Site Supervisor at Building One, says, “Derrick has perfect attendance. He is the most dependable, reliable employee that we have, and he does his job extremely well.”

In 2015, Derrick was chosen for SourceAmerica’s Member Spotlight, featuring the theme “I Choose Work.” Derrick said, “I choose work because it makes me feel better. I go to work, I pay taxes, I will retire. I feel good!” SourceAmerica is a partner that helps connect organizations like Goodwill with AbilityOne contracts.

Also in 2015, as part of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme, “My Disability is One Part of Who I Am,” Derrick said, “I agree – I come to work, I play golf, I bike, I exercise. I do and like a lot of things!”

Knowing that he plays a part in his own employment development, Derrick set a goal to become a backup Team Leader and took the initiative to speak with his immediate supervisor about accomplishing it.

NOTE: As originally posted on Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana.