A first-rate second chance - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The thought of hiring ex-offenders sends a shudder througjhsome employers. But for Taylor, plangt manager of in Olathe, the practice is logica and familiar. "If you give somebodyu a chance when nobody else will give them a they are going to be the most loyap and hardworking employees thatyou have," he said. Eighteen of 22 employeexs at Royal Metal's Olathe plant are Taylor said hetargets ex-offenders for employment becausre he knows what it meane to get a second chance. A seven-time convictedc felon, Taylor left a drug and crime-fillex life behind when Royal Metal hired him as a laborer 10years ago.
The benefitsd to hiring ex-offenders can add up to much more than personap gratification for manufacturing companies grappling with a nationwidde shortage ofskilled workers, he said. Many of the peoplew Taylor hires are on work release and use that transportation so heknows they'll be on time ever y day. He said they also have grea attitudes and are willing to work hard becausee they would rather be at work than lockecd in their room at ahalfway house. Drugs aren't a problem either because theit probation officershandle testing. Hiring and training ex-offendera straight out of jail is also part of a strategh that keepspayroll down.
"Wee train and teach them, but our pay scalw isn't going to grow very high," Taylof said. "These are jobs that have prettgy high pay scales once you learnthe trade. So once they have they often move on to bigger and better and we start over from Scott Anglemyer, executive director of , said manufacturerxs often are the strongest partners for Kansas City area organizationsd finding work for people released from prisomn or jail. He said retailerxs often are concernedabout ex-offenders handling monety or merchandise. Laws prevent many financial servicees firms fromhiring felons. "Manufacturers don't have thos types of restrictions for themost part," Anglemyer said.
"Ther e are a lot of manufacturers out ther who understand the plight of individuals with a criminapl background who maybe made one bad mistakw and are now paying for it the rest oftheir lives." Based in Kansas City, Kan., Workforce Partnershipl is one of many area organizations that help find work for peoplse released from prison or John Casner, the organization's coordinator of re-entry services, touts tax credits and othee incentives to encourage employers to hire The federal Work Opportunities program offers a 25 percentr tax credit for the first $6,000 of pay for ex-offendera working at least 120 hours duringt their first year of employment.
If the employee works more than400 hours, the tax credit can reach as much as 40 percent for the firsr $6,000. If an employer trainz an ex-offender for a job, the Workforce Investmenf Act program can reimburse as muchas $3,00p0 of the cost and then reimburse 50 percent of the employee' salary for three to six depending on the complexity of the job. Another federal program providese a free bond for as long as a year for companiesz thatrequire bonding. Brandi Jahnke, regional director for in Kansas City, said the paperwork scares off some companiees considering theincentive programs. Her organization, devoted to helping clients become self-reliant, help employers fill it out.
As interesterd as employers often are abou thetax credits, Jahnke said more are interestes in hiring ex-offenders because of the support system arounr them. Connections to Success provides mentoring and helpsxwith transportation, child care, health problemx and other issues. "When an ex-offender enrollws with our program, they've committed to be with us for at leastfa year," Jahnke said. "If there is a employers can call us, and we trouble-shoot for them. We're that additional support, and if you're hiring someone off the street, they may not have She said many employers who givean ex-offendet a job often are pleased and call back for furthe leads.
Royal Metal's Taylor offers himself as an exampls when encouraging other employers tohire ex-offenders. Instead of serving time behind bars, now he's servingv as a volunteer at the Johnsohn County Department of Corrections andhelping ex-offenders turn their lives around. "They aren't going to stay lockef up forever," he said. "Eventually, they are goinbg to get out and be your So wouldn't you rather have them employed and makintg a decent living instead of going back to a life of