From DNRP News

A productive collaboration between King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) and local staffing organization Weld Works not only resulted in the successful disassembly and recycling of offices and cubes on the sixth floor of King Street Center, it provided jobs and training to a diverse labor pool in need.

Weld Works is a non-profit serving the construction, manufacturing, and retail industries with purpose and heart by bringing together companies hiring in construction, clean-up, and general labor with a pool of individuals interested and ready to work to get the job done. The program connects people in transition, often from incarceration, to a path of dignified, long-term employment. 

The collaborative effort involved King County’s Green Jobs and Solid Waste Division’s (SWD) Construction and Demolition programs, as well as with the Facilities Management Division (FMD), and the Department of Human Resources getting together to arrange the partnership with Weld Works.

“The workers not only did a great job removing the cubicle walls and panels, they were able to recycle a lot of the material that otherwise would have been landfilled,” said Kinley Deller, SWD’s Construction and Demolition Project manager. What’s more, Deller said the collaboration resulted in FMD exploring future opportunities with Weld Works for the disassembly and recycling of panels, as well as furniture, for future County projects.  

Also as part of the effort, the County’s Green Jobs Program provided job application training to Weld Works workers assigned to the project.

“The purpose of the clinic is to better equip community members with resumes that reflect the work conducted on County projects as well as train participants on tactics to effectively navigate the NeoGov application system for open positions, growing the County pool of qualified applicants,” said Michael Carter, Green Jobs Program manager. 

Learn more about King County’s Green Jobs Strategy here.