At a ceremony in May, the Colorado Human Resource Association presented the 2008 Summit Award – Honorable Mention to Sheridan Walker, CEO and Founder of HirePotential in Denver.
Walker was recognized for “outstanding performance in the field of human resources” for her work to provide corporations access to these underutilized resources through staffing and recruiting solutions, accommodations, training, tax credit administration and assistive technology/individual accommodation solutions.
HirePotential provides a strategic alignment with businesses that have recruiting needs, high turnover issues, an older workforce, diversity initiatives and OFCCP government compliance requirements.
“There are about 27 million people with disabilities of working age, the largest minority in the country,” says Walker. “Currently, the biggest roadblock to employing people with disabilities is attitude and lack of education by employers. They just need help recognizing that employees with disabilities (and veterans and those over 55) can be incredible assets to any company. It’s an incredibly untapped pool of talent.”
Walker is hardly a newcomer to the field. With a clinical background as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist, she brings nearly 25 years of expertise working with people of all abilities. When she’s not traveling the country speaking on disability-related hiring issues, Walker finds time to serve on a committee for the Brain Injury Association of Colorado and Mayor Hickenlooper’
For Walker, being recognized by her peers is an incredible honor, though she admits that the real reward is seeing people – and the companies with whom they’re placed – succeed.
“We have a pool of qualified candidates that happen to have a disability, whether they’re a veteran with a disability or a mature worker with a limitation. They have the qualifications and skills for us to assist in their careers and placing them in positions we offer in corporate environments is a great joy. With 70 percent unemployment rate for people with disabilities, there is a great need for what we do. HirePotential is the bridge that provides the service and expertise for what corporations and the ‘untapped workforce’ is seeking. And once companies get educated and see all the benefits of hiring from the untapped workforce – skilled labor, loyalty, tax credits, low turnover – they’re eager to rehire from that pool. It’s simply a matter of finding a great match between employee and employer, providing some training and information, and then watching everyone prosper.”
About HirePotential
Denver-based HirePotential specializes in providing a full spectrum of recruiting and staffing solutions to employers in support of employing and placing “the untapped workforce” – disabled workers, veterans, and people over 55 – to Fortune 1000 organizations and federal government agencies. The national firm provides a full spectrum of related services, including Web site accessibility assessments, accommodations, job postings, tax credit analysis, pre-hire assessments, recruitment outsourcing and direct hire, training, awareness programs and consulting.
To learn more, call 303-398-6035 or visit www.hirepotential.com.
