Atlanta’s Bobby Dodd Institute (BDI), a 501(c)(3) with facilities in Atlanta, Decatur, Jonesboro, and College Park, serves the state’s differently-abled population by training, teaching, and employing deserving clients. Legendary Georgia Tech football coach Bobby Dodd was a dedicated volunteer with the organization. The program dates back to the 1960s, known then as “All About Developmental Disabilities.” Dodd was passionate about meeting people where they are and building their strengths from there.
Joe Paolini, Vice President of Business Services at BDI, is just as passionate about the services BDI provides as was Coach Dodd. “We have two divisions that serve people with disabilities of all ages – by nurturing empowerment and finding employment. We empower clients and their families, helping them navigate what can sometimes be an exhausting and confusing system with regard to benefits and more. We prepare these clients for the workforce, and we have a robust business network.”
And that business network is where Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA) is a powerful partner. “Jason Moss (CEO of GMA) is a brilliant connector of people, a great networker,” Paolini said. “We actually had a GMA membership for a couple of years, but we weren’t really using it effectively. Truly, we didn’t have the bandwidth. Then COVID hit, and Jason had done a really good job of keeping things going in spite of that. He created a huge, highly-engaged network.”
That’s when BDI, through GMA, partnered with a Georgia company to produce hand sanitizer. The opportunities have grown from there. The Bobby Dodd Institute has secured state and federal contracting and commercial work for about 400 BDI clients. From landscaping and custodial work, to call center jobs in the College Park facility, to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Murfreesboro, TN, to mailroom and other jobs with the IRS, FAA and the U.S. Air Force. BDI is training and placing…
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