Finding the right job match can be life changing for individuals with disabilities, according to Kimberly Nonn, the founder of Feist Vocational Counseling & Placement, but it can be just as rewarding for the employer.
Feist helps clients build a variety of skills that prepare them for employment and independent living, and Nonn said the clients who go through her company’s programs are “excited to work.”
“That’s their world,” she said. “And I love helping them be successful at their work sites.”
As she reflected on a career advocating for individuals with disabilities, Nonn said persistence and collaboration are crucial to establishing a more inclusive, successful community — within and beyond the workplace.
How has your personal and professional background informed your work through Feist?
I went to UW-Madison. I did my undergrad and my master’s in rehabilitation psychology. I grew up in Madison as well and have always enjoyed local Madison events and Badger games and things like that.
I’m married. I have three children — 9, 6 and 3 — and I think really what led me to wanting to start a business was just wanting to be more involved with the Madison community and really just being passionate about working with people with disabilities.
I started the business about 15 years ago, and it was just me. I now am up to about 60 staff members, and we serve over 550 clients in the Madison community.
I’ve worked several past jobs, and in those jobs, there have always been individuals with disabilities. I’ve really gravitated toward helping them be successful in their jobs and connecting with the employers, and being an advocate for them to take on more job duties.
What challenges have you encountered along the way?
I think the challenge has always been just moving forward and making sure you’re not growing too quickly and you still maintain quality.
We’ve always evolved. We provide onsite job coaching for our clients in the community, but we also have a transition academy, we have a day program, we have a transportation unit, a health and wellness facility. Lastly, we also have residents in The Brennan (Apartments), so we serve about 11 clients that live independently in a really cool apartment complex.
In our partnership with The Brennan, we’re really setting a standard — creating a game-changing independent living facility where we have wonderful staff that coordinate and case manage their lives … and all live within The Brennan.
What have been your “big moments”?
I think our biggest milestone was launching our transition academy, Turning Point. That was really what gave us the foundation of teaching people independent living skills and working in the community to be able to get our next goal, which was having our residents at The Brennan.
When I started researching a little bit about independent living and supporting our clients in the community, one of the individuals I spoke with said, “It’s actually really easy to buy a building, or build a building. It’s actually much harder to support individuals or help people get ready to live independently.”
So that really stuck with me, where I knew I needed to have the training and the opportunities for people to use those skills and apply those skills before actually living independently in the community.
We work a lot on learning basic employment expectations, taking on more job duties or taking on initiatives, conflict resolution or management, and customer service or how to interact with others.
I would say, in our agency, we have about a 90% success rate with finding a good employer match. When (clients) get a job, that opens up so many doors for them. That’s when they start thinking about managing their finances independently, moving out or living independently in the community. Getting a job and being stable just creates stability in their whole life, so we also see a decrease in their mental health symptoms; we see an increase in their social(ization).
What feels rewarding within your job?
I really enjoy staff and leadership development. I have eight core leaders. … (With the company) being 15 years young, that’s a long time for a leader to stay within the organization, so I really enjoy staff development.
And then I’m really tied still to the university. I’m on their Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education Advisory Board and PRIME Steering Committee, so any time I can host internships or practicums or clinicals for students, I also enjoy just showing them all the different possibilities within their field or their scope.
We also have a lot of really great community partners — we work with Epic, Marcus Theatres, UW Health, Meriter, all the local grocery stores — and our clients really stand out because they have such an impressive work ethic.
What are some goals or plans you’re looking forward to?
We’re looking at a very close proximity lot to expand our service. Right now, I feel like we’re at our maximum capacity, just in terms of office space and spacing in general, so we’re looking at a second location.
We’re also looking to expand into a business model or a café, where our clients work at that place of business and give back to the community as well. That’s the next two to three year plan.
What advice has guided your career?
Hard work pays off, and consistency, and the grind. I think that being an entrepreneur and a leader, there (are) not enough hours in the day. I truly have worked really hard to get to where I’m at, and I also have been able to depend on other experts to help guide me.
Also, one ‘no’ doesn’t mean a no. You just need to knock on a different door. I think consistency and persistence is really what has led me to where I’m at today.
