Disability:IN Wisconsin, the state’s business association dedicated to advancing, improving, and expanding employment outcomes for people with disabilities, announced the winners of the organization’s annual awards including the Derek Smith Leadership Award, the Top Disability-Friendly Employer in Wisconsin Award, and the Disability:IN Wisconsin Excellence Award.
Disability:IN Wisconsin is the state affiliate of Disability:IN, a global, nonprofit, non-partisan business-to-business network empowering businesses to achieve disability equity and inclusion. Each year the organization recognizes individuals and employers who have made significant commitments to advancing disability inclusion in the workplace and communities across the state.
Levi Stein, executive director of The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin in Fox Point, was awarded the Derek Smith Leadership Award. Since 2016 Stein has served as executive director of The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, which creates friendship in the lives of individuals with special needs and those facing isolation while providing an opportunity to become a contributing member of the community.
Victor Agapov, principal of Wallo Brands, was awarded the Disability:IN Wisconsin Excellence Award. Wallo Brands is a founding member business of Disability:IN Wisconsin, and is a certified Disability Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE).
Festival Foods was recognized as the inaugural Top Disability-Friendly Employer in Wisconsin Award. Festival Foods has established a culture that fosters equal and accessible opportunities for everyone including those with diverse abilities and skill sets in each of the communities where they have a presence.
Nominations for the 2024 Disability:IN Wisconsin annual awards will open in early 2024, and winners will be announced at the 6th Annual Disability:IN Wisconsin Summit on Oct. 3, 2024, at ManpowerGroup world headquarters in Milwaukee.
