Andrea Todaro has built a small empire for businesses seeking workers in Western New York.
President and owner of Innovative Placements, Todaro has placed clients successfully at companies like Wegmans, M&T Bank, Quest Diagnostics, Fisher Price, AmeriCorps, Roswell Park, Adam's Mark and Snyder Industries.
Since starting the company in 2002, "business is going really, really well. It's moving along quite successfully. I absolutely love the kind of clients I work with, and partnering with various companies throughout Western New York. It's exciting to see a person's entire quality of life change by becoming gainfully employed," Todaro said.
"I've got a great passion for what I do and a great team of service providers to work with," she added.
The company has eight subcontractors who assist per diem with all aspects of job placement and workforce readiness, said Todaro, who earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at SUNY Fredonia and holds a Master's Certificate in Human Resources Management from Villanova University.
A North Buffalo resident, Todaro said she is seeking to increase her business in Niagara County. The company has an average of 120 people seeking employment, from entry-level cleaners to upper-level management positions.
The job placement service provider specializes in the employment of people with disabilities. To date, over 2,000 jobseekers and employers representing a wide range of occupations and industries have benefited through Innovative Placements, Todaro said.
"Working with Andrea has been a delight. I have appreciated her commitment and followup. I will definitely utilize her services on a regular basis," said Sharon Noker of Budget Rent a Car.
"Our goal is to improve the quality of life for each individual that we serve and assist employers in creating a diverse and talented workforce," Todaro said. "We provide an alternative way for employers to fill their staffing needs -- one that has proven success in increasing workplace morale and enhancing a company's bottom line. We pride ourselves in maintaining our placement success rate of 94 percent for individuals remaining employed for at least six months."
"Over the last several years, I have relied on Andrea Todaro to provide AmeriCorps VISTA with some of our very best members," said Jack Norton, Ed.D., a recruiter at AmeriCorps/VISTA.
"In upcoming months, we plan to increase our number of employment consultants as our client base and work volume expands," Todaro said. "We are also in the process of exploring new work locations and service contracts/collaborations with human service agencies throughout Western New York. Finally, we are in the process of creating a consortium consisting of over 200 employers who are committed to hiring individuals with special needs and disabilities.
"Innovative Placements provides a full range of job preparedness tools to job seekers as well as thorough candidate prescreening and a variety of hiring incentives, all at no cost to employers," she said. "We specialize in the placement of both individuals with disabilities and local refugees, and are a partner of the Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH).
"Employers benefit in a variety of ways: Most importantly, we will do our best and are committed to providing the right job match for each employer. We accomplish this through both soft and hard skill testing and performing a functional task analysis of each job.
"There are financial incentives available to employers for hiring our job candidates. These include gross wage reimbursements and tax incentives. Money goes back into your pockets instead of you paying a third party agency. We are a no-fee based company and get paid by the agencies that provide job candidates to us," she said.
"The sense of social responsibility also carries with it the benefits of favorable public relations and community recognition that will help your company be featured in the top ranks as an equal opportunity or diversity employer," Todaro said. "We will help you obtain such branding by submitting your success stories on hiring individuals with disabilities and unique efforts to the media -- radio, newspaper and TV.
"We are part of a local employment consortium that honors employers through an awards luncheon as part of National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), If your company successfully hires individuals with disabilities and 'goes the extra mile' to help them succeed, we will gladly nominate you for recognition," she said.
The company's website is www.innovativeplacementswny.com. Todaro can be reached at (716) 883-1793 or by e-mail at atodaro@innovativeplacementswny.com.
Contact Ron Churchill at ronchurchill@yahoo.com.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Jan. 17 2012 |