Goodwill Colorado expands clean tech training, fair-chance jobs

Anthony Martinez’s 11-year career at Goodwill of Colorado is more than a story of upward mobility — it’s an example of the organization’s mission in action.

Starting as a part-time donation attendant, Martinez persevered through challenges, including time spent incarcerated, to become a regional turnaround manager, an achievement he attributes to Goodwill’s focus on leadership development and grace.

Martinez now helps other leaders thrive, informed by his own experience of being given a second chance.

“My whole journey, I look now and say that Goodwill didn’t just change the direction of my life, they gave me a space to create a new life,” Martinez said. “It’s one thing to be gainfully employed; it’s another to have a career, and to me, that is humbling.”

For Martinez, who was under pressure to find a job after his release from prison, Goodwill provided the foundation for a career.

Stephanie Bell, Goodwill’s customer experience manager, noted that Goodwill took a chance on Martinez, who lacked traditional references and job history. Today, as a regional turnaround manager, Martinez mentors store teams, teaching what he learned: that success is about growth and measurable improvement, not perfection.

“The biggest one is grace,” Martinez said. “Goodwill has given that to me. … I’ve been allowed to make mistakes and take that and learn.”

Gary Smith, Goodwill’s chief mission officer, sees Martinez’s transformation as proof of the organization’s model.
“Anthony came to Goodwill and needed help,” Smith said. “Now, he’s helping all the managers that he’s been working with day to day. It’s an amazing transformation.”

Martinez’s ascent from the donation line to managing one of the largest stores in Denver and, now, consulting other leaders was fueled by key skills from Goodwill’s programs: leadership development and a deep understanding of individual capabilities and self-awareness.

Martinez’s story aligns with the goal of Goodwill’s new Clean Tech Accelerator, which aims to address the mismatch between available jobs and in-demand skills in Colorado.

“The biggest thing is we’re partnering with those employers,” Smith said. “We ask them what the skill gaps they’re seeing are, and we will build our curriculum to make sure those skill gaps are addressed. We’re focused largely on the jobs of the future.”

The accelerator is a free, four-week training program that provides participants, including justice-impacted people, veterans and the underemployed, with the skills and certifications they need to maintain and repair electric vehicle charging stations and other clean energy equipment.

The program offers a stipend and support for needs such as transportation and job coaching for a minimum of six months post-placement. Graduates are projected to start at about $27 per hour, offering a significant step toward financial independence.

The initiative comes as Colorado’s clean energy sector continues to grow at more than double the rate of the state’s overall employment.

Smith emphasized that the success of Goodwill’s mission-driven programs, which are free to participants, relies on a mix of funding from retail stores, grants and private donors, including the recently opened Excel Center adult high school.
He also stressed the need for Colorado businesses to embrace a fair-chance employment model and partner with Goodwill.

“Employers can partner with us with a willingness to hire our graduates,” he said. We often have businesses that come into our programs … and ultimately hire our graduates.”