McCombs Meets With Occupational Development

Appliance parts business sees value in ODC workers

Gregg Richards believes there are a lot of people within his program capable of success.

Richards is the director at Occupational Development Center, a not-for-profit organization in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that provides vocational training and employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.

Ken McCombs Jr. and Ken McCombs III, president and vice president, respectively, at McCombs Supply Co. Inc., an appliance parts business in Lancaster, Pa., enjoy helping individuals who are less fortunate or need a chance to find employment.

The ODC motto is "Creating opportunities through community." The McCombs family enjoys giving back and helping the community.

It seems like a perfect match.

Ken McCombs III met with Ken Muller, ODC’s director of development and public relations, at the ODC, 640 Martha Ave. on Sept. 22 for a tour.

Just a few minutes into the visit the wheels in McCombs’ head were turning, as he thought of ways he could employ participants at the ODC.

He saw all the creative ways the 65 participants in the program are putting their skills to use.

They do packaging, mailings, put together metal roofing display packaging, assemble gutter screws and spikes. McCombs started thinking about his packaging needs.

                                                                                                                                         Ken McCombs III and Ken Mueller talk during an ODC tour.   

Later, he saw other ways the ODC participants put their skills to work, helping assemble bikes for the American Business Club (AmBucs), cutting up cardboard and much more. Some of ODC’s clients include Alert-All, a fire prevention service from New Holland, Pa.;  Amerimax Home Products, which hires ODC participants to assemble gutter screws and spikes and eventually sells these products at Home Depot and Kinsey Outdoors, a family-owned archery, hunting, firearms and fishing retailer in Mount Joy, Pa. Armstrong World Industries is a former client.

McCombs learned that ODC drives a crew of participants to Kinsey to work. One of their jobs is cutting up and removing cardboard boxes. This is a job McCombs pulls one of his employees off from packing to do at least once a least, sometimes twice a week.

“It tends to be very affordable,” Mueller said about four people and an ODC supervisor going at Kinsey, adding that the ODC sends out crews to clean at Meals on Wheels, the Ephrata Cloister and other companies.

A light bulb popped up above McCombs’ head. He could use janitorial work.

Helping individuals is nothing new for the McCombs family. McCombs Supply, a third-generation family-owned business currently works with the United Disabilities Service in Lancaster, Pa. and has employed more than 50 people over the years from UDS.

The relationship with UDS began with Ken McCombs Jr. Some UDS participants are currently working at McCombs for six or seven years and another just retired after more than 18 years.

A few have gotten off “the system,” depending on government assistance, and become full-time employees at McCombs.

Ken McCombs III has also worked with the  Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 with job shadowing (see related story), bringing in students to McCombs Supply to see if the shipping business or B2B business is appealing to them.

So when he heard about the ODC’s shadowing program,
he agreed to have participants visit his business for a week,
a month or “as long as they’d like to try it out.”

Melissa Ressler, a career counseling manager at ODC, supervises the job shadowing.
Ressler works with participants to do an assessment for a job, finding a fit for an ODC member,

 something they want to do and enjoy doing. 

After the first meeting, staff members of the ODC came
to McCombs Supply for a tour Sept. 28
and continue talks on how the two sides can work together. 

“Our individuals are all on a different skill level, “ Mueller said.
“The goal is to be individualized. Build their skills for what you need."                                       Above, Ken McCombs III gives ODC staff a tour.

At the Occupational Development Center, participants work on assembling parts and mailings at Martha Ave. 

About Us

McCombs Supply Company, Inc.

In business since 1953, McCombs Supply Co., Inc. is a third-generation family-owned business that specializes in fast, reliable shipping.

Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, McCombs Supply Co., Inc. offers replacement repair parts for dishwashers, dryers, microwaves, range-ovens, refrigerators, washing machines, HVAC, commercial refrigeration, commercial cooking, pellet stove parts and more. Some of our manufacturers we distribute for include – Backer-Chromolox, Broan-Nutone, Exact Replacement Parts (ERP), EZ Flo, Fasco, Mastercool, ICM, JW Harris, Packard, Robertshaw, Sealed Unit Parts Company (SUPCO), White Rodgers, Englander, Breckwell, Harman, Lennox, Napoleon, St. Croix and Quadra-Fire.

We supply contractors, service technicians, housing developments, hospitals, retirement communities, institutions, and do-it-yourselfers.

Today, we have nearly one million SKUs in our system. We are constantly upgrading our cutting-edge technology to serve our customers better.

Copyright 2017