Marge Thomas has spent the last three decades helping the less fortunate find jobs.
But the 64-year-old recently announced that she would retire from her post as president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake Inc. in December.
She said she'll leave with good memories and proud accomplishments.
During her tenure, she widely expanded job services to people hardest to employ: those with mental and physical disabilities, criminal backgrounds or leaving public assistance.
She started her Goodwill career in 1974 in Milwaukee and served as CEO of four other Goodwill branches over the years. She joined Goodwill in Baltimore in 1994, when the organization served 453 people, had 17 retail stores, and store revenues of less than $4 million. Goodwill now serves more than 17,000 people, has nine training sites, 26 stores, and government contracts throughout the state.
Thomas led the organization as revenue rose from $8 million per year to more than $40 million, with nearly $30 million generated through Goodwill's retail operations. She also spearheaded the move of Goodwill's central offices and primary career center to downtown Baltimore.
She will remain as president emeritus at Goodwill after her retirement.
She recently talked to The Sun about her tenure at the organization.
Why did you decide to retire now?
I'm going to be 65 in September, and I've been here at this Goodwill for 171/2 years and working with Goodwill since 1974. I just really have decided it's time for me to pass this Goodwill to some new leadership.
Who do you think was hurt the worst in this last job market turmoil?
Oh gosh, absolutely the people who come to us for services. We serve a lot of people who don't have high school degrees or have a poor or no education. A lot of people have been on welfare a number of years. A number of these are the folks who have tried to start their careers at an entry-level point, and they have been the hardest hurt by the recession. The job market has really dried up for so many of them.
How did you assist these job seekers?
We looked at how we could create jobs for these individuals because the jobs weren't out there to the degree we could replace them. We tried to create transitional programs.
What do you mean by transitional program?
Transitional jobs are jobs that people work in other operations of Goodwill. We run our own temp agency. … So they will work for that and could ultimately be hired by us. And once they have a good work history, we can help find them other employment.
The job market is starting to recover. How do you see it shaping up?
We're seeing some recovery. We can tell at Goodwill because of our temp agency. A lot of times the first place you'll see improvements is if you're running a temp agency. People are more likely to bring in temps first. That works for us because sometimes companies may be hesitant about hiring that ex-offender. They can bring them in temporarily and then hire them after they've worked with them. … So, yes, we have seen an uptick in hiring. It isn't where it should be or where we like it to be, but it is an uptick.
I think the big issue that we're going to face in this state — and in fact this is probably a national issue — is a lot of the new jobs are in higher-skilled positions, positions that require post-high school training or education. … You're going to see a gap in those higher-skilled jobs and the people who come to us for services who only have the basic high school education and job experience.
You have been through many economic downturns during you career. How was this one different?
To me this one is longer and it has hit people at all different levels of the economic spectrum. This is the first time I have had board members also lose their jobs. …
We rely a lot on retail sales, and our retail sales rely on the donation of shirts and dishes and things like that from the community. If you don't have the income to go out and buy new, you're less likely to donate your old stuff. So it took us a longer period of time this year to come back from the winter slowdown. … And we've also seen a difference in quality. That also goes back to what we've seen over the last three or four years. People are buying cheaper clothes and not replacing them as often.
What is the biggest change you've seen in the job market during your tenure?
We have a lot more people who have been incarcerated. …This is strictly Marge Thomas speaking. I am not speaking on behalf of Goodwill here. I think we put too many people in jail for some ridiculously minor offense. Instead of using the money to put them in jail, we out to be helping them get GEDs and post-high-school training. Putting them in jail just gives them more barriers to fight.
What are you most proud of in your tenure?
I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to, both here and at the other Goodwills where I have presided, create an environment where are our employees could earn and grow and have better futures.
What will you do next?
I am planning on taking some art courses at Anne Arundel Community College. I'm also going to travel. I went to India last December with my husband, and we both loved that. I have always wanted to go to Holland during tulip season. …
I also want to become a mentor to nonprofit female executives. I love mentoring. … There are still issues about being a female executive versus being a male, even though we have certainly come a long way. I would like my focus to be on women executives who are maybe newer in their positions.
http://twitter.com/ankwalker
- Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts
- MORE INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
See more business leaders interviewed by The Baltimore Sun