With our dedicated and trained staff, ERDAC is able to offer a variety of paid work training and opportunities based on an individual’s interests, motivations, and abilities. Our values and practices are person-centered.
Work programs are located at our center in Eveleth and in community settings in communities across the Range.
At ERDAC we work to support the employee’s long term and short term goals. Every employee has an individual plan developed with their input. We value and honor individual interests and choices. Our focus is on developing better work performance such as learning new skills, finding the type of work an employee would like to continue in and pursue; improving quality and quantity, as well as those other skills that lead to greater success in the work place and greater earnings, such as attendance and dependability, time on task, and motivation.
Community Employment:
Cleaning crews along with their job coaches are hired to provide cleaning services for area businesses, churches, and organizations. The quote below tells how many of our employers feel about our community job crews:.
“These employers provide more than jobs for our employees, great personal connections are made. Our crew are often considered by businesses to be valued extended employees, included along with other employees with Christmas Gifts, or products the business distributes to their staff such as logo gifts. One employer summed it up with a note: “I so enjoy the relationships I have developed with the staff and crew. I enjoy hearing about what they have going on in their lives and look forward to having them arriving at our site.”
ERDAC has several crews that mow lawns for area businesses and private homes. The employees of these crews look forward to mowing from one mowing season to the next. This is such a popular community service that we have had waiting lists of potential customers for many years.
Center-based Employment:
Green projects:
- Rag Plus: Employees recycle old clothing and fabric to make rags. Our customers include many local businesses including several mining companies. We also create hand-loomed rag rugs, purses, dog toys and more from the donated materials, and we sell vintage fabrics and buttons.
- Shredding: ERDAC shreds documents for local businesses. We are able to use some of the shredded paper to make another recycled project: Firestarters.
- Wildwood Cottage and AGAIN! : Employees repurpose and upcycle furniture and other household décor using methods such as chalk paint and redesign.
Wildwood Gifts: Because we want to provide real work opportunities while having a variety of work available to match an individual’s needs, ERDAC has developed our own line of unique hand-crafted products. These include jewelry, Up North items such as bear, moose, loon, and birch bark items, outdoor furniture, wreaths, wooden signs, glycerin soap, garden decorations, gift baskets, seasonal and holiday gifts and much, much, more.
Our 2nd floor gift shop is open and ready for shoppers Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. We are closed most holidays and on Fridays in the summer. Call 218-744-5130 if you want to make sure we are open. Stop in, our customers have the opportunity to buy unique, hand-crafted items made right here in Northeastern Minnesota, and every November we have a very special holiday sale and we expand our gift shop with even more to shop for until Christmas.
Your donations of clothing and textiles are greatly appreciated. You can find our collection bins in area communities, or you can drop off clothing and textiles at our building in Eveleth. We also appreciate donations of birch bark, pine cones, and wine corks, toilet paper tubes, pine cones, and wooden furniture.
Contracts:
ERDAC can also work with businesses to provide contracted work such as packaging, small parts assembly and collating.