In May 2022, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana and Cook Medical officially opened our new manufacturing facility built in partnership with the northeast Indianapolis community. The goal was to bring opportunities in education, health and employment to a community that experiences high poverty, high unemployment and limited opportunities due to corporate desertion in the preceding decades.

When Teresa Smith joined Goodwill Commercial Services in 2009, she was re-entering society and the workforce after a period of incarceration and a decade-long addiction to methamphetamine, which led to her losing custody of her son. Her history with the criminal justice system made it difficult to secure a job, but she approached the opportunity at Goodwill with a focus on improving her professional skills and rebuilding her life. 

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana partnered with local organizations across Indianapolis to host two drive-thru turkey giveaway events on the near and far east side of the city this past November. 

After 14 years of missionary work overseas, Tim Hudson returned to his hometown of Indianapolis to take care of his parents and provide them with the daily and nightly care they needed. When they passed in 2019, Tim had trouble finding another occupation that could help with expenses. He regularly applied to job opportunities, but his lack of recent work history and age were constant barriers to achieving employment with a life-sustaining wage.

For more than 35 years, Goodwill Commercial Services has provided high-quality janitorial services to central Indiana businesses and buildings. Through our AbilityOne program, Goodwill employs over 125 Hoosiers who are blind or have other significant disabilities.

It’s been two years since Pete Yonkman, CEO of Cook Medical, a medical device manufacturing company based in Bloomington, Indiana, approached Goodwill’s leadership about partnering on a unique project. Those conversations came on the heels of the murder of George Floyd and pandemic-related racial disparities and included questions about social justice and the role we play as employers in helping to strengthen our communities. 

Born in Indianapolis with fond memories of attending Auntie Mame's Preschool near 38th and Emerson and elementary school at IPS School 92, a few blocks from the Goodwill Commercial Services manufacturing facility at 38th and Sheridan, Juanita Easterling, director of plant operations, is returning to her roots. 

Goodwill Commercial Services, a division of Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, has been providing high-quality janitorial services to central Indiana businesses and government buildings for more than 35 years. We also implement the AbilityOne program, which employs over 125 Hoosiers who are blind or have significant disabilities. 

For nearly 75 years, Goodwill Commercial Services has provided advanced manufacturing, assembly, and packaging services to leading companies.  Goodwill Commercial Services operates under ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 Quality Management Systems utilizing lean principles, cutting-edge inventory management, quality control, and engineering capabilities to support customers.  

In 1989, upon graduating from high school, Shawn Basore joined Goodwill’s Commercial Services division. He had no work history or job skills and participated in Goodwill’s Work Experience Program, which provided job training and employment services to persons with disabilities, preparing them for successful employment.