Alan Polk loves to learn new things and has continued to excel at his job throughout the pandemic. Alan is employed at NRI Distribution, a warehousing company that specializes in premium apparel, footwear accessories and selected goods throughout North America. About a year ago, Alan participated in a Paid Internship Program (PIP) at NRI Distribution, with assistance from his Supported Employment service provider, ICAN.

During his paid internship he went above and beyond expectations. He learned to work as part of a team to ensure all orders were processed and packaged appropriately. He demonstrated a great work ethic and worked directly with the distribution center to ensure timely order fulfillment of products. Management at NRI Distribution noticed Alan’s work ethic and was so thrilled, that after about 4 months of his paid internship, they offered him a permanent position with their company.

Alan describes his experience with his employer as very positive, he expresses “I’d say that I’ve learned quite a bit and I’m always showing the initiative to learn more. I enjoy the company of my coworkers in my department. It feels good to work under people who are actually invigorating. I can almost say that I know everyone’s name, even coworkers whom I’ve never had a conversation with.” As for changes he has encountered at work during the pandemic, he mentions “The only changes that come to mind since the pandemic are the mandatory masks and face shields.”

Alan has continued to thrive at his job during the pandemic. He even received an award a couple of weeks ago for his work at NRI. His supervisor, Tamira Taylor, has nothing but good things to say about him, she expresses “Alan has been a joy to work with ever since he came on board with us. He has accepted every task assigned to him and performed it with excellence with exhibiting growth. Alan currently works in our VAS (value-added services) department and receives a tremendous amount of support from the team within that department such as helping him improve his speed with processing orders. We are hopeful that Alan will continue to flourish within his role and look forward to seeing him move up within the company. NRI is truly grateful to have an amazing person on our team.”