Meet Eddie

Before Eddie began working with Hire St. Louis, he says his life was the “cliché story of being in and out of jail.”

Today, his life tells a very different story. After being released from prison, he enrolled in our Job & Leadership Training (JLT) program. He was placed at Swiss American, where he completed an 88-hour internship. Upon completing our program, he had to find a full time job. “I was lost in the work world until I came to Hire St. Louis,” he explains.

Eddie had worked hard as a JLT student and was equipped with the skills and leadership for full-time employment. Hire St. Louis connected Eddie back to Swiss American as a temporary employee, where he continued to excel.

Through Hire St. Louis, Eddie worked over 130 shifts. For each one of those shifts, Eddie arrived 20 minutes early, which he still does to this day.

Eddie with Marc Minear at Swiss American

This past December he was hired on as a full-time employee at Swiss American, giving him access to benefits, a pay increase and job security. Marc Minear, Senior Director of Operations at Swiss American, is consistently impressed with his punctuality and his reliability: “From being an intern, to temp, to full-time, Eddie has not missed one day of work. I would love to have all of my workers just like Eddie.” Marc says that Eddie’s success is paving the path for his peers.

Our Hire St. Louis Recruitment Manager Drew Berson with Marc, Chris and AJ from Swiss American

Eddie is doing so well that he coaches the new JLT interns at Swiss for each new JLT session. He tells them that if they work hard, they will be able to find success.

Eddie’s life is completely different than when he first came to Mission: St. Louis, and then to Hire St. Louis.

“I had the cliché story of being in and out of jail,” he says. “but now, I’m here.”

Thank you to Swiss American for their continued partnership with our Job & Leadership Training program, and for helping us create more opportunity in St. Louis.