The story of how James Kyle, CEO & Founder of Millennium, got inspired to serve the community.
My involvement in our local community is greatly attributed to Roger Wolff – a friend, mentor, and the guy who introduced Millennium to Traction, the operating system that shaped who we are today (you might have to google it!). He has a 23-year-old son who has an intellectual disability. Roger learned the hard way that once those with disabilities become young adults (21+) there’s a lack of school or work programs to occupy their time and to make them feel like they are contributing to society. This becomes a drain on the family and an individual’s spirit and passion for life. He wanted to create a training program that would help adults with disabilities learn the restaurant service business, but did not have the know-how to get started.
We got together to devise an overall plan to help employ these young adults and spent time creating a 501c nonprofit organization. We partnered with a local church that donated its commercial kitchen and coordinated with restaurants and trainers in the area. Roger used his resources to bring in staff from a local school and together we helped to train 20+ people in the past year. By the end of their training, we were able to place each young adult with jobs at local restaurants! A few months back, Roger secured the funding to rent a shop space in Lake Geneva to build Inspired. They serve coffee and pastries while employing both professionals as well as those with disabilities. He even has arranged transportation for them to get to and from work.
Hearing this news, I was overcome with the feeling that the lives of countless people will be touched both by the ability to work and get involved. It could not have been possible without the dedication of people coming together to build the platform, my experience from building Millennium, and the support of everyone who continues to drive business while I’m out working on this project. Millennium continues to touch so many lives, even the lives of those who are not directly working with us. I can’t wait to take some of you to coffee to experience the results and see the joy in the worker’s eyes!
Thanks,
James Kyle
CEO and Founder of Millennium