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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
As the past director of Valley Mental Health, Dr. David Dangerfield was always looking for ways to better help patients. Past experience taught him that putting those with mental disabilities to work helped them become more efficient, use less medication and increased their self esteem. In 1992, Dr. Dangerfield decided to create a non-profit agency to fulfill this need and Salt Lake City-based Valley Services was the result.
According to its mission statement, Valley Services is dedicated to providing those with severe mental illness, emotional disabilities and economic disadvantages opportunities for employment, work skills training and furthering their goals in personal recovery.
Norman Chesler, who heads the organization, says the agency has six different departments its employees work in, including building maintenance, carpet and furniture cleaning, custodial services, food service, grounds maintenance and landscaping and biohazard cleanup. About 90 percent of employees come from Valley Mental Health while the other 10 percent are from other agencies.
Norman tells me he came out of retirement to head the organization. He served on the board for Valley Services for 13 years and worked in other industries. In 2003 he sold the company he owned, Theater Candy Distributing, with the intent of retiring. However, he is a strong believer in Valley Services, so when the agency had a vacancy for a CEO in 2007, Norman volunteered to become the organization's full-time CEO.
Valley Services currently employs 110 people, and Norman's goal is to increase that number every year. He hopes to train those employed by the agency enough so they can eventually work in the private and public sector. The main purpose of the organization is to create a better life for its employees.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
