Salem business recognized for hiring practices

Mark Siegal, center, owner of the Salem Giant Eagle, is presented with a plaque of appreciation for hiring individuals with developmental disabilities. Siegal’s experience with employees who have developmental disabilities is that they are “dependable, hard-working, and self-motivating,” as well as “customer-friendly, pleasant and helpful.”Currently three such employees work part-time at Salem Giant Eagle, two men in the dairy department and a woman in the deli section. Pictured making the presentation were Shirley Bowald and Paul Anthony of Reach 4 More, a program of the Columbiana County Board for the Developmentally Disabled. “This is for years of being supportive by hiring individuals with disabilities, and is only one of many ways Giant Eagle helps those with disabilities in the community,” said Bowald. The two men primarily stock dairy products, while the female employee has general duties in the deli. Siegal said the three current employees have years of experience at their jobs and require little supervision. “They have been here so long that, like any employee, they know their areas and can help customers with questions.”Giant Eagle also is a participant of long standing in a program through the Educational Service Center which places high school students with disabilities as working interns who rotate through local businesses, learning good work habits and interacting with supervisors, fellow employees and the public