Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar toured Goodwill Southern California in San Bernardino with President and CEO Patrick McClenahan, Vice President of Workforce and Career Development Simon Lopez, and Regional Operations Officer, Inland Empire, Lowell King. Rep. Aguilar’s visit was to learn more about Goodwill Southern California’s services for community members, specifically job training and placement programs.

“This was an informative visit to learn about the important programs offered at Goodwill Southern California. As our region continues to recover from the Great Recession, it’s critical that we have community resources to support residents in addition to the federal solutions we’re working on in Congress,” said Rep. Aguilar. He added, “I’m grateful to Mr. McClenahan for walking me around today, and to Goodwill Southern California for their continued efforts to empower Inland Empire working families.”

“There is a tremendous need that exists in this region,” said Patrick McClenahan, President and CEO of Goodwill Southern California. “Goodwill is dedicated to Transforming Lives Through the Power of Work. We appreciate the Congressman’s support.”

According to Goodwill Southern California, each store employs between 20 and 30 local residents, which has generated approximately $88.2 million in wages and an economic output of $412 million throughout the region.

Since taking office, Rep. Aguilar has prioritized job creation and getting the Inland Empire economy back on track. He’s written and introduced five different jobs bills to close the skills gap, expand tax credits for small business owners, help local firms that have been adversely impacted by foreign competition, eliminate burdensome fees on small businesses, and open communication channels for Workforce Development Boards (WDB) to use federal resources to advertise their jobs services. Rep. Aguilar has also established a Small Business Advisory Board, and released a Jobs Plan, which is his blueprint to get the Inland Empire economy moving again. His Jobs Plan can be read in full here.

 

[[{“fid”:”594″,”view_mode”:”teaser”,”fields”:{“format”:”teaser”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:”146″,”width”:”220″,”class”:”media-element file-teaser”},”link_text”:null}]]   [[{“fid”:”596″,”view_mode”:”teaser”,”fields”:{“format”:”teaser”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:”182″,”width”:”220″,”class”:”media-element file-teaser”},”link_text”:null}]]   [[{“fid”:”597″,”view_mode”:”teaser”,”fields”:{“format”:”teaser”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:”158″,”width”:”220″,”class”:”media-element file-teaser”},”link_text”:null}]]