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Jefferson City, Kentucky - Due to the difficulty in recruiting employees for some companies, specialty dog ​​food company Wigglewow has a waiting list for people who want to work. The Jeffersontown-based company focuses on recruiting people with disabilities, and its founder Mark Pfeifer says this is an untapped labor market. What you need to know Currently, the US labor shortage data shows that the unemployment rate of 18-64-year-old Kentucky disabled people is higher than that of non-disabled Wigglewow of the same age. A professional dog therapy company located in Jefferson Township, Kentucky is looking for employees. There was no problem with it, because it sought to hire people with disabilities. A human resources company in Washington, DC that specializes in arranging jobs for people with disabilities told Spectrum News that business was booming due to labor shortages.

In 2019, Pfeifer quit his job at the company to focus on Wigglewow; a company he founded was inspired by his autistic nephew. 

The purpose of Wigglewow is not just to create food that canines love and can tolerate for humans. Pfeifer said: "I mean, I don't want my dog ​​to eat anything I don't want to eat."

Wigglewow also exists to create job opportunities for people like Emily Parks, who works as an "epic chef" in the kitchen. 

The 20-year-old girl with Prader-Willi syndrome told Spectrum News 1 that her dog Sassy would be very excited and would jump around whenever she saw Wigglewow dog snacks. Parks also said that she had also tasted Wigglewow's snacks. 

"They tasted like a dried granola... but very salty," Parks told Spectrum News 1.

Pfeifer also recently hired Sarah Potter to work in the kitchen, or what Pfeifer calls "The Doghouse." Porter can't speak and suffers from Down syndrome, but there is always some work that can be adapted to the abilities of every epic chef. 

"God asked me to perform tasks. I mean, in this society, we as a culture just push them aside and don't really give them a chance," Pfeifer said. "We are all children, yes, we are all his children, we all have different skills and abilities, so I think I have a responsibility to help them realize their abilities through Wigglewow."

The 56-year-old said that business owners friends often ask him why he hires disabled people. 

"So I just asked them a few questions. I said,'Do you have young employees? They said, "Well, absolutely. I said, "They go to work on time every day, right? "They smiled, shrugged and said,'Yes, you know the younger generation is not like that. They don't have the same work ethics,'" Pfeifer explained. 

He continued, "Then I said,'I have never encountered this problem. My employees always show up."

Despite the current labor shortage in the United States, there is no problem with Wigglewow’s recruitment. Currently, there is a waiting list in Wigglewow’s kitchen.

"I mean, now we have less than 50 people on the waiting list, there are more people who don't even want to be on the waiting list, and there are many other companies that need to hire these people and give them a chance," Pfeifer said.

David Wilf, founder of xStellar, a company specializing in employment placement for people with disabilities in Washington, DC, said the job market is very loyal, accurate and reliable.

You are talking about people who are self-motivated because they have to. This is the only way for them to succeed. They are very honest about mistakes," Wilf explained. "You don't have people who come in to play phones, play games, and try to chat. They will lower their heads to work, do their own work, and be proud of their work. "

Before the pandemic, Wilf told Spectrum News 1 that xStellar was in seven states. Now, the company helps potential employees and employers in 23 states.

"Some of our companies absolutely tell us that they are 40 people shy and 60 people are shy. They are working with four, five or six different personnel agencies, which may provide one person per month, and this person will It lasts for a week," Wilf told Spectrum News 1. "They contacted us; we were able to provide them with 40 resources in two weeks."

Wilf said that part of the reason he founded xStellar was because he had relatives with disabilities. He said his human resources company had received interest from more than 900 Kentucky disabled people who wanted to work.

According to data from the University of New Hampshire Disability Research Institute/UCED in 2019, the employment rate of Kentucky people with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 who live in a community rather than an institution is 30.8%. The employment rate of non-disabled persons aged 18 to 64 living in the community is only 76.2%.

Wilf said that xStellar provides free support to job applicants before and after being hired. In addition, once matched, the HR company will also provide on-site support for the company and employees, because Wilf explained that the first three to six months are the most challenging for employers and employees.

Wilf said that most of the jobs xStellar provides for people with disabilities are in production, but other opportunities are also being considered.

"We are also talking about IT, software testing, software engineering," Wilf explained. "There is now a person who is the vice president of a large financial institution. No one would guess that this person has autism."

Wigglewow has nothing to do with xStellar, and Pfeifer hired these employees. When purchasing Wigglewow snacks, customers can understand a small part of the lives of Wigglewow employees, because each package is affixed with a special label with information on the hobbies of the employee who packs the bag. 

Pfeifer attributes Wigglewow's success in dogs to a secret ingredient, bacon. However, he attributes Wigglewow's success as a for-profit business to his employees.

"People always think,'Oh, you know, you are such a blessing to many others.' It's not like that at all. Seeing these people improve and learn new skills, even their parents think they can't do it, I have received a lot of blessings. It makes it all worthwhile," Pfeifer said.

Wigglewow pays his epic chef more than the minimum wage. They start at $8.50 per hour. Although working in the kitchen requires waiting in line, Wigglewow is always looking for someone who can deliver goods locally and does not need a driver's license. To apply for Wigglewow's job, please call 502-558-5100 or send an email to mpfeifer@wigglewow.com. You can also order Wigglewow snacks on its website. 

If you are an employer interested in working with xStellar to hire people with disabilities, or if you want to work with xStellar to find a job through its free services for potential employees, please call 800-811-6818 or send an email to info@xStellarCorp.com. You can also visit xStellar's website for more information. Related Stories Louisville Down Syndrome wants your vote: Non-profit organizations can win a $100,000 bonus through the NASCAR Foundation. A new starting point provides horse riding lessons for the disabled. Prenatal check-ups help mothers prepare for babies with Down syndrome "Moving in the right direction... is still a ton of work to do," said the coach during the Disability Employment Awareness Month