Sallie Smith makes her mark helping others land jobs

It may have taken more than four decades, but Sallie Smith says she has finally found her calling as a job coach.

Everyday, she helps others develop skills to help them find and keep a job. Her task is not an easy one; her clients have some type of barrier to getting a job on their own.

With every placement, she empowers someone to meet their goals and strive for the best.

She's been so successful in that role that she was recognized as the Blue Water Woman Nonprofit Manager of the Year for her work at Touchstone Services.

Touchstone Services helps people who are struggling, sometimes it's with finding employment, sometimes it's with mental health issues. The goal is to help people find their place in the world and help them succeed. Touchstone has been serving the Blue Water area for more than 20 years.

"It's not anything I'd ever thought I'd do. It is challenging, but really fun--every client is different," Smith says.

It's been a winding path for Smith, who started out in the banking world, then moved into education for a while before landing in her current role

It all started out in 2011 as a part-time, second job with Touchstone Services showing people how to operate the Lakeside Beach concession stand. That position soon evolved into a full-time job? serving as employment coordinator at the growing non-profit business.

Touchstone contracts with Michigan Rehabilitation Services to match clients with jobs they can do and find companies who are willing to hire people who may struggle to find work on their own.

The barriers stopping them run the gamut from A to Z, Smith says. It could be something like a speech impediment that makes communication challenging or depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism or even post traumatic stress disorder. Every person and challenge is different.

Smith and her team focus on teaching clients soft skills, like showing up on time and being ready to work. Then, when ready, they try to place them in a role that best matches their skills.

"Where it might take us three days to learn a job, it could take them three weeks, or three months," Smith says. Why?

Touchstone stays involved through the entire process offering free on-site training once the employee is on the job, so it doesn't cost the company extra to support the new hire.

Currently, about 45 employers have partnered with the organization. Most of the positions available are grocery baggers, cart-getters or in restaurants. Smith's goal this year is to expand beyond that base to include companies with clerical, production and stock jobs.

As her client roster continues to expand, Smith has gone from placing four clients a year to more than 50 annually. She hopes the variety of businesses she can partner with will grow, too.

"I wish more employers would be open-minded, give us a chance to come in and show what we can do," Smith says.

Touchstone has an 82 percent success rate, meaning most of their clients have surpassed a 90-day probation period in their job placements. One has even been in his role for more than four years.

"Give them a chance and they'll surprise you," Smith says.

Touchstone offers 24-7 support to its clients, and takes steps to ensure a client can do a job before recommending them to an employer. The person must be a good fit.

This year, Smith hopes to reduce stigma, match people up to the best jobs possible, help them be successful and have companies she works with come back and want to continue the partnership.

Smith says her favorite parts of the job is watching the success stories, and see how happy her clients are when they get placed. Having a job to go to everyday is important.

"It gives them purpose," she says.