Photo Credit: http://www.toadandco.com/
PAC was established in 1997. Toad & Co (then Horny Toad) and Search, Inc. collaborated to make a distribution warehouse that hires intellectually disabled adults. This is yet another way that Toad & Co and Search, Inc. fulfill their vision for a world where each individual uses his or her unique talents to learn, work, and enjoy life within his or her community.
PAC is based in Waukegan, Illinois. The 34,000 square foot warehouse ships thousands of products each year. There are approximately 70 people with intellectual disabilities who work at PAC each year. They hold positions in order processing, product assembly, materials handling, and other train-to-work roles within the warehouse’s packaging process. These employees are paid while they join a welcoming community and learn work skills and experience. PAC staff members receive flexible services that are personalized to their needs, such as adult learning programs, behavior and medical therapy, home-based services, and special living arrangements.
Since 1998, the PAC team has chosen, packed, and shipped all of Toad & Co’s products. PAC allows people with intellectual disabilities to live their lives fully. They gain a valuable and meaningful role in a community, they live abundant lives, and they fulfill their potential, all while inspiring others around them; all of the profits gained from PAC’s business are sent to Search, Inc. and then the funds are given to people with intellectual disabilities in the form of grants.
Steve McCann, the marketing manager at Toad & Co, says that the vision PAC creates and the gratitude of Toad & Co are some of his favorite things about Toad & Co: “Believing that adventure and the outdoors should be possible for everyone, we cofounded Search for Adventure, which is funded by proceeds from PAC and a grant from Toad & Co, and gives members of the PAC crew an opportunity to live their fullest life by offering much-deserved vacations.” In 2000, the PAC team took their first vacation and traveled into nature for a few days, which was the first time that many of the staff had experienced their own outdoor adventure.
PAC’s inventory management, specialized handling, warehousing, and packaging are all top-notch. The company’s success and innovation has earned the third-party logistics company recognition throughout the states. Customers, including Toad & Co and Nau, frequently return for the great service and the inspiring mission.
To support Planet Access Company, individuals with intellectual disabilities and their programs, Toad & Co, and this remarkable vision for a better world, visit Appalachian Outfitters to see the quality of Toad & Co products in person.