Matching workers with work at PreventionGenetics

Long or difficult days on the job might make a person take for granted the ability to work. But the chance to work a job might hit differently for a person with a disability.  
 
People with special needs often face barriers to employment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 40% of people with disabilities who didn’t have jobs reported facing significant obstacles to getting work. Those included lack of education or training, lack of transportation, the need for special features at the job, or the disability itself.    
 
For seven years, Exact Sciences subsidiary PreventionGenetics has collaborated with Opportunity Development Centers, Inc. (ODC), to help create work opportunities for people with special needs in the community of Marshfield, Wisconsin. The program matches PreventionGenetics’ testing kit assembly work with ODC’s group of workers, creating positive impact for both the company and the community.  

A meaningful impact 

Seeing the impact a job opportunity can have on a person’s quality of life is what makes the job of Becky Krause, ODC’s director of social enterprise, so rewarding.  
 
“I think the biggest thing is equality,” Krause says. “People with disabilities have every right to work and to be engaged in their community. They just might need a little different support. We always say everybody needs support in their job. You do. I do. What that support is might just look a little bit different.” 
 
Krause says that work is meaningful to the populations that ODC serves. She mentions one ODC worker who has passed the typical retirement age but continues to come to her job. 
 
“She actually has been of retirement age for a while, but this is her purpose — it's coming to work,” Krause says. “Her main job is assembling the genetic testing kits, and she doesn't want to retire.” 
 
Tony Krentz, vice president of laboratory operations at PreventionGenetics, says the company is proud to work with people in the ODC program, noting that many of them may have undergone the types of genetic testing that PreventionGenetics offers.  
 
“All adults deserve the opportunity to work, and we are providing opportunities to members of our community for critical roles at PG,” Krentz says.  

Helping to serve patients

Beyond the community, the program benefits patients around the world who are served by PreventionGenetics, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. The essential work of assembling test kits is crucial for helping PreventionGenetics meet the demands of patient care. Its tests provide individualized insights into the genetics behind many inherited diseases and conditions, including neuromuscular, neurologic, and cardiovascular disorders, as well as cancer.  
 
Jamie Gallagher manages the PreventionGenetics warehouse in Marshfield and notes the significant role that ODC workers play. 
 
“Right now, we’re on pace to hit around 115,000 yearly kits, and ODC makes probably 95% of those kits. We couldn’t manage that all in-house without ODC’s help,” Gallagher says. 
 
Bobby Adamov serves on the board of directors for ODC and is the former head of commercial operations at PreventionGenetics. He appreciates the chance for Exact Sciences and ODC to help make such a clear, positive impact on the community. 
 
“When you invest in the community and the people within the community, it creates a sense of belonging,” Adamov says. “We’re not just an employer in town. We’re part of the community.”  
 
The community-minded company will continue to help bring down employment barriers, one kit assembly at a time.