Department of Workforce Development

MADISON—Gov. Tommy G. Thompson today announced that Nancy Christy of the Wilson Street Grill in Madison, Wisconsin has won the December Governor’s Workforce Innovation Award (WIN), which recognizes individuals and organizations that create innovative approaches and outside-of-the-box solutions to develop and sustain Wisconsin’s workforce.

"Nancy Christy deserves recognition for her efforts in hiring people with disabilities," Gov. Thompson said. "She’s been doing for 13 years, what many are just now figuring out – that people with disabilities make good employees, and she’s successfully fighting the labor shortage at the same time."

At the Wilson Street Grill, a downtown Madison restaurant, there are a total of 12 employees, or 30 percent of the staff, that are people with disabilities.

Ms. Christy doesn’t just hire people with disabilities, she actively recruits them. She hires them because she believes they make good employees, and her efforts are paying off. Not only do people with disabilities make great employees because they do good work, they also stick around. In an industry that is notorious for high employee turnover, the turnover at her Wilson Street Grill is very low.

The WIN award is presented each month to highlight innovative approaches and solutions to overcoming barriers to work, empowering individuals to move up the job ladder, and partnering with employers, educators and local government to do what works to build a stronger workforce.

 The award goes to organizations and individuals that significantly advance one or more of the following:

• Enhance the skill level of Wisconsin's workforce.
• Create effective partnerships between education and business, and the public and private sectors.
• Assist young people with career planning and skills training.
• Encourage older workers to remain in or return to the workforce.
• Help low-income, disabled and minority individuals enter the job market and move up the job ladder.

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