Gilbert company gives formerly incarcerated a second chance

An Arizona-based business is building doors and opening them, giving former inmates a second chance. Annalisa Pardo shows you how. Jessica Coves loves her job. Hey, John. At a wake window and door company in Gilbert. Being able to provide for myself, provide for my family, and put forward effort to help other people is exactly where I wanted to be. A place that just a short time ago felt out of reach when Jessica reentered society after 15 years of incarceration. When I came home, I didn't know what to make of the world. It was really challenging. I had plans, but all of my plans as soon as I stepped out of the gate, kind of went out the window. There was at one point where I felt like I might not even have anywhere to live. She eventually got hired at Awake, whose mission is not just building luxury doors, but also opening them for people looking for a second chance. We didn't wanna build a business that just made a profit, we wanted something that actually made a difference in the world. The company intentionally hires people who may get overlooked because of a criminal record. We realized if these people don't find jobs, then they can't actually become productive citizens. And we wanted to build a business that was focused across all facets of the organization on giving those people a fair chance. The business is expected to do $40 million in revenue this year with plans to expand to a new facility. More than half of the company's 110 employees have a history in the criminal justice system. There's risk in any hiring, right? But what you're missing by putting a bias against someone with a record is this pool of talent of people who are incredibly hardworking, incredibly motivated. Like Jessica, who since getting hired has been promoted multiple times, finding more than just a job and a paycheck. This has become my home. This has become a place where I want to continue to grow, continue to talk about the social mission, continue to do whatever I possibly can and my team can do to help the company grow. I'm very grateful. Giving the employees the tools they need to succeed. Gratitude is a contagious value and they have it in spades and it makes for a productive, enjoyable work environment that makes our culture really special. And hoping more businesses do the same. No one would want to be judged on their worst moment. So if you actually open up and just have a conversation, you'll see that people are hungry and ready for an opportunity and they'll show up for you and work so hard. Annalisa Pardo, Fox 10 News.