Announcement
A couple years ago, Adam Kinne happened to read an article while on a flight that talked about the work done by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City. Suddenly, it occurred to him how he could be a part of the mission: he could hire refugees at Cabinetry by Karman, where he works as the general manager in Salt Lake City.
The path to hiring refugees proved to be different from Adam’s previous hiring experiences. When Adam reached out to the IRC in Salt Lake City’s employment team, two new arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a father and son, were looking for jobs. Adam connected with Nolan La Barge, the IRC’s employment coordinator, then, thanks to Claire Dusbemaliya, an interpreter with the IRC, the details were smoothed out. “It was challenging to communicate,” Adam says. “After they settled in, though, they became part of the family like any other employee.”
Cabinetry by Karman hired a father and son from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are dedicated members of the team going on two years in their work.
Photo: Cabinetry by Karman
Nolan joined the father and son as they toured the space and participated in their job interview. “Tours go a long way towards understanding,” Nolan explains, saying how visual communication and training are effective. “People overestimate how much English is needed for a job...There are a lot more jobs that refugees can do.”
One of the first things that Nolan tries to help employers understand is that life for refugees looks different and not everything will go according to plan. For example, refugees face challenges learning about local transportation systems or gaining access to reliable forms of transportation helping them become autonomous. Often, these are forms of transportation other community members take for granted: cars, bicycles, and rideshare services.
“The average American has means and doesn’t worry about the details,” Nolan says. Fortunately, the two new employees had received donated bicycles through the IRC in Salt Lake City.
Adam remembers a time when it snowed heavily, he and his workers all arrived late, unable to drive their cars through the weather. When they arrived at the office, the two new employees were waiting at the door with their bikes. Adam laughed at the memory, thinking about how dedicated they were to have ridden their bikes in the snow.
Two years later, the new arrivals are not so new and have adjusted to their work at Cabinetry by Karman. Adam still uses translation apps to communicate with them and when the father won “employee of the month,” Claire and Nolan came back to translate in person.
“Kudos to Karman,” Nolan says, describing how it can be a “big ask” to hire refugees knowing that working with them will be a different experience. “There’s a lot of upfront investment,” Nolan adds. “But it pays off.” Refugees work hard and, as Karman’s two employees show, they stay dedicated to what they do.
“They’ve really become part of the company,” Adam says. “From the first day, I could tell they were good people. They just want to feed their families like anybody else. I don’t want them to feel like they are forced to work here, I want them to want to work here.” He makes sure to provide them with livable wages as well as both health and life insurance. Adam is grateful for being able to work with the IRC, as the partnership made the hiring process possible for the father and son.
“Without that support system, without [the IRC], I would never have a way to hire people from other countries.”
There are endless ways to support refugees resettling in the Beehive State. Learn how you can join the effort at Rescue.org/SupportSLC.