Jason Fonner: Vice President for Forge Solutions Discusses Journey to Current Role and Commitment to Hiring People with Disabilities

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host, Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guests, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

And hello everyone, and in the United States, welcome to National Disability Employment Month. Some of you are saying, wait, Joyce, I know we've had this for years and years and years through the Department of Labor and then ODEP, but it's called National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Well, I don't call it that. Do you know why? We've had enough awareness, okay? We've had enough awareness, and we still do not have a high unemployment. For people with disabilities. So to me, it's National Disability Employment Month. And as you will see, I have a champion on today that just fits what I just talked about. But first, special shout out to Yoshiko Dart. Yoshiko, love you. Always thinking about you, Yoshiko. To all of my listeners in the United States, oh, I love all of you. Thank you. Get ready for next year when we have Listener of the Year. I'll be getting out the details soon. But you're all great. You're awesome. I mean, you've been with me, what, over 22 years now? Amazing that we've been on the air with over 1,000 episodes. Absolutely amazing. And because of you. And it looks like because of Singapore. Hey, what can I say? Do you know they're number one in the rest of the world? Number one, Singapore. Number one with most listeners. I love you, you all. I do. Wow, you're spreading the news. See, you're making a difference because when you tell other people to listen to this show or share the show with them, you are helping People understand there's quality of life when you have a disability. Quality of life. And everyone deserves a job. You all know I traveled around the world speaking as an expert in Japan, South Korea, Panama, Kazakhstan, Indonesia. And you know, there was a lot of pervasive shame about having a disability. Right. But no shame. Well, no shame. You should be proud of who you are and never ashamed. So Singapore, you're really, really impressing me how you are number one around the world. And oh, over 143 Countries. Now, some do not have as many as others. So let's just go to one of those right now. How about— oh, how about this one? The Republic of Congo. In the Republic of Congo, we have 2 listeners. 2. You know what I say? 2 people can make the difference. 2 people listening to this show can make a difference. So you're awesome listening to the show like that. And you know, we always have to thank Highmark. Oh my God. Like they've been the sponsor of this show for years. They are just all awesome people. Uh, David Holmberg, Karen Hanlon, everyone at the top and all of the other leaders, as you will see in a moment. You know why? They don't just talk about awareness. No, they hire people. That is where the rubber meets the road. And today, what an honor it is to have Jason Fauner on the show with us, who we all love. Jason Fauner. Hi, Jason. Welcome to the show.

Hi, Joyce. Thank you so much for having me today. Excited to be here.

Well, it's exciting, exciting to have you. He is the Vice President of Forge Solutions, but I'll let him talk about what I refer to as the Forge a little bit in a few minutes. But I wanted to say first, for all of you listeners with disabilities, he hires people. He hires people from Bender Consulting. And he has always The Forge, which we used to just call the print shop, has always been a supporter. So just so you know, this is someone that doesn't talk the talk. He really, really does it. And of course, our listeners around the world want to know you even more personally. So let's hear your journey. Jason, you know, how did you all get into this world and what got you to EnGen ultimately? Let's hear about you.

Well, thanks again, Joyce, for having me today. Excited to be here, excited to talk to the team. A little bit about me, like so many others here, I'm rooted in Western Pennsylvania, born and raised. Just love the area. Grown up around here. I've developed an appreciation for the roll-up-your-sleeves type hard work attitude, that go-get-'em attitude every day. Wake up, hit the floor, run out, get your work done, right? Go home, be with family, enjoy those moments. And that's really what's forged me in my career and landed at The Forge. So early in my career, I found a passion for operations, you know, technology. I was always the kid tearing things apart. My parents probably wanted to choke me at times, but I was always the one disassembling things, wanting to know how things worked. And also, you know, just really manufacturing in general. It intrigued me. How do you produce things at an extraordinarily high rate? So that's a little bit about my background. I started out on a farm at 12 years old as a farmhand, Joyce. So hard work was never something that I got to avoid. My dad dropped me off there on day 1 and said, get out there, get to work. You know, and that's led me to a number of things. I waited in college tables. Started to cook in the kitchen in college and eventually ran the kitchen. So, a little bit about my journey leading people. After I exited college, had an engineering background, business administration background, went right into Ricoh USA working on some high-speed printers, doing the firmware programming, the engineering, the code execution, back when it was the analog-to-digital transition in our space. And that just led me into medical devices eventually, where I was the integration engineer for a large health system that we're all familiar with at AHN. I was their consultant for 10 years programming supply chain and pharmacy devices, and then I moved over to Highmark. An opportunity presented itself after about 10 years, and I came on as a senior project manager in strategic operations, and then I went on to run AR, billing. And now I've moved over to The Forge for the last 12 years, and I've been overseeing our digital member communications and our physical member communications, and it's been quite a journey.

So let me ask you, when people— when you get in the mail something from Highmark, that comes from you, doesn't it?

That is correct. Every piece, every member, for the members that we serve across Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, in New York, but we do a lot of business in the fintech sector, so it's national and it's big and it's fun. And it's been something that since I was a kid I've always dreamt of, uh, of doing. So here I am. You never know your journey, you never know how you're going to get there, but it was exciting path for me to get the experience doing the work from the ground up, every aspect of the job.

Well, tell my— so my listeners understand, What is The Forge like? What's the size, the number of people that work there? I know you're in different parts of the country, so let's hear about The Forge. What is The Forge?

Well, Forge is our digital communications hub for all types of member communications. It provides an end-to-end print and fulfillment solution that operates under Engine, which is our technology wing of the Highmark Health family of companies. Just to give you a sense of scale, every member ID card, every explanation of benefits, every annual wellness reminder, every communication that you receive in your annual enrollment packets, your benefit book, maybe your ANOC or EOC if you're a Medicare Advantage member, is generated within one of our 3 manufacturing facilities. We have manufacturing facilities in Pittsburgh, PA. Mechanicsburg, PA, and Jacksonville, Florida, in addition to our fulfillment facility, which is located on Neville Island, which is where all the magic happens. That's how the communications get out to members. That's where they're generated, created, the data entry is completed, and we pull that data to give you a unique and personalized communication experience with, with our health plan.

So is that where you would go Uh, if you want to see the forge in action, so to speak.

It is. We're based right out of the little neighborhood of Manchester on Beaver Avenue, and that's where the magic happens. Or we're out in Camp Hill, and we're also down in Jacksonville, Florida. So you can come visit us at any one of those 3 locations.

So you are in downtown Pittsburgh though?

I am in downtown Pittsburgh today. I'll be in Jacksonville in 2 weeks and Mechanicsburg in 3 weeks. So I do travel around a good bit.

Well, that sounds so interesting. It's so exciting. I bet you never thought this would happen, huh?

Oh, it's just— it's been a journey. Yeah, it's definitely been a journey. We've grown substantially over the years. As with Highmark, we've grown. And it's just been very exciting to be a part of, to get the great leadership that we have at Highmark Health that trickles down into our operations. And it's our guiding principles.

Um, we have some things in common here. Yes, because I too grew up in a rural area. It was not a farm, but it seemed like there were cornfields everywhere in our community. Um, and I was also a waitress. But what I can relate to with you is learning hard work.

Yes.

You know, I can surely relate that to relate. And I can see how that impacted you, you know, in your life. Well, Jason, after over the past few years, you have always been a supporter since I've known you of Bender Consulting. And I know Leanne Thomas always sings your praises. So does Miss Christina Picone, who I just saw last evening. And when I come and visit you over the holidays at the Forge, she's gonna come with me.

Oh, excellent. It'll be great to have you both there. It'll be great to have some conversations and then get to show you what we do. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of excitement. There's a lot of energy in the air that's very contagious.

Yeah, I want to see the cookies.

Oh, the cookie books.

I remembered.

Yes, for sure.

So what has your experience been?

Well, as Vice President, my responsibility is just to set the strategic direction of the operations of our sales division and ultimately our IT and technology functions. So that means ensuring the facilities across Pennsylvania and Florida are operating with flawless quality. We can't make any mistakes. Joyce, I'm sure you don't want to see my EOB and I don't want to see yours. I don't mind. And they need to be in the right envelope, in the right place, to the right member at the right time every time. There's no room for error in what we do. So quality is extraordinarily important. Data security for us, extraordinarily important to our consumers that we're protecting that member information and they're getting the right information on their bills. And tight turnaround times. We're used to, you know, I need this done yesterday. It's already late by the time it comes to us. We're the most downstream system in Highmark. We're where the rubber meets the road, and we're— we catch quality issues, we catch anything that can come at us, and we get it fixed and turned around and out to the consumer so they can make educated choices about their healthcare. On the technology side, we're heavily modernized. We've just invested several million dollars in reinvestment year over year in our technology solutions, both digital and physical, and that includes Section 508 compliance on our digital documents. Very important for folks that use screen readers, need alternative formats. That's where the Forge comes into play. We provide all those formats and more to our consumers in need. And on the people side, my mission is ensuring Forge remains an employer of choice in the community that I grew up in. So that's very important to me. I love putting people to work, and we love giving them careers, not jobs. It's pretty critical. People like to have a career, not a job. And I feel at the Forge, we're able to take people from all walks of life, all levels of education, all types of different ability sets, and we're able to put them to work in a meaningful way where they can give back to their community and support our region.

Well, you have absolutely, you know, you've been wonderful to work with. And I wanted to ask you, you know, do you see a financial benefit in hiring people with disabilities?

Oh, Joyce, absolutely. This isn't a charity. We run a business here, and we expect every employee to perform at an equal or greater level, and we want to have the best top A players on our team. And through the partnership with Bender, we've been able to achieve that. I've been able to see employees of all different disability sets, all different walks of life come in and be very successful because, A, their attention to detail, B, their loyalty. Superb loyalty is what we see across this population. And lastly, just, we aren't filling chairs, we're solving problems. We're every day engaged in production support, challenges with data, and ultimately quality end products that we have to deliver. And I feel that, yeah, With the partnership that we've established, we've been able to do that and more. And the culture is just contagious. The employees come in so ready to work each day, so engaged in our culture, wanting to make a difference. And that's what means the most for me, is being able to drive our business forward in a very positive way.

You know, I'm glad you said that about the pity, because I'm all about no pity. You know, my big saying is paycheck's not pity. Um, and you may wonder if you're listening, gee, why aren't these employees have such high retention? Because Highmark just did this video of different employees of mine, and some have been there 29 years. How is this possible? Well, they aren't superheroes. It's not that. It's that you gave them a chance. You gave them a chance. You don't know how many employees— a few of them I saw in this video that they were making, they said that they had sent out 100 resumes. No one would hire them. You know, they moved, even though they were entry-level, across to, to get to Pittsburgh. No one would hire them. And, and so when you then get a chance, you value that person. And I don't care if female, Black, Latina, if you— and everyone's gone through that of those groups I just mentioned where they weren't given a chance. So when you are, you hold on to that. It's a gift and it changes not just your life, but your family's life. And that is why people with disabilities do have the highest retention. And artwork, high attendance, on time, and just great to work with. And I know you've seen that, Jason.

I have. The pride in workmanship is superb. The attention to detail where others would miss the quality items, they catch it. And the culture, as I mentioned, it just elevates the culture and builds a more dependable organization. People are reliant on each other. They build these connections that are long-lasting, very dependable, and that builds a strong business and a strong family, as I like to call it in our workplace. So we do have a family. We are unique craftsmen and women here at The Forge. We run a unique trade, and we're very excited to have these type of team members join us and also Succeed, flourish, be able to move on to bigger, better opportunities that they may never imagine possible. Just like myself starting out on a farm at 12 years old, right? Never would have guessed I'd be here today, but so excited to see those folks flourish in those opportunities and take it to the next level.

Yes, me too. I mean, it is, it is so awesome to see how it has changed so many lives and made people just feel so great about themselves. And as I said, we have had incredible success in, uh, Jason's area. And you know, why do you think that is? What is it about The Forge or their culture, whatever, that you think makes people love it there so much?

I think we have so many options, right? You can move into a manufacturing role, or you can move over into the IT team once you fully understand the manufacturing components of our operation. If you want to take it a step further, you could go out and work in customer service and on the front lines interfacing with the customer, selling new deals, structuring deals, writing contracts. So we have a large gamut of available possibilities, and that allows people to find a home that they're comfortable to operate in. And once they have that comfort level, that security in their role, they just flourish in our business. And that's been one of the best and Most moving things for me to see throughout the operation.

Yeah. And I, I think that you're the leader and that you're so authentic and genuine and kind, and that has spilled over. You know what I mean? Your, your great attitude, it has spilled over. It's contagious, just as negativity is contagious.

For sure. Yeah, we try to keep it positive, and there's a lot of things to be positive about. We're making a difference in people's access to care. And, you know, from the first time that ID card goes out, that's the first time you can consume the health plan. That's the first time you can see the doc in that calendar year. And we enable that, and our teams take it very, very seriously.

Yeah, I can't imagine how high security you have to have Or quality control, whatever you want to call it, to make sure something doesn't get out that shouldn't get out.

For sure. And, you know, Joyce, it happens periodically. Mistakes happen, right? But the nice part is we catch 99.999% of those mistakes before they ever exit the door. So a very small portion of what we do goes out in error. And it's just been spectacular to watch. That number's improved year over year due to some of the security we have in place, we produce 2.5 billion impressions per year.

Wow.

That's physical paper out the door to consumers in the home. And then in addition to that, we provide 8 billion PDFs to the online sectors for digital display and digital download by our consumers. So it is much, much bigger than I think anybody can imagine, and the level of quality control and receive a 99.999% rating is just extraordinary. We have to be perfect and accurate every time.

Yeah, and you— that is phenomenal. And you also, you use Python, right? Don't you use that language?

We do. We have Python programmers throughout our application stack, and there's a lot of configuration that occurs in vendor applications in addition of the code that we develop, and we have full testing teams integrated within our system, which makes sure that these quality checks are in place every time, every mailpiece.

Well, that is really state of the art because Python is used in AI and data analytics and all of that. So yeah, this is an example of what you meant of all these opportunities, you know, all these things that exist. Uh, there and that are in place. Well, I know we'll soon be getting ready for our news break, but before we do go to news break, one more time, where are your other locations?

Oh, we're located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Beaver Avenue in the Manchester neighborhood. We're located on Neville Island, which is our 82,000-square-foot fulfillment facility. And then we have our Mechanicsburg, PA location, which is another manufacturing location, and Jacksonville, Florida, which the weather is much nicer there right now than it is here in Pittsburgh. A little chilly today.

Yeah, well, I mean, you've really expanded though.

We have over the years. We did the acquisition of the Jacksonville facility in 2017, and it was, it was definitely a blessing that our teams They came with a lot of commercial business and a lot of health plans, and we've been able to grow that business over the years.

Well, we're going to get ready to go to break because our news break is coming. But if you just joined us, we're talking to Jason Fauner, Vice President of Forge Solutions. Don't go away. We'll be right back with Jason.

At Highmark Health, we believe what makes us unique makes us better. Our differences broaden our perspectives and foster a variety of skills to complement each other, creating a stronger and more vibrant workforce. It's this belief that earned us recognition as the best place to work for the 10th year for individuals with disabilities in a survey by the American Association of people with disabilities and Disability:IN. We'll continue to celebrate and benefit from the inclusion of all people. To find out more, visit HighmarkHealth.org.

Since 1985, Bender Consulting Services has served as a national leader in advancing employment of people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, with private sector companies and federal government agencies. Bender assists customers with achieving their diversity and workforce inclusion initiatives by tapping into a talent pool of individuals seeking professional positions, including those in the STEM fields. In addition, Bender Services include disability employment consulting, training, and technology accessibility through their HiTest line of service. For more information, please visit www.benderconsult.com. Streaming live, the leader in internet talk radio, VoiceAmerica.com.

You're listening to Disability Matters. Now please welcome back the host of Disability Matters. Here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. If you just joined us, we are talking to today Jason Vawner, Vice President at The Forge Solution and a longtime friend and advocate for the employment of people with disabilities. And I know you know, Jason, Highmark is unbelievable in their support of Bender and of hiring people with disabilities. It, it— there is no other company that does this all the way to the top. From the top, for years it's been like that. I mean, isn't it amazing to you?

It is, but it's no surprise with the way Highmark interacts with the community, their charitable nature, and just in addition to that, our willingness to employ people that are like our consumers. It makes for a perfect fit for our 2 organizations.

Great leadership. And anyone listening, I just want to tell you, no matter what you hear about Highmark, there is no company like Highmark. That since 1995, every CEO has stood behind me. Bill Lowry, then John Brous, then Ken Maloney, then Bill Winkenwater, and then over 10 years ago, really about how long you were talking about your 10 years ago. David Holmberg came on. And next, and I mean, phenomenal. David, just, I love him. He is phenomenal. And Karen Hanlon, who will be moving into that role, is also phenomenal. So no one like them. But Jason, I wanted to ask you what What is one of your memorable stories at The Forge?

Well, I'm glad you asked this, Joyce, because there's been so many, right? And for me, the most memorable story is seeing people come in in entry-level roles through the hires that we made with you and progress in their career. One, learning new skill sets. Two, integrating with new teams. Three, you know, having a difference in our operations that can be tracked all the way back to the ROI and bottom line is really what we see. The attention to detail, quality, the retention, as we talked about earlier, those things are just what differentiate your candidates from anybody else that we receive from any other of the agencies without disabilities. So for me, that's the most exciting part, you know, but I've been part of musical events that folks do outside of work, church services, weddings, you know, some of those memories are just things that are ever etched in my mind and have built a bond bond with some of the team members that you've provided us. And it's just been a really good match for me and a really good match for them because we have that culture, we have that connection. And, you know, I think being an accessible leader is very, very important. Being available in the tough times, the good times, the bad times, you know, it's just being there, being able to see some of those events and helping people navigate them has been special to me.

Yeah, yeah, to me also it has been. Well, yes, here we are. It is time for Mathis on the Mic, our news break. Uh, Jennifer, hello Jennifer Mathis, how are you?

I'm good, thank you.

Good, good. And you all know Jennifer is phenomenal. She is the deputy director at Bazelon, but her other job is Mathis on the mic, my news anchor. That's her other big job. So Jennifer, what news do you have for us today?

So I have an interesting development in this effort to protect and preserve the integration mandate, the right to community integration for people with disabilities to live live and receive services in their own homes and communities. As we have talked about on the news segments on your show, Olmstead has been under attack. Olmstead being the way we talk about this right because it is the Supreme Court decision that affirmed that people with disabilities have this right under the ADA. And so Olmstead has been under attack by the federal government, Justice Department, after many years of being the lead enforcer of these rights, turned around and said, you never had these rights in the first place. They don't exist, which was pretty shocking. It, as was discussed on the news segment last week, went and asked a federal court, jointly asked with Texas, the federal court to vacate the integration provisions from HHS's rules under Section 504. So lots of stuff happening. There are also a lot of efforts happening to make sure that we cabin any damage, to make sure that what this new federal government opinion is does not become law. Right now it is just a memo. And yes, the the integration provisions in the Section 504 rule are removed, but that court ruling does not touch all the decades of cases, all the law that is established. And so we still have rights. We will continue to assert those rights, to enforce those rights. If the federal government is not going to enforce those rights, people with disabilities, private citizens can enforce those rights. And so one of the things that is important is to ensure that there is pressure. There's pressure on the federal government. There's pressure on state governments not to do things to continue attacking these rights. The states do not need to jump in and make the arguments that the federal government is making. The federal government does not need to be more aggressive about its position in, in a variety of cases. And so one of the things that people are doing is pushing Congress to assert its will, asking Congress to reaffirm that Olmstead gives people these rights, that they support community integration, that it was Congress's intent that there be an integration mandate, that people with disabilities receive services in their own homes and communities in the most integrated setting appropriate. So there is now a bipartisan resolution that is introduced in the House. I think folks are working on something similar in the Senate. But right now, there is a resolution that is labeled HR, or House Resolution, 1586, recognizing and honoring the 27th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C. It is bipartisan. It is right now, it has 8 co-sponsors, or a lead sponsor and 7 co-sponsors. On the Republican side is Representative Fitzpatrick, Keene, Mike Lawler, and Joe Wilson. On the Democratic side is Debbie Dingell, Latifa Simon, Representative Scanlon, and Representative Schakowsky. And we hope to get many more co-sponsors on that resolution to make a strong bipartisan showing that this is important to Congress, that Congress believes that what it passed included an integration mandate when it enacted Section 504 and the ADA. And, um, so people can call their representatives, um, in the House and ask them to support this resolution, to co-sponsor it. It is again Resolution, uh, 1586. And what it does is it lays out the history of the integration mandate, where it started, what has been in the regulations since 1977 and the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, what it meant for people with disabilities, why it is so important. And then it affirms the Olmstead decision's vital importance to ending unjustified institutionalization and segregation of people with disabilities. It affirms Congress's intent that the Rehab Act of 1973 and the ADA Mandate the provision of federally funded— well, should be services in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities. Calls on federal, state, and local governments to advance policies that enable people with disabilities to live and work in integrated community settings and to achieve greater independence and economic self-sufficiency, including by expanding access to competitive and integrated employment, education and skills development, home and community-based services, and other supports that enable people with disabilities to contribute their skills and talents to the nation's workforce and economy. Not a hard thing to do, but it is an important thing in building the consensus, building the bipartisan statements and consensus and pressure that will make clear to the administration that it should stop attacking community integration and make clear to states that they would be well-advised to not buy into the attacks that the federal government is making and to ensure that they continue a commitment to the integration mandate and the law that has existed for many decades now.

Oh, I'll tell you what, this is serious. And I just want to say that I'm I love this bipartisan part because people with disabilities, okay, so finally they're in community living, they're in a housing area with different people, they all have their own apartments or shared, whatever it is. But, you know, they're not in a nursing home and they're not in an institution. And now that would end. Imagine having to go to a skilled nursing home or an institution. I mean, this has been the most wonderful thing that people could, you know, go out into the community and have freedom and dignity. So what do you have to do? You have to pick up the phone and call your representative. You have to email. But you know what you need to do? You need to be a champion advocate. You need to get a whole group of people on an email chain, everyone sending an email. And if they do, should they reference that bill that you gave us the number?

Yes, it's, it's a resolution, House Resolution 1586. And it is, it doesn't matter what the title is, just 1586. It's the Olmstead Resolution.

And if they go to basilon.org, is there a site where it shows how to reach your representative?

I believe there is. But there's also, if you just Google how to contact my representative, there's a switchboard number. I used to know it off the top of my head. I think it's 202-225— I want to say Well, I don't wanna say the rest of the numbers 'cause I'm not remembering them this second, but it's easy to find online just the Capitol switchboard and ask to be connected to your House representatives. And the switchboard can connect you. You tell them where you live, they will connect you to your representative. So it is not hard to do. Again, it's House Resolution 1586, 1586. This has always been a bipartisan issue. There has always been until now bipartisan support for community integration. Every administration until now supported this. The George Bush administration, the first Trump administration, there was always enforcement of Olmstead. With President Bush II, there was an executive order promoting the implementation of Olmstead and a big national effort across federal agencies. And so this is really an unprecedented thing that the federal government is doing at this juncture. And it's really important to kind of build the environment that will put a stop to that and to— You know, have Congress reaffirm in a bipartisan way its intentions.

You've made a difference before, listeners. So everyone get behind Jennifer. Let's do it. Don't just think about it. Do it. And Jennifer, you keep us up to date on what happens.

I will. Thank you. All right.

See you there.

Thanks for the news. Bye-bye. Okay. Well, see, Jason, do you know we're the only place in the world That has these on-the-half-hour news breaks about what's happening in the federal government. I mean, it's— we don't have our own CNN. So here you go. This is where we are. But it's, it's so great to be able to offer that. So I wanted to talk about Will Allen. I've met Will Allen, and I know he's on the board of Highmark, really. Just a really good person. But how does he connect with the fort?

Wow, Joyce, thanks for that question. And much like your organization, Will Allen has been an extraordinary partner. He's a catalyst for our community and the things that he's done. Many people know him as that 12-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Steelers, right? That's sort of— everybody knows Will Allen from those days. But what he's built off the field with the Will Allen Foundation is transformative. It's transformative to our communities, our workplace, The Forge, and also Engine. So when we launched our new fulfillment center out on Neville Island last fall in November, we didn't just open a warehouse. We wanted to invest in Pittsburgh's future, right? Regional-based, Will was here many, many years, raised his families here. And in the partnership with Will's foundation and Engine, we launched what's called called the Blueprint for Success. So really exciting. I'll tell you a little bit more about it. So through this initiative, over a 12-month apprenticeship program, high school students from local communities get a shot at a real career in technology. They get a shot to be trained, work alongside some of the best in their business, and as they exit high school, they have these jobs and the hands-on mentoring, the career pathways that we opened in fulfillment, printing, digital communications, IT and technology. You know, Will brought that vision and mentorship to us and said, you got to try it, you got to check it out. And boy, it is something that our teams have really engaged in. When you talk about workplace culture, it's been a shakeup for us. The enthusiasm that these young students have, their first job, day one, coming in, working alongside our people and learning. It's been great and it builds careers. You know, back to careers, not jobs. These are living wage careers and they're right here in our home community. So these folks don't have to move out of Pittsburgh, the great city of Pittsburgh. You know, so many young people move away and I think this is an enabler to keep them. And so we're really excited about being a partner.

So Will, with his foundation, he sponsored this, so to speak, money to train. Are these students trained on-site? Are they apprentice? How does that work?

It's a combination of both. So the apprenticeship takes place here at Fifth Avenue Place where they get to access the company executives, David all the way down, uh, through Mick, you know, are in there meeting with these high school graduates, so they have exposure to the C-suite from day one, and then they're receiving professional business training here at Fifth Avenue Place, and they spend part of their week over at Forge with us learning the trade, learning the craft, and learning how to be great workmen in that— craftsmen and craftswomen in that space. So we're excited about what this brings and what the future can hold with this, and we're an avid participator each year with the Will Allen's Blueprint for Success.

What a good man. What a great man. Well, Jason, you are, uh, and I've so enjoyed having you, uh, on the show today. Uh, man, you really are a good person, and everyone is impacted by other people in life. So who is your role model?

I work with so many great people here at Highmark. I'd like to use the cliché and say, oh, it's David or it's Karen or Carl or Matt or Mick, you know, and I'm not gonna do that. The person that had the biggest influence in my life was my grandmother. She definitely taught me the value of hard work, honesty, being humble, just going out and getting after it each day. And she showed that herself throughout her entire life. My grandfather was in World War II and came back as a disabled veteran. He lost his arm. And when he came home, he had a really hard time trying to find employment in the Pittsburgh market. It was very frustrating for him. And, you know, she kept him every day, get back out there, try again, try again, try again. And he worked in the steel mills and the glass factories in the Mon Valley, put in a very successful career. And I could tell you, once he was there, He was there to stay, right? But getting in the door was the biggest challenge for him. So my grandmother teaching me resilience, definitely instilling the values in me of hard work and everyday labor, it generates rewards. And, you know, this is where I feel that I could give back, whether it's with folks with disabilities or it's with folks with high school educations that want to get into the workforce and have meaningful careers. careers. Those were opportunities that were given to me and my family, and I want to be able to return those to the communities that I serve here in the region.

Wow.

Little did she know the impact she would have on you. And that is a great story of resilience that you told. Was that your grandfather that you were talking about?

He came back as a disabled veteran from World War II. He served in France and Belgium before he was injured and they brought him back to Atlantic City. And while that was happening, Grandma was, you know, working to build bombs for the war while she waited on him to return. So she never wasted a minute, taught me the value of hard work, taught me integrity, definitely taught me love my family. And that's been something that I've just been able to carry on. She built his house while he was at war. He came home to a built house, you know, just to show some of that work ethic.

Wow.

She was just something special. And I have so many stories, Joyce, I'll spare you. But she had the biggest influence and she's my true hero in life. She overcame just about everything.

Well, that is a great story. I love that being that it's a grandmother. That is just awesome. And we can learn so much, can't we, from those people? We can learn so much.

It was a special generation.

Yes. Yes. So Jason, over the past few years, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?

You know, what we built here commercially in the Forge is a pretty big accomplishment. It definitely excites me, but a lot of that was driven by some market events that were just opportunities for us. And I talked a little bit with you before about the Change Healthcare incident with ransomware, and it provided us an opportunity to be able to distribute payments to rural provider networks and independent providers throughout the entire United States in a timely fashion while the systems were working to be repaired. And The Forge definitely benefited from that, from a growth perspective, from a relationship perspective in the market, but being able to get those providers paid in the marketplace was something special. And we've got so many accolades and thank-yous regarding that activity, that event in the market. We were just super grateful we had the opportunity, A, to serve, and B, to fix some of the things that were going on at a very, very trying time. Kept people in compliance, kept people from filing bankruptcy, making payroll that week. We know that the healthcare industry works on slim margins and receiving income and paying out at the same time. We have to make sure that's a delicate balance, and we were able to assist with that during that time, which was probably one of our biggest achievements that I can say that The Forge has achieved in the last 2 years.

How stressful was all of that, Jason?

It was additional millions and millions of monthly communications that we had to get out either physically or digitally. It was stressful, Joyce. I would lie if I said it wasn't. But it was also, at the same time, it was a sense of accomplishment for the entire team. We knew what we were doing when we did it. We embarked on it with full intent to do it successfully, and we were able to achieve that goal. So I think that's the biggest accomplishment in the last 2 years of my vice presidency at FORGE, which allowed us to make a difference in the communities we serve in nationally.

Well, that, that, that would be stressful, but you did it.

We did it. It's behind us now, and we're grateful for the opportunity and the relationships, and it's formed and built for us, and it's been very fruitful.

And you know what? I'm sure that did sharpen everyone's skill set because they had to go faster than they had done before, um, in equality with quality.

With quality and long hours, late nights, around the clock, coding, developing, making sure that folks got paid in a timely fashion. It was very important, and I don't think it could have been done any other way at that time.

Well, first of all, Jason, not only thank you for being on this show, but thank you for giving people with disabilities and Bender the opportunity to work with you because It has changed those lives. Thank you so much, and your ongoing support, uh, is just phenomenal. So thank you very much. Did you have any last words for our listeners?

Um, Joyce, I just thank you for the opportunity to be on your show today, and I thank your listeners for being avid supporters of this cause. Um, it's a great cause. Um, lots of things that we can do just from the newscast today. I sat here and took some notes, so I'm going to definitely be writing and emailing and making sure that we have proper representation.

Oh, well, that's— see, that's how you are.

Okay.

Well, we end every show with a quote, and I love this quote. It is, the best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time, said President Abraham Lincoln. And in the words of Mary Brocker, when you get up tomorrow, choose joy. You won't be disappointed. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you all next week during National Disability Employment Month.

Thank you.

Talk then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. voiceamerica.com.