CT's Journey + QC Office's Recycling Program
Welcome to QC Enews Empowerment
Hope you are doing well!
In 23 years of empowering people with barriers to employment, one thing has always remained true: every person’s journey with us is absolutely unique. We hope you enjoy learning about CT’s story and the role Quality Connections and QC Office played in his personal “reboot.” Enjoy!
– Armando Bernasconi,
Co-Founder and CEO
QC Impact: CT's Story
To look at CT McMurry now as he confidently goes about the business of being the Executive Director of Membership at the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, you might not believe he ever needed help from Quality Connections.
CT is a natural salesman – good on the phone and even better in person, someone who has always had the gift of connecting with people and being persuasive. It’s not surprising that for many years he worked in real estate and was highly successful.
Then the housing bubble burst, the real estate market imploded, and CT became one of the many people caught up in the Great Recession.
For CT, the real estate crash was compounded by family and personal hardships that left him unemployed for several years.
“Things fell apart for me,” he said. “I needed help with re-entry into the workforce.”
A vocational rehabilitation referral brought him to Quality Connections, where he underwent work adjustment training, including updating his technological skills. He started working for QC Office, the office supplies business that helps support Quality Connections’ program of work.
Before long, that natural sales talent bubbled forth. After making cold calls and setting up appointments for the QC Office sales team, CT asked the head sales consultant, Christopher Keeler, if he could “shadow” him on appointments to local businesses and organizations.
“I feel that many people who might need QC’s services are diamonds in the rough,” he said. “We often overlook the talents and capabilities of individuals who have, or are experiencing challenges. QC’s program of providing real world experience and training, helps to uncover these capabilities. Through the training process I received at Quality Connections I was able to refine my professional skills and regain confidence and self-esteem.“
When the top sales position at QC opened up, CT assumed the role of Office Products Consultant and Account Manager for QC Office’s many office supply customers. These included larger accounts like the City of Flagstaff, FUSD, Coconino County and some of the most successful businesses in Flagstaff.
In addition to providing this management, CT began to participate in regular volunteer and network activities outside of work. He joined Toastmasters International and became an Ambassador at the Flagstaff Chamber. In 2019 he was recognized as the Chamber Volunteer of the Year for all the time he put into events and ribbon cuttings.
That, in fact, led to the job offer at the Chamber. When the membership position became open, Chamber President & CEO Julie Pastrick joked that CT already came to all the events, it would make sense for him to work there. He joined the chamber team last year and Quality Connections was very supportive of the move.
“What I think is really great about Quality Connections and QC Office is that they help people overcome personal barriers and they believe in personal empowerment,” he said. “They see the potential and not the limitations. That’s really important. It definitely worked in my case.”
QC Office's Recycling Program
The seeds for QC Office, the office supply business that helps support our programs at Quality Connections, were planted almost 20 years ago with QC Toner.
QC Toner collected empty toner cartridges from local businesses to fulfill two purposes: providing training and employment for individuals with disabilities and to keep old printer cartridges out of our landfill by remanufacturing them.
Not long after we began this service, our customers began to ask if we could provide other types of supplies as well. Based on this interest, QC Office was born in 2009, offering a full-line of office products. QC Office continued its work recycling toner cartridges and added to it; we began recycling other types of electronic waste as well.
In addition to being good for our environment, expanding this program has offered endless training opportunities in picking up the materials, sorting and refurbishing. In fact, most of QC’s IT needs come from the items that are recycled by our team.
The pick-up recycling service is offered for no charge to QC Office customers in the Flagstaff area, and done when our delivery crew is delivering QC Office orders to a customer. Donations can be dropped off at QC as well; there is a drop box for printer cartridges near the front entrance and a loading door at the rear for larger items.
And now QC Office customers everywhere can generate their own shipping labels to recycle their printer cartridges with QC, giving everyone the opportunity to be part of our e-waste program even if they don’t need to place an order or aren’t in the Flagstaff area.
If you have any questions about our recycling programs, please give us a call at (928) 527-3223.
SAVE THE DATE: #GivingTuesday, Nov. 29
#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of “radical generosity,” the belief that everyone has something to give, and every act of generosity counts.
Created in 2012, it is a day that encourages people to do good and has grown into a worldwide movement that engages millions every year.
We’d like to invite you to be part of this celebration with a donation to Quality Connections.
Your generosity will help individuals with disabilities become independent, productive members of our community by providing practical life learning programs and job training. We hope you’ll join us and donate on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday, November 29.
We need Quality Connections…like you!
You can help individuals with disabilities become independent and productive members of our community. There are many way to be a ‘Quality Connection’ and get involved and all of them are important:
Every purchase from QC Office equals employment and job training opportunities for a person with disabilities.
Enable a person with disabilities to become a productive member of our community.
You’ll be doing good. Plus, you’ll get a dollar-for-dollar credit on your AZ state taxes (up to $800!)