Fortuity & Columbus Urban League Announce Partnership Powered by Huntington National Bank
Franklinton social enterprise adds wraparound services for workers in Columbus Urban League partnership
By Carrie Ghose
Franklinton, Columbus, OH - August 2nd, 2024 -
A single dad recently brought his daughter to work when her in-home daycare was unexpectedly closed.
The 11-year-old kept herself occupied while he handled customer support calls in the “kiddie coworking space” that Fortuity Calling LLC created for just such an emergency.
“It literally cost us nothing to enable him to come to work that day … and not have to make the decision whether you leave an 11-year-old home alone or call off of work,” Fortuity co-founder and CEO Fred Brothers told Columbus Business First.
“You see a parent sitting there earning money, and the kid is safe, it’s pretty darn cool.”
The Franklinton social enterprise creates a path to leave poverty wages for higher-paying customer support careers, and provides extra support to overcome outside barriers to employment.
Childcare interruptions was one of the hurdles Fortuity was trying to address, when a partnership with the Columbus Urban League brought the problem more in focus, co-founder Katie Robinson said.
A one-year $50,000 grant starting in May from the foundation of Huntington National Bank pays for Urban League services including training for Fortuity management and employees.
Staff size fluctuates seasonally, hitting about 115 at peak times. Less than 5% attended college.
We’ve never had a hard time teaching them the work,” Brothers said. “It’s all about these outside factors they struggle to balance.”
The business model has always included wraparound services – Fortuity pays for two mental health counseling sessions per month, for example.
Urban League is augmenting that support with culturally competent services that build trust with employees, Robinson said.
“They had the right business model – a phenomenal business model,” said Jeaneen Hooks, the league’s vice president of programs. “They were still at times at a loss: The things we put in place are not working and we don’t understand why.”
After surveying Fortuity workers, Urban League identified top needs as emergency transportation and childcare, and access to medical care.
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For more information about Fortuity and how they upskill and advance hire workers from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, please visit our website at www.Fortuity.com.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Katie Robinson
Co-Founder, Chief People and Branding Officer
Katie@Fortuity.com
About Fortuity
Fortuity is a for-profit, Social Enterprise Contact Center in Franklinton, Ohio whose mission is to create career and wage advancement opportunities for high-potential candidates. Fortuity’s unique model combines traditional training and coaching with support services that help employees navigate the challenges that keep them moving in and out of the workforce. Fortuity provides high quality, omnichannel outsourced customer experience and BPO services. Its 600 seat, state-of-the-art center is located in the heart of Columbus. Fortuity employs an under-utilized inner-city workforce and invests heavily in technology, training, retention and advancement. Fortuity’s employees have brighter futures, which helps them to provide better service for its clients. For more information about Fortuity, visit www.fortuity.com.