A mission
for purpose

Last year local Goodwill organizations placed more than 230,000 people into employment.

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“a hand up, not a hand out”

Goodwill International was founded at the turn of the century in Boston by Rev. Edgar Helms, a Methodist minister seeking ways to help residents in the city’s impoverished South End. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city; then trained and hired impoverished locals and immigrants to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold, or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born. The organization was formally incorporated in 1910. Known, at the time, as Morgan Memorial Cooperative Industries and Stores, Inc. (a reflection of its headquarters in Boston’s Morgan Memorial Chapel), it provided job skills training programs, and even a rudimentary placement service. The name Goodwill Industries was later adopted after a Brooklyn, NY workshop coined the phrase.

Dr. Helms’ vision set an early course for what would one day become a $5.59 billion nonprofit organization. Helms described Goodwill Industries as both an “industrial program as well as a social service enterprise…a provider of employment, training, and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted.”

Today, Goodwill is a network of 161 independent, local Goodwill agencies in the U.S. and Canada. Our client base has expanded to include people with developmental, physical, mental and emotional disabilities, as well as individuals with barriers such as: illiteracy, homelessness, advanced age, past substance abuse, lack of work experience or criminal history.

Employment Opportunities

Goodwill Industries of the Summit is one of the largest employers in the area. If you’re looking for a career with Goodwill, please stop by any of our retail locations on Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

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141,000
locally employed

– Career Services

– Prosperity Center

– Success Stories

Business Services

Goodwill Industries of the Summit offers extensive business services; employing more than 250 employees in the janitorial & grounds keeping sectors. We currently have more than 60 private, community and government contracts.

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Meet Dan

Our President and CEO

Dan’s deep-rooted passion for helping those with disabilities and other barriers started at a young age. Watching two disabled parents successfully navigate a society struggling to catch up with accessible amenities had laid a foundation of empathy and understanding he has carried with him throughout his professional career.

As a graduate of both Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Goodwill Industries International’s Executive Development Program, Dan has applied both his academic and experiential knowledge to assisting the Goodwill movement over the past 24 years. Coming to work for Goodwill Industries of South Texas in 1996, Dan quickly made a name for himself within the Goodwill enterprise as a vocal disabilities advocate. Dan spent 1998-2000 in Arizona working with Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona in transforming several of their programs before making the decision to return to Corpus Christi and join the Goodwill South Texas team once again. During his recent tenure with the organization, he has helped it grow exponentially in both revenue as well as people served and has spent over a decade in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer.

Currently, Dan has both the honor and privilege of serving as the President & CEO for Goodwill Industries of the Summit in Charleston, West Virginia. In this role, he continues to dedicate his talents to making a difference in the lives of those around him.

Dan is an exceptionally proud husband and father of two. Along with his professional aspirations, Dan works purposefully to grow and strengthen the communities his family lives in. In 2009, the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce recognized Dan as a 40 Under 40 award winner for his outstanding professional and personal achievements. He has served in varying capacities on the South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, TAMUCC Alumni, Food Bank of Corpus Christi, American Red Cross, Galilean Luthern Church, and West Corpus Christi Rotary Boards. He was also appointed to the Clean City Advisory Board by the Corpus Christi Council and has served as an active member of the Corpus Christi Westside Business Association, Corpus Christi Northwest Business Association, and both the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Dan is also extremely proud to be an advocate for the most vulnerable in his community by working regularly with legislators at the local, state, and federal levels.

– Daniel R. Owen