Our mission is to work cooperatively with job seekers, employers, and community resources to develop successful job opportunities and provide the supports needed to train and maintain positive long- term employment.
History
Goldman & Associates has been a catalyst for regional development in supported employment solutions for more than 30 years.
The group began with the efforts of founder and CEO Norm Goldman and his accomplishments within Hot Food Inc., a pilot program from the early 1980s that worked with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and the Chef de Cuisine Society to introduce inclusive hiring to the hospitality industry. As the Director of Training he developed a successful skills building and placement model that works collaboratively with job seekers, their support network, public resources, and employers to navigate opportunities and barriers for employment. Hot Food Inc. placed more than 40 individuals over the process of three years, and the accomplishments went noticed by agencies across the region. At the conclusion of the program David Hitt, with Oregon’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, asked Norm to continue utilizing his model to work with additional industries – leading to the creation of Goldman & Associates in 1986. By 1987 a team of three was serving Oregon clients in Multnomah, Marion, and Columbia counties.
Clark County Community Services, in Washington, sought to expand upon the group’s successful model of employment and by 1989 an office was setup in the Orchards neighborhood of Vancouver. Serving Clark County quickly became a priority with Goldman & Associates by expanding staff and incorporating as a business for the first time during 1993 in Washington State. Since then the business has successfully placed over 700 individuals with a retention rate of 94%, and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Currently Goldman has ten associates, focused on serving the needs of Clark County in partnership with the Washington Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Clark County Community Services office.
Meet Norm Goldman
Norm Goldman
The founder and CEO of Goldman & Associates Inc., Norm Goldman, has long held a passion for empowering others to achieve independence through employment. Born and raised in Chicago, at an early age he was exposed to diversity that taught him to respect and understand individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and barriers. Individuals with disabilities were paramount to this, as he grew up with a cousin and neighbor that demonstrated everyday challenges. Norm emphasized with their situation and found a relatable experience in his own life from undiagnosed Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, which presented the adversity of traditional pathways for education and employment.
Finding a mission for his life, Norm began his career by working with at-risk youth in Oakland and Detroit during the 70s. By requiring him to think of new ways to communicate with others, he found a passion for entertaining through cooking and music. By the late 70s an opportunity presented itself to combine passions by managing hiring for a series of restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, working with local schools to create new pathways for employment. He still felt unfulfilled, wanting to work directly with individuals in need, and left to manage a group home for women with developmental disabilities and a satellite apartment program for individuals with mental health conditions.
This unique combination of experiences allowed him to become the Director of Training for Hot Food Inc., a pilot program to introduce the concept of inclusive employment opportunities to the hospitality industry. With the program Norm built a successful model for skills development and job placement that aims to overcome an individual’s disabilities to find an ability to live a productive and independent life. This model continues to be used across the region and today is championed by Goldman & Associates Inc. in Clark County Washington.
Norm and his wife Elayne Goldman have four children. Elayne is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and serves as CEO of Elayne Goldman & Associates Inc. with a focus on businesses in Oregon.