Kuehne+Nagel’s Contract Logistics’ Ontario, California Site Embraces those with Special Needs

Every day at our Contract Logistics site in Ontario, California, a group of special needs individuals arrive onsite, at the ready to jump in and help as a key part of Kuehne+Nagel’s workforce. In honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we celebrate and reflect on their contributions.   

Looking back to 2019, the team had a simple but powerful idea -- invite those with special needs to join the team. To do so, the site began a partnership with a local non-profit called Ability Counts that provides vocational training and employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.  

The special needs team started off at first with tasks like cleaning, then expanded the activities such as sorting hangers. Now, five years later, the special needs team from Ability Counts disassembles decommissioned purses and bags, removing metal items from leather bags and purses, and recycling, on behalf of Kuehne+Nagel’s high-end, luxury brand customer.   

With this partnership, the Kuehne+Nagel team focuses on the abilities, rather than the disabilities, of the 12-15 special needs individuals that come to the site daily with support from an Ability Counts coach. The site has seamlessly integrated them into the site’s workforce, breaking down barriers and fostering diversity. 

“The team from Ability Counts has become an integral part of our workforce and they are included in every aspect of the facility's activities,” said Robert Cesario, Kuehne+Nagel’s Area Contract Logistics Manager. It doesn’t matter how tough a day is; with the team from Ability Counts around, everyone feels like everything is going to be fine.” 

The Contract Logistics team leadership has been so inspired, they have begun an effort to expand the program by looking across its sites in North America to find local non-profit to partner with. 

In a world where these concepts can be mere buzzwords, Kuehne+Nagel's Ontario site serves as a model, demonstrating a genuine commitment to embracing diversity and making it an integral part of their culture. The team realizes that the real value of the partnership with Ability Counts lies not just in the taking over of certain tasks, but in embracing the abilities of all -- making these special needs individuals from the local agency not just a workforce partner; they have become part of the Kuehne+Nagel family.