HOUSTON, Jan. 20, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When Jim Strickland arrived at work on Friday on his 80th birthday, the machine designer expected the day to be like any other. But unlike most days -- or most birthdays -- the nonprofit group Age & Experience and Strickland's employer made sure he knew his unique contributions are well recognized on his birthday.
"Employees like Jim Strickland bring valuable skills along with a vast depth of experience and leadership," said Larry Keast, founder of Age & Experience and founder of Venturetech Corporation, where Strickland works. Venturetech is a company that is a model showing companies nationwide that hiring elderly people is a good idea, Keast says. After many years of good experience, Keast created the Web site http://www.ageandexperience.org, a free hiring resource that allows employers nationwide to do the same in their area.
For Strickland's 80th birthday, Keast said he wanted to surprise Strickland with something special. At their morning break, Strickland's co-workers wheeled out a birthday cake with 80 candles and a couple fire extinguishers, to emphasize the humor and give everyone on hand a laugh.
"They got me pretty good - I must have looked like a deer in the headlights. It took 3 people to blow that fire out," Strickland said. He went on to share that he's thankful for the opportunity to work beyond the typical retirement age and he thoroughly enjoys working. "Working this long isn't for everyone, but employers should consider people who want to work after age 65." Everyone at Venturetech looks up to "Mr. Jim", who has been with the company 10 years. Jim is in good health and continues to enjoy paddling his kayak and traveling with his wife Jan in their RV.
Keast added, "Age & Experience is urging employers to consider hiring folks like Jim Strickland because they can provide strong values and be a role model." Age & Experience, based in Houston, uses its Web site, http://www.ageandexperience.org, to put employers in contact with individuals who want to work past the age of retirement. Age & Experience is affiliated with America in Recovery, Inc, a nonprofit Keast founded. It hosts four free hiring Web sites with related missions - to encourage employers to put America's "unemployables" to work.
http://www.ageandexperience.org - for our aging population
http://www.recoveryatwork.org/ - for people in recovery from alcohol & drugs
http://www.nouturns.org/ - for ex-offenders of our legal system
http://www.reliabilityforhire.org/ - for our citizens with disabilities
Photo available upon request.