Two Workforce Development Nonprofits Merge Providing Career Building Opportunities

DULUTH, Minn. – True North Goodwill and SOAR Career Solutions announced their plans for a merger.

The two nonprofits both focus on workforce development in our region for decades. Through recent conversations between the Executive Director of SOAR, Emily Edison, and President & CEO of True North Goodwill, Dodie Brown, they found their companies visions aligned. 

“This is an opportunity for us to use our resources, and our expertise and skills,” said Edison, who is also the chief admissions officer for True North Goodwill. “True North Goodwill has great infrastructure and retail stores, and a whole system embedded in the organization. And we have fantastic programs that we can bring in to do job training. So merging those two together just makes the most absolute sense and is just a great opportunity for the community itself and her workforce, and for the economy.”

SOAR Career Solutions has focused on supporting low-income individuals to address barriers that prevents them from maintaining sustainable employment. True North Goodwill’s mission is focused on providing a start to sustainable employment and has service’s that help individuals move onto their dream careers.

“We want to really honor that legacy, SOAR has been really amazing in this community and we’ll continue to be amazing in this community. So you will still see SOAR, True North Goodwill, joint at the hip, moving forward,” said Brown. “So there will be more opportunities for individuals walking into the door.”

True North Goodwill says that they’re looking to expand further in Northern Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin. Both nonprofits say that the merger will allow their career building services to expand as well.