GREENACRES SITE VISIT

Greenacres generously hosted the LIP for a site visit and leadership discussion on 18 July. We toured Greenacres Enterprises led by Chief Executive Officer, Chris Christodoulou, Chief Commercial Officer Audra Tuckwood, and Chief Operations Officer Grant Vukasinovic. Greenacres is one of the leading disability service providers in the region, providing services and programs for over 600 people from 24 sites and this year is proudly celebrating its 70th year.

In small groups we visited Greenacres Enterprises sites and met some of the participants working in the e-waste centre, packaging, labelling, industrial sewing and were amazed at the art being created in the art program. Following the tour, the LIP were treated to sweet treats and savoury platters supplied by the Brewing Up a Storm hospitality program.
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CEO Chris Christodoulou then shared his vision and passion for providing meaningful employment for people with a disability in the region. The LIP learned about the Kickstart for Life program, which supports people aged 15 to 18 to learn vocational skills, open employment versus supported employment, the history of Greenacres and the current business model.
 
The LIP appreciated Chris sharing how he empowers the Executive team, how his earlier career experiences in the union movement have shaped his career and his approach to work-life balance. We were all impressed by the breadth of work Greenacres is involved in and will definitely be checking out the Greenacres Shop website next time we need to arrange a gift or corporate hamper.
 
Special thanks to Aleisha Brooke-Smith, LIP participant and Greenacres Head of Marketing and Business Development for arranging our visit, and Mimma Peppoloni LIP Alumni and Operations Manager at Greenacres for supporting the visit. Alison Turner from Flagstaff delivered a vote of thanks on behalf of the LIP, acknowledging Chris’s significant contribution to the disability sector in the region.