Empowering Careers At Goodwill, One Skill At A Time
By Divya Bhatnagar
Goodwill SF Bay was established with the goal to create a Bay Area where no one is left behind. Whether it’s a Goodwill employee looking to grow their career or a neighbor in need of a second chance in society, we look to support and empower all Bay Area residents and guide them on a path to success. After all, thriving individuals build thriving communities!
We invest in our employees' success from day one. Along with providing dedicated training and mentorship, we also believe in fostering their passion, understanding their motivations, and creating opportunities for them to shine. In doing so, we empower them to mentor future colleagues, perpetuating this cycle until every employee, client, and community member in need receives our support.
(top left) Tracy Tan – Fashion photography specialist, (bottom left) Alfred Edwards – Art specialist, (middle) Rachel Roebke – Fashion specialist and supervisor, (top right) Alexander Baray – Art specialist, (bottom right) Grace Willingham – Jewelry specialist
Our dedicated product specialists exhibit these attributes proudly. They bring an abundance of skill, technique, passion and dedication to their job across categories such as fashion, art, jewelry, music, photography and packaging. They work hard behind the scenes to ensure that we deliver quality products to our shoppers! Whether it’s assessing the fabric and quality of clothing or identifying the metals in a piece of jewelry, our specialists bring a wealth of experience and personal drive to each task.
“As a former art history student, I enjoy discovering new as well as renowned pieces of art within our inventory,” exclaimed our art specialist, Alfred Edwards. “Each time we receive a piece of art through donations, we undertake the critical task of determining the source and true value of the piece as well as the artist behind it. Based on that information, our art pieces are priced as reasonably as possible and sold to new owners, which in turn funds more of our career services for our neighbors in need.”
“You’ll find remarkable pieces of art at Goodwill!” marveled Alexander Baray, our art specialist alongside Alfred. “We receive exquisite pieces through donations like works by Andy Warhol, Japanese Woodblock prints reminiscent of museum exhibits, vintage hand-painted Chinese scrolls and more such treasures!”
On a regular day at our warehouse, you’ll often find our fashion specialist, Rachel Roebke, sorting through racks of clothing treasures as she identifies brands and fabrics, and uses tools to verify their authenticity. Working alongside Rachel in our fashion department, Tracy Tan is often clad in gloves and a face mask cataloguing high value items through photography.
A few feet away, our jewelry team sits nestled in their cocoon exploring delicate pieces of new and vintage jewelry. Our jewelry specialist, Trystan Addison runs a tight yet happy ship, guiding his team to memorize popular jewelry brands, use heritage techniques to determine precious metals and gemstones, and even learn to tell the difference between silver and silver-plated metal.
Our jewelry photographer, Grace Willingham, can often be found using her artistic flair to beautifully photograph these donated gems (pun-intended).
New team members within the jewelry department, Gigi and Brian, speak fondly of Trystan’s leadership, and how enjoyable yet informative his guidance can be. “I get to learn amazing new skills at work every day, thanks to Trystan!” Gigi said proudly. “If I notice someone walking down the street, I can often tell with confidence the brand of jewelry they are wearing using my brand recognition skills. I also get to help my friends and family distinguish real metals from plated jewelry now.”
Our specialists are committed to investing in their staff. Through dedicated mentorship, they impart valuable skills, knowledge, and a strong work ethic. They cultivate each individual's unique passion and guide them toward achieving their career aspirations. To add to that, as part of our career services Goodwill offers a wide array of general as well as specialized training programs that help our clients and employees build valuable skill sets such as learning how to use technical applications, how to set up an online business and lots more!
With your support, we continue to empower careers and build futures within our community. Are you or someone you know looking to kickstart their career? Explore opportunities at Goodwill today.
Story brought to you by Goodwill San Francisco Bay