UCB to be Awarded Employer of the Year by Governor's Council on People with Disabilities

COLUMBUS, OH – United Collection Bureau, Inc. (UCB) will be awarded the prestigious Employer of the Year Award by Governor Ted Strickland’s Council on the Employment of People with Disabilities. This award is presented each year to the most outstanding employer of individuals with disabilities in Ohio. UCB has developed an extremely successful program for increasing the number of employees with disabilities in their Columbus and Toledo, Ohio call center facilities. These offices have seen over a 600% increase in the hiring of people with disabilities since the program began in 2004. The award will be presented to UCB executives Jeff Horner and Vickie Peirano-Thompson by the keynote speaker, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, representing the Governor and the Counsel on People with Disabilities at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, August 20th at the Statehouse.

“This award recognizes the culture and teamwork of the entire workforce in these centers, and demonstrates that people with disabilities are key contributors to any enterprise.” said Jeff Horner, UCB Chief Development Officer and Sr. V.P. Government Services Division. By contracting with the Sierra Group, a Pennsylvania based consulting company for private and public business dedicated to increasing the employment of people with disabilities, the company has developed valuable enterprise-wide resources. “UCB has been able to install assistive technology, develop training programs, establish employee search and screening resources, and build facility designs in order to find, hire, train, and employ people with physical limitations” said Janet Fiore, President and Founder of the Sierra Group. “These employees are valuable contributors to the organization.”

The purpose of the Employer of the Year Award is to honor the nominee judged most outstanding in meeting the criteria for the current year. The employer selected is considered a symbol of all who have significantly contributed to employment opportunities for people with disabilities. It is anticipated that this example will inspire others and that public recognition will encourage employers to emphasize ability rather than disability as the important factor in employment, promotion, and advancement within the company.

“We are very pleased to be recognized by this award, and I am so thankful to our staff for embracing the program, the Sierra Group for teaching us how to sustain the program, and the employees that inspire us all each and every day. However we are looking to the future to find better and bigger ways to promote the hiring of people with disabilities in good paying, career channeling jobs” said Mr. Horner, the architect of the UCB program. “My vision is for our program to converge with other programs to bring an even higher level of value to our clients, our enterprise, the population of people with disabilities looking for work, and the consumer public.”

“This program is a key reason for the success of these offices as consistent top performing centers for the company, not to mention the value that is realized by the communities and our clients, and. is one of many that the company has invested in so that we can deliver a competitive advantage in the marketplace of accounts receivable management call center services.”” Said Sanju Sharma, UCB President & Chief Executive Officer.

About United Collection Bureau, Inc. (UCB):
UCB has provided debt recovery and accounts receivable management services and solutions to creditors since 1959. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, UCB has grown to service the national marketplace of Healthcare, Financial Services, Utility, Communications, and Government creditors. Today, UCB employs a dedicated management team of experienced collection agency executives, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology and telecommunications resources, to bring uncompromising services to its clients. UCB is licensed in all 50 states and carries full insurance and bonding protection. With over 1,000 employees, UCB offers financial stability, trained staff and technical capabilities to provide the most compliant and effective accounts receivable management and collection services available today. For more information visit www.ucbinc.com

About The Sierra Group, Inc.:
The Sierra Group, Inc. is a national consultancy with a mission of reversing the high unemployment rate for people with disabilities in America. The Sierra Group offers an array of recruiting, consultation and training services designed to assist corporations in their: “bring to work, stay at work and return to work” efforts. Focusing on diverse hiring, retention and accommodation practices, Sierra Group has three divisions: Candidate Sourcing, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Workforce Strategy, thereby serving needs of businesses, job seekers and their service providers across the nation. For more information visit www.thesierragroup.com or call 800.973.7687.