• Program launched in May 2019 in partnership with Chicago-based Anixter Center

• Provides tailored work opportunities for individuals with disabilities

• Program to serve as springboard for similar corporate programs in Chicagoland

Mesirow announced the one-year anniversary of the firm’s Opportunity and Inclusion Program, which helps individuals with disabilities develop career/technical and soft skills through jobs tailored to their specific interests and abilities. This Program builds upon Mesirow’s existing 10-week job training program, which was created in 2016 and has trained more than 25 individuals for successful future employment. Both Programs are managed in partnership with the Anixter Center, which has served hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and behavioral health needs in the Chicago area since 1919.

“The Mesirow Opportunity and Inclusion Program was built on a 25-year foundation of partnership between our firm and Anixter,” said Dominick Mondi, Mesirow President & CEO. “Our Program Associates work alongside Mesirow colleagues, gaining experiences that will help them to grow and thrive as professionals while making deep contributions to our firm and in the community.”  

“Across Illinois, nearly 20,000 people with developmental disabilities are waiting for admission to adult programs that support independence and life success,” said Rebecca Clark, Anixter Center President and CEO. “The Mesirow Opportunity and Inclusion Program is an exemplary model in our city that helps bridge that gap, benefiting participants through a personal, customized approach to job carving and serving a broad lens of disability. Given the success of Mesirow’s program, we are poised and excited to customize this model for other corporations in Chicagoland.”

May 2020 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.

About Mesirow

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices in 21 cities, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our workplace culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Mesirow has been recently named "Best Place to Work in Chicago" by Crain's Chicago Business and the Chicago Tribune.

About Anixter Center
Anixter Center has proudly served hundreds of thousands of people in the Chicago area since 1919. Today, we focus our work on serving people with disabilities, behavioral health needs, and people who are Deaf, DeafBlind or Hard of Hearing through a variety of programs. Learn more at anixter.org.