{"id":2916,"date":"2026-06-09T18:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2916"},"modified":"2026-06-09T18:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:35:03","slug":"durham-exchange-club-industries-marks-60-years-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2916","title":{"rendered":"Durham Exchange Club Industries marks 60 years of service"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>DURHAM, N.C. \u2014 As Durham Exchange Club Industries (DECI) celebrates 60 years of service, the nonprofit is looking toward the future with expanded partnerships, broader employment opportunities and increased community engagement for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2915\">Athletics say hello to eventual Vegas fanbase with an explosive 15-14, 12-inning game<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDECI has been around for 60 years,\u201d said President and CEO Chrissy Sailstad. \u201cWe\u2019re located right here in Durham, and we work with people with disabilities and we help them with job skills, job training and sometimes job placement, either at our facility or out in the community in a job of their choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sailstad said the organization\u2019s longevity is rooted in both community need and employee dedication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, there\u2019s a huge need in our community, but also I think we\u2019ve just really had great leadership over the years,\u201d she said. \u201cOur employees want to be there. They really enjoy what they do every day. We have employees who\u2019ve been there 30, 40, 50 years, very dedicated to the work we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to employment placement services, DECI operates an industrial production facility where individuals gain hands-on work experience through customer projects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do real work in our facility with real customers,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cThese client workers are working on a real job we have for a customer. We are ISO 9001 certified, so our quality is tested every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The organization served approximately 250 clients over the past year through employment programs, community engagement activities and independent living support services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe served about 250 different clients this past year,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cWe also offer onsite activities, so community engagement activities, basically cooking classes and different things that help promote independent living.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One recent milestone was DECI\u2019s inaugural IDD Resource Fair, which brought together more than 55 organizations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought, why wouldn\u2019t we just bring them all together under one roof and show everybody what their options are and see what\u2019s available to them?\u201d Sailstad said.<\/p>\n<p>The event exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver 55 organizations\u201d participated, she said. \u201cAt the end, we were turning some down because we didn\u2019t have enough space. We are looking at doing it again and probably in a larger space so we could have more organizations participate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As DECI works to connect more individuals with employment opportunities, Sailstad said one of the biggest challenges remains employer perceptions.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2913\">Joel Bitonio announces retirement after 12 seasons, all with the Cleveland Browns<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of employers look at people with disabilities and only see the things that they can\u2019t do and they do not realize all the things they can do,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many things that they can do just as easily as the rest of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To address those barriers, DECI\u2019s job placement team works directly with employers across the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe really try to educate employers,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cWe have an entire team of job placement coordinators that goes out and talks directly to employers and shows them the capabilities that individuals have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said employees placed through the program often become highly valued members of workplace teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur clients want to work,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cThey show up on time. They\u2019re incredibly motivated. They\u2019re dedicated to the work they\u2019re doing. They want to do quality work. They end up being some of the best employees that a lot of our employers even have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, DECI is expanding its employment services footprint while pursuing new partnerships throughout the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe work with nine different counties,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cWe have a much broader reach through job placement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The organization\u2019s future strategy focuses on collaboration and maximizing impact.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re looking at ways that we can partner with other organizations,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cPartnerships are really going to be very important to us in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that community awareness remains a priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s really important for everyone to understand the work that we do and also to recognize the important people who do the work,\u201d Sailstad said. \u201cWe have people who\u2019ve worked at DECI for 30, 40, some over 50 years. They\u2019re just incredibly dedicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As DECI enters its next chapter, Sailstad said the mission remains unchanged: creating opportunities and expanding possibilities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2911\">Serena returns: Williams begins her comeback in doubles at Queen\u2019s Club<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur goal is to reach as many people as we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DURHAM, N.C. \u2014 As Durham Exchange Club Industries (DECI) celebrates 60 years of service, the nonprofit is looking toward the future with expanded partnerships, broader employment opportunities and increased community engagement for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. &#8220;DECI has been around for 60 years,&#8221; said President and CEO Chrissy Sailstad. &#8220;We&#8217;re located right here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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