TYLER, Texas — Mr. Gatti's Pizza in Tyler was recognized by the Texas Governor's Committee on People With Disabilities as a 2020 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winner.
This award is given annually to Texans who display a commitment to empowering co-workers and customers who have disabilities.
Lamar Wedell, owner of Mr. Gatti's in Tyler, has made this a priority since day one.
"The great part about it is the opportunity I’ve had to work with some of the local kids here and around Tyler," sid Wedell. "They’re very excited to come to work and a lot of them don’t realize the capability and the capacity that they have when they start. And we push them along with the job coach to say, 'hey, let’s try this' and when they have success, to watch the joy and excitement that they have with that and the confidence that builds within themselves, that’s been the most rewarding part I think for me."
Many of Wedell's employees are chance from Suzi Stein, a consultant at Level Up Employment Services. Stein finds jobs and coaches people with disabilities.
"First of all, he’s [Wedell] willing to give different people opportunities and his experience has shown him that he can get different talent and different skill sets from people like Barbara Bell [employee]. "She needed her confidence built and he gave her the opportunity to build her confidence and now she’s just flying."
The inclusive work environment Wedell has created helped Bell, an employee, believe in herself and her abilities.
"I absolutely love it," said Bell. "I mean the people here are just amazing and nice, especially my coworkers. Everybody gets along well and my main job is when people come in to make sure that everybody is in a lovely environment and it's not nasty. Everyone is really clean and friendly."
Everyone deserves a fair chance and Wedell has shown how someone's life can be changed by a single opportunity.
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