By Mark F. Gray
AFRO Staff Writer
mgray@afro.com
In trying to combat unemployment and homelessness a company is making investments in human capital. A company called R Investments is working on the two major crises that America is facing today, systemic racism and COVID-19, by transforming the process of education and preparing a new workforce that is ready to begin careers after learning a trade.
“Everyone can be an asset to rebuild the country,” said Travis Steffens, founder of R Investments. “Real estate companies need a skilled labor work force which is why America has fallen behind. We need more qualified assets.”
R Investments and their program “R Academy” is working to rebuild communities and offer skills-based training to the homeless in order to find sustainable jobs and change lives. (Courtesy Photo)
Steffens said he believes that renovating neighborhoods and not only gentrifying them are keys to an economic engine that will lead to long term prosperity around the nation. His training program makes its investment into human capital first and after those dividends are cashed life changes in the community for the individuals whose lives have been transformed. Over the last 14 years, the “R Academy” has been training homeless people while investing in the lives of convicted felons who are re-entering society and the workforce by arming them with trades that give them a sense of empowerment.
“There are a lot of people who are stuck with different ideologies,” Steffens said. “I’m not the biggest fan of college these days. A lot of people have degrees but end up working in professions where they don’t apply what they studied. We’re showing people that manual labor is coming back.”
Each year the academy takes 200 ex-felons into the transformative program where they learn a skill that leads to personal independence and self sufficiency. After an extensive and intensive training program those who finish are equipped for jobs and the company provides placement opportunities as well.
Tony Rankins is a military veteran who served in Afghanistan. He chose not to reenlist after his first tour of duty when developing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health condition that’s triggered by either experiencing a terrifying event or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, or uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
At 29, Rankins quickly turned to drugs. The addiction made it difficult for Rankins to remain steadily employed and he went to jail for 18 months. After his release, Rankins was unemployed, living out of his car, and looking for a new beginning. Through the R Investments program, Rankins became a trained electrician and is now self-sufficient living in Nashville, TN.
“You can apply the process of learning the trade to your everyday life,” Rankins said. “When you improve the way the trade is applied and learn how things work it gives you a different way of working. They gave me a room and gave me a new outlook.”
Byron Gordy went from living in his girlfriend’s car before enrolling into the program to “living the dream.” Gordy is currently the National Material Manager for R Investments where he oversees the procurement of supplies for work sites in four cities. In addition to tangible work skills he gained through the training experience, he has grown into a leadership position where he can now be an example to the people in his hometown of St. Louis, MO.
“I try to lead by example and won’t ask any of the people under me to do anything I wouldn’t,” Gordy said. “It does something to you when you can be a change agent in your community. There’s nothing like being someone they can look up to.”