Brian Benshoof

Photo: Kris Kathmann

3rd Place: Business Person of the year 2014

CEO of $60 million Mankato-based MRCI WorkSource oversees a regional footprint that includes healthy sub-contracting and candy businesses.

Brian Benshoof, CEO of Mankato Rehabilitation Center, Inc., has been employed by the nonprofit organization for half of its 60-year history. His goal is to make MRCI the program of choice for clients and families seeking services and to educate the public about the variety and depth of MRCI’s programs and services.

Maybe you’ve shopped at the MRCI thrift store in Mankato or New Ulm, and felt satisfied about helping a good cause. Maybe you’ve noticed developmentally disabled adults washing dishes in a restaurant, or you’ve purchased products they packaged in the low-stress environment of a sheltered workshop. What you probably haven’t realized are the multiple roles MRCI plays in providing services to 3,500 clients in 14 locations in six southern Minnesota communities.

Benshoof, who has been involved in all of the major changes in program development and delivery, said, “We like to see ourselves as trendsetters in the community, giving people choices. When you try to find people a job, the more choices you give them, the better. I don’t think there are many nonprofits or businesses that have as clear of a mission as ours. A non-profit has a guiding principle, which doesn’t lend itself to ambiguity, but ours is complex.”

—–

The MRCI story began in 1953, when a group of Mankato citizens established a “Voluntary Health Organization” to provide people with disabilities the opportunity for physical therapy under the guidance of a medical consultant. Twelve years later, MRCI moved from its 700-square foot building in downtown Mankato to a new 17,000-square foot location. The move ushered in a wave of new vocational services, including work adjustment training, work evaluation and the establishment of the Sheltered Workshop and Developmental Achievement Center. Rapid growth of the facility-based work program resulted in construction in the late ’70s of MRCI’s current 62,000-square foot headquarters at 15 Map Drive, Mankato. The following decade brought establishment of MRCI’s programs in New Ulm, Fairmont, Carver County, and Scott County. In the mid-‘80s, MRCI began placing clients in integrated working situations, where they worked alongside people who were not disabled. Today, about two thirds of MRCI’s 3,500 clients work in the community, and about one third work in the facility-based work programs, performing sub-contracted work. MRCI has a $20 million payroll, making it one of the larger employers in Mankato, according to Benshoof.

Operating with an annual budget of more than $60 million, MRCI offers transitional vocational programs, extended employment programs, and day training and habilitation programs in several communities. (See sidebar.) Vocational welfare-to-work employment training comes through a contract with Blue Earth County Employment Services and with Steele County Employment Services.

Funds come from a myriad of sources, some from employers for whom MRCI clients work, much from various government programs. For example, Medicaid provides $30-$100 per diem for day training and habilitation programs, which are licensed day programs for people who have severe disabilities.

Benshoof said, “As they work, they require a higher ratio of staff to clients, between one to eight and one to three. Some clients need assistance with using the restroom or eating.” In fee-for-service transitional programs, the State of Minnesota contracts for MRCI staff members to evaluate people’s needs, abilities, and vocational abilities. Sub-contract work with companies such as Tony Downs (where MRCI clients package canned chicken), Pioneer Catering (which provides employees for Bethany Lutheran College’s food service) and River Hills Mall (where MRCI clients have cleaned the food court since its opening), account for $12 million income annually.

Quality Products, an MRCI-based limited liability corporation, boasts Menards as a customer. Through the program, MRCI clients annually label about six million bags of candy packaged in MRCI’s candy plant in St. Peter.

“Starting the candy business was a really good choice because we had lost a great deal of hand work to automation and overseas outsourcing,” Benshoof said. “We package a wide variety of candy that sells in Menards stores across the country. Breaking into this industry was challenging and required working with candy brokers. We have to compete on quality and price. We don’t look for charity in our business transactions. There has to be a ‘win’ for an employer or customer.”

United Way funds, about $85,000 annually, round out the MRCI budget. The multiplicity of programs and funding sources may sound overwhelming, but Benshoof takes it in stride. “There’s a joke that if you’re not good at math you go into social services. But I’ve made the transition to the world of finance,” he said. “We have the business aspects, but our profits go back into MRCI; they don’t go to shareholders. When I moved into management, I didn’t know much about business and had to catch up. I took some business courses, including a week at the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. When I was MRCI chief operating officer, our chief financial officer, who had been an auditor, taught me a perspective on cash flow, on planning capital expenses, and the idea that financial management is critical.”

—–

Growing up in Bloomington, Minn., the oldest child of parents who were educators, Benshoof learned personal financial skills and a work ethic.

“At 15, I was a busboy at the Richfield American Legion Club,” he said. “My dad had to drive me to work. I learned to work for others, and I worked hard to save money for my first car. Working at a steak house as a grill cook, I learned teamwork and organizational skills. While attending college in Bemidji, I worked nights in a grocery store. I’m proud I paid my way through six years of college (with a grant for graduate school) and had only $4,000 in student loans. I’ve always been good at writing and have used that ability to write successful grants, not only for graduate school, but also for MRCI,” he said. “It’s not hard for me to formulate a thought. I’m comfortable talking to a group, and speaking is an intrinsic aspect of my job. Promotion of what we do is important.”

Although no one in his family has a disability, Benshoof felt drawn to vocational rehabilitation counseling. After earning a BS degree in psychology from Bemidji State University in 1980, he enrolled at Minnesota State in Mankato to pursue a graduate degree in rehabilitation counseling, a program he completed in a little more than a year.

“My wife, Nancy, whom I married in 1981, had just finished a four-year degree in medical technology, so we picked MSU because Mankato offered job opportunities for her,” Benshoof said. “My first day in the graduate program I was singled out by Dr. Don Clark to do volunteer work because he quickly saw I knew little about disabilities. I took a tour of MRCI and became a volunteer for six months. Eventually I had an internship here as a vocational rehabilitation counselor working alongside a great group of mentors. MRCI hired me in 1983 as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, first in Fairmont, then Mankato. Our budget then was $10-15 million. The closing of state institutions, which was a good thing, had a large impact on our growth. We began day-training habilitation programs, and the state provided waivered service dollars. ”

—–

Benshoof moved up the MRCI career ladder over time. He once turned down a job offer in another city because “something didn’t feel right,” only to learn six months later the facility had shut down. After working two years as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, he became a job placement specialist, also for two years, developing job opportunities for people with disabilities in Carver and Scott Counties. He then spent 12 years as MRCI WorkSource transitional services manager while continuing working with Carver and Scott Counties, where he established MRCI’s first community employment services.

“The biggest change for me was developing community-based services,” he said. “That evolved into providing a complex array of services very intertwined with communities and employers.”

Benshoof became director of consumer employment for MRCI WorkSource in 1998, a position he held nine years. He directed the operations of vocational employment programs in Mankato and Shakopee, developed multi-county, community-based services for people with mental illness, and handled the establishment and growth of employment services for the welfare-to-work program (MFIP) in three counties.

The transition from manager to visionary was completed in 2007, when Benshoof became MRCI WorkSource’s chief operating officer, responsible for establishing new program direction and development. It was no surprise he procured grant funding to develop new programs to broaden and diversify MRCI’s service offerings. From a more mundane perspective, he prepared MRCI for accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, a process that requires compliance with more than 1,000 standards and a survey by a team of people.

—–

Helping communities understand MRCI’s mission and impact is a priority for Benshoof and his staff. He said, “We have a communications director and a plan. We’re deliberate in talking about who we are and what we do. We’re a nonprofit, but a business, too. We compete with other nonprofits for employers for our clients. Last October, we rented a big room at Country Inn & Suites in Mankato and hosted about 100 employers with a dinner and program to thank them for what they do for our clients.

“We promote ourselves in the community. It’s important for us to be seen as contributing to the community. The goal of being the program of choice has been drilled down to the direct staff level, our most important people, to meet the expectations of clients and their families. I’m really proud of our staff. I recognize I’ll never be the expert on everything, that I need to be surrounded by experts. As a leader, you need to have people who know more about certain things that you don’t know about. We’re building a culture here that it’s okay to try things, to explore, and to make mistakes. We went from a narrower approach of serving people at work to giving them many more options. Now we work with school districts, the graduates enter our programs, and the parents and grandparents are involved in planning the future for these young people.”

—–

Benshoof’s workday begins around 6:30 a.m. and ends about 4 p.m. He said, “I seldom take work home. I like to keep my family and work time separate. Nancy and I have always worked hard to sit down at the dinner table together. The better the people you have working around you, the less you have to work 15-hour days. I rely on a lot of people who, with my direction and vision, do the right thing.”

Much of Benshoof’s day is spent in meetings—four or five a day, some in the community. His activities include taking part in Greater Mankato Growth activities and having a leadership role in Greater Mankato Rotary Club and serving on the Mankato Children’s Museum board. Community leadership is not new to him. Two decades ago, he served as president of the Minnesota Rehabilitation Association and has since held numerous leadership positions with many organizations. (See sidebar on p. 44.) He values the connections he’s made over the past three decades.

“When you’ve been here 30 years, you see people’s lives as they grow,” Benshoof said. “When I visit in Fairmont, I see some of my original caseload from 1983 and we joke how we’re all getting old and fat. I have no regrets in life. I believe it has been planned out for me. I’m a person of faith, and I think God has a plan for everyone’s life. It’s up to us if we follow it.”

—–

MRCI Overview

• MRCI is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, governed by an 18-member board of directors.
• MRCI WorkSource seeks to create innovative and genuine opportunities for people with disabilities or disadvantages to support their community participation.
• The MRCI Foundation’s goal is to build an endowment to perpetuate the MRCI WorkSource mission.
• The MRCI Auxiliary, governed by an 18-member Board of Directors, operates two thrift stores and provides funding to several MRCI programs, as well as sponsoring social activities for WorkSource participants.
• Transitional vocational program provides short-term vocational services for a fee.
• Extended employment program provides long-term work support.
• Day training and habilitation: Licensed day programs for people who have severe disabilities.
• Welfare-to-work employment training provides employment counseling and placement.

Benshoof Basics

1. Family: “Nancy and I have two grown children, Ann, a teacher in Kasson, Minn., and John, a professional motor sports mechanic and crew member on a racing team in Indianapolis. Nancy still works at the Mankato Clinic, and we enjoy this stage of our lives, but I’m looking forward to the next stage with grandchildren.”
2. Hobbies: “I like to putz around with old things in my workshop, antique motors that I like to use when fishing. Nancy and I enjoy outdoor activities together.
3. Accomplishment: “I’m most proud of raising two good kids who became good, successful adults.”
4. Most valued possession: “I really don’t value the things I have the privilege of owning. I like my boat, but if it had to go, it wouldn’t be the end.”
5. Most valued intangibles: “My faith in God, my family, my job.”
6. Words that describe you: “Calm, caring at my core, trusted, and reliable. I’ve been showing up here for 30 years. I try to live what I believe, but in no way am I perfect.”
7. If not in this job: “I could have been a teacher. I have taught as an adjunct and maybe will do some of that in retirement. I might retire 10 years from now, and I can’t see myself sitting around.”

Community Connections

• Administrative and Program Surveyor, CARF
• President, Minnesota Association of Community Rehabilitation Organizations (lobbying, political action), legislative committee co-chair, past secretary.
• President, Greater Mankato Rotary Club
• Mankato Children’s Museum board member
• Minnesota Rehabilitation Association, past president
• Mankato Area Council for Quality, past board member
• Theresa House, past president
• Mankato YMCA past board member and building/grounds committee chair
• Mankato Y’s Club, past president
• Crossview Covenant Church, past diaconate council chair, past building/grounds committee chair, past church council member

MRCI

Address: 15 Map Drive, Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: 507-386-5600
Web: mrciworksource.org