“We help people figure out what’s next.”
Dan Haak, president of Appleton-based Apricity, shares the mission of the organization he leads on this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service.
Haak and Cheryl Fritz, business development manager, spoke with Insight’s Kate Bruns and the NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s Ann Franz about the company, which was created in 2017 when STEP Industries merged with Mooring Programs — making Apricity a comprehensive source for providing treatment, employment and support services to individuals impacted by substance abuse disorder.
“It’s a great combination of having a solid business with a great nonprofit mission,” Fritz says.
Apricity encompasses a residential treatment facility in Appleton and sober living facilities in Neenah and Appleton, as well as oversees the ED2 Recovery program, a peer recovery program that provides recovery coaching services at ThedaCare and Ascension hospitals.
“Related to manufacturing, we employ people in early recovery in Appleton,” Fritz tells the co-hosts, “and our only requirement for our employees is that they are in recovery and sober.”
Furthermore, Haak says, the company is supportive for those in recovery because it is operated by people in recovery.
“When I came in 1998, I was newly in recovery, trying to figure it out,” Haak says. “And I think a lot of our staff, having been through the same thing, when employees come to them and are struggling … they know they’re talking to someone who’s been there and done that.”
Learn more about Apricity, its mission and how it is working with our region’s manufacturers by listening to this week’s episode on Spreaker or anywhere you get your podcasts. NEW Manufacturing Insights is a joint effort of Insight Publications and the NEW Manufacturing Alliance, produced by Woodward Community Media; new episodes are released on Thursdays.
