inclusion

Show Notes:

Maddie Rogers, the General Manager of Howdy Homemade Ice Cream in Cary, North Carolina, recently sat down with Tonya Wollum on the Water Prairie Chronicles podcast to discuss her experiences in the ice cream industry and what makes her shop unique. One of the things that sets Howdy Homemade Ice Cream apart from other shops is their commitment to employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Maddie explained that this commitment came about after she completed an internship at Gigi’s Playhouse, a nonprofit organization that provides educational and therapeutic programs for individuals with Down syndrome, autism, and other developmental disabilities. During her time at Gigi’s, Maddie saw firsthand the potential of individuals with IDD and how they could thrive in a work environment with the right support and training.

Maddie emphasized that the key to successfully employing individuals with IDD is to provide them with the right training and support. She explained that people with IDD often learn best through repetition and clear, simple instructions. To accommodate this, Howdy Homemade Ice Cream uses a lecture-based training approach broken up into simple steps, such as a 1, 2, 3 breakdown.

In addition to providing training, Howdy Homemade Ice Cream also provides ongoing support to its employees with IDD. This includes regular check-ins with managers, opportunities for additional training and development, and a supportive work environment where employees are encouraged to ask questions and seek help when needed.

Maddie believes that employing individuals with IDD is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. She explained that individuals with IDD are often highly motivated and dedicated employees who take pride in their work. They also bring a unique perspective and set of skills to the workplace, which can be valuable in a customer-facing industry like ice cream.

One of the things that sets Howdy Homemade Ice Cream apart from other shops is their commitment to making all of their ice cream in-house. This allows them to offer unique flavors that can’t be found anywhere else. If you’re in the area, be sure to visit Howdy Homemade Ice Cream in Cary, NC, and tell them you heard about them on the Water Prairie Chronicles podcast!

Connect with Howdy Homemade Ice Cream:

Website: https://howdytriangle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howdytriangle/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howdytriangle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howdytriangle

Visit the Shop:

Howdy Homemade Ice Cream

370 South Walker Street

Suite 123

Cary, NC 27511

Connect with Us: https://linktr.ee/waterprairie

Support this channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/waterprairie

Music Used:

“LazyDay” by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 Artist: http://audionautix.com/