WorkTexas at Gallery Furniture Powered by Houston Community College
In 2019, Houston Community College (HCC) began discussing the potential for partnering with WorkTexas, a local nonprofit with the mission of “helping more people get jobs, keep jobs, and advance in their careers.” WorkTexas grew out of the desire of Gallery Furniture owner Jim McInvale, or Mattress Mack, to see his community grow and prosper through work. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the partnership planning quickly escalated, as some 300,000 regional jobs were lost. McInvale instantly understood the need to help people get back into the workforce. First, he retrofitted 16,000 square feet of his flagship retail location on the North Freeway to provide workforce lab space in electrical technology, welding technology, residential construction, and child development as well as additional classroom and office space for a charter school to offer high school completion and workforce training. The project is powered by HCC in that the institution outfitted tools and equipment in the labs and is providing noncredit programming taught by our faculty.
Innovators
- Madeline Burillo-Hopkins, President, Southwest College
- Kendrick Chenier, Faculty, Architectural Design and Construction COE
- George Davis, Director, Continuing Education Program
- Sylvanus Donaie, Faculty, Architectural Design and Construction COE
- Nakia Edwards, Interim Executive Director, Adult Education and Literacy
- Jeannie Hale, Program Director, Workforce and Career Training
- Desmond Lewis, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, College Readiness
- Hugh Mann, Faculty, Transportation
- Christopher Moss, Faculty, Material Sciences and Smart Manufacturing COE
- Christina Robinson, Director, Work-Based Learning and Industry Partnerships
- Muddassir Siddiqi, Campus President, Central College
- Emilio Tarango Gaytan, Faculty, Material Sciences and Smart Manufacturing COE
- Alberto Urbino, Dean, Material Sciences and Smart Manufacturing COE
- David Vogel, Dean, Transportation COE
- Michael Webster, Associate Vice Chancellor, Workforce Instruction
- Samuel West, Director, P16