(BAD AXE) — A nonprofit operating in Huron and Sanilac counties is celebrating 45 years of providing job skills training to people with disabilities. Thumb Industries started small in 1970 but now employs 275 disabled people, with a staff of 67 at three locations and works with a $1.8 million annual budget. Executive director Rhonda Wisenbaugh says the nonprofit’s most visible part is its thrift store. She says many area residents are not aware of what she calls the area’s largest untapped employee services resource. Thumb Industries provides job skills training in retail, janitorial, lawn and manufacturing services with a goal to help move the people it trains move into competitive employment.
