Greenbriar Mall – Shelly Baker, Director of Marketing
Goodwill of North Georgia could not succeed in fulfilling its mission of putting people to work without the support of many community partners and employers. For the last six years, Shelly Baker, Director of Marketing at Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall, has been a tireless advocate for our organization and is always looking for new opportunities to engage with us.
The partnership between Greenbriar Mall and Goodwill came about after Shelly attended a community partners meeting hosted by Hendon Properties, the Mall’s management company. Shelly recalls being in Athens and hearing a presentation given by Goodwill’s Monica Whitson, describing the vibrant collaboration between Georgia Square Mall and the local Goodwill Career Center. Her immediate reaction was, “I want Greenbriar to be a part of this!” When Shelly returned to Atlanta, she reached out to Brenda Marshall, South DeKalb’s Career Center Manager and thus began quarterly career fairs at the Mall.
Shelly is ebullient about the career fairs, noting that 200-300 job seekers and an average of 45 employers are in attendance each time. She enjoys the great feeling that comes with helping people find employment, which also works to end homelessness in the area. Shelly says that Mall tenants are enthusiastic because in addition to revenue generated from those that shop before or after the fair, these stores are also able to address their hiring needs by participating.
Feedback from job seekers is also positive and Shelly reports that she fields many calls from those inquiring as to the date of the next fair. Other organizations have reached out to Shelly to ask about hosting their own job fairs at the Mall, but Shelly is quick to refer them to Goodwill. Brenda admires Shelly’s loyalty, calling her an “awesome partner who is always willing to help us put our community to work.”
The relationship goes beyond job fairs, as Shelly makes sure to keep the Goodwill team informed about all Mall events in which they might want to participate. While Shelly says she is honored to be recognized for her work, Goodwill is truly pleased to publicly acknowledge the contributions made possible by her dedication.