At Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, the Goodwill® mission has expanded far beyond the donation bin. Today, it’s a dynamic pathway to prosperity — one that’s generating 24 million pounds of donations diverted from area landfills, while doubling down on its commitment to employee success. Every operational shift, from rethinking back-room workflows to raising wages, is part of a broader strategy to create meaningful jobs that help people build better futures.
Big Revenue, Bigger Purpose
Since 2019, Goodwill Central Florida has experienced an 82% increase in donated goods retail (DGR) revenue, with greater investment in the quality of jobs created, particularly employee wages of almost 1,500 team members across Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties. But the real win isn’t just financial, it’s philosophical.
“The opportunity here was to implement what I previously did in California,” said Goodwill Industries of Central Florida President and CEO Ed Durkee. “We wanted to be at the leading edge of the market in terms of pay, not just to stay ahead of mandated wage increases but to help our employees actually invest in their lives.”
That mindset has shaped every decision they’ve made in recent years as it relates to retail. Instead of chasing numbers, the organization focused on recognizing and creating value, starting with its people and processing.
“We see our employees as closely aligned with the individuals we serve through our programs,” Ed shared. “That’s why we’re committed to improving their lives, not just through wages, but through opportunity, support and long-term growth.”
Reimagining Retail from the Inside Out
Goodwill Central Florida worked to expand and optimize its retail footprint, driven by same-store growth and smarter operations. The secret? Rethinking the back room.
At the organization’s Port Orange store, for example, 18 employees work in a 4,100-square-foot processing area, moving roughly 6,000 items to the sales floor daily. Last year, the store brought in $7.6 million, placing it in the top 10 highest performing stores in the Goodwill network despite having a smaller sales floor than the other top performing stores. By shifting the organization’s perspective and treating backrooms as processing engines rather than storage units, Goodwill Central Florida increased its IPO (items put out) as well. The store went from an IPO of 26 million in 2019 to 36 million in 2023. And the shift to “good, better, best” pricing helped boost the priced value of those items over the course of the last five years.
Turning Jobs into Good Jobs
The most powerful transformation has been in the lives of employees. Since 2019, payroll has nearly doubled — from $27 million to $52 million — while staffing increased by just 15%. The average hourly wage now stands at $17, significantly above Florida’s minimum wage of $13. This shift wasn’t driven by expansion, though. Instead, it’s a direct result of Goodwill Central Florida’s intentional improvements in productivity in the back room. The streamlined processes and systems have allowed the organization’s teams to do more with the same amount of space.
“What’s special about our stores is the teams who work in them,” Ed noted. “They’ve created a culture of pride and purpose that you can feel the moment you walk in. Their ability to process and move thousands of items to the sales floor each day is a direct result of their dedication and teamwork. They’re setting the standard.”
The retail revenue gains have enabled Goodwill Central Florida to reinvest directly in its workforce. Most employees have doubled their take-home pay in recent years and turnover is now below 50%. Additionally, everyone who wants full-time hours gets them and all store employee schedules are consistent with consecutive days off. Plus, 12% of the organization’s employees are attending college thanks to Goodwill Central Florida’s commitment to fully paying employee tuition and fees. This model proves that operational efficiency and employee well-being don’t have to be at odds. They can, in fact, fuel each other.
“The way to increase wages is to increase your recognition of the value of the labor people are doing,” Ed explained. “You can invest in the workers and their processes and the conditions they work in, and you can improve productivity. That doesn’t mean replacing any workers — it means improving the productivity of the workers you have right now.”
Prosperity Starts with People
Safety, training and engagement have also helped fuel both revenue growth and employee productivity. Losses from accidents and theft have significantly dropped since 2019, even as back-room staffing doubled. This is possible thanks to better equipment and systems that have made spaces safer and more efficient. Weekly employee town halls with Ed Durkee have also been a successful tactic that Goodwill Central Florida has implemented. It’s created a space for store teams to have a voice and a direct line to upper management, making them feel seen and heard.
“How do you make a Goodwill job a good job? That’s what we’re focused on.” Ed said. “Over the last few years, we’ve renewed our focus on safety, training, time, pay, deeper listening by leadership to employee needs and how we help our people achieve their goals. It’s made our organization a better place to work and, in turn, a place employees want to stay.
Similarly, the Goodwill Central Florida Prosperity Model, a financial planning initiative, helps employees build long-term stability. Whether it’s saving for a home, paying off debt or going back to school, the organization is focused on creating a robust employee support system to help staff turn their role with Goodwill into a steppingstone toward their ideal future.
A Mission with Momentum
“Ultimately, the biggest change we’ve made is how we conceive the Goodwill mission,” Ed said. “It’s about the vision for our organization. We now know that Goodwill is an engine for economic mobility that helps people achieve their goals through work and that begins with the jobs that we create.”
That redefined mission is now embedded in every decision Goodwill Central Florida makes, from how stores are staffed and scheduled to how employees are supported in their personal and professional growth. It’s a shift that has reshaped the culture, strengthened retention and created new pathways for advancement. Today, the organization doesn’t define success as just what’s sold; it emphasizes what’s made possible for the people behind the cash register, in the back room and across the organization.