G&G/Imagine the Possibilities enhances services
Lorrie Meier, Chief Financial Officer
Patrick Greener, Executive Director
By Molly Moser
Late last year, G&G Living in Guttenberg officially became part of Imagine the Possibilities, a nonprofit based in Maquoketa. G&G Executive Director Lorrie Meier transitioned to the position of chief financial officer, and Patrick Greener of Imagine the Possibilities has assumed the responsibilities of executive director.
“Lorrie and the board of directors did a fantastic job of putting G&G in the enviable position of having a choice to merge without being forced to merge,” said Imagine the Possibilities CEO Todd Seifert. Seifert is a Garnavillo native and started his career at G&G in 1992. “Our primary focus is to continue to provide high-quality services to individuals, just as staff and families are familiar with, and not to disrupt a well-run agency. If individuals served or employees see change, we hope it is positive!” Garments and Goods stores remain open as usual in Guttenberg, Edgewood and Elkader.
“As with all the mergers, G&G benefits from having an administrative team with over 50 years of executive experience,” said Seifert. “The team was significantly bolstered when we were able to put Lorrie in the CFO role. We now believe we have the best CFO in the State of Iowa.” The company's COO, Wendy Malone, is based out of Corning and oversees all services and supervises the regional executive directors throughout the state.
New executive director Greener, once a board member and originally hired as chief administrative officer for Imagine the Possibilities, has a diverse background in finance and leadership. “Patrick will be getting involved in local community events and would welcome local board opportunities if available,” stated Seifert.
“When the State of Iowa transitioned Medicaid oversight to managed care providers, agencies were faced with doing business in new and different ways. Providers like Imagine are trying to figure out the best way to create partnerships that will make them more efficient without sacrificing quality services,” Seifert said, explaining what motivated the merger. “With the change to managed care, Imagine decided that we wanted to merge with those agencies that share our passion for providing quality services and providing meaningful employment opportunities for all our employees throughout the State of Iowa. G&G shared those same values.”
Imagine The Possibilities is committed to providing quality community-based services to people with disabilities. The organization's mission is empowering people to reach individual achievement across the spectrum of life. The organization’s primary focus is to enhance each person’s quality of life through individual achievement with an array of community services, in the least restrictive environment, by providing choices, opportunities, purpose and meaning in daily activities, and by helping achieve personal goals to enhance individual quality of life.
The nonprofit values human rights, community and home, dignity and respect for all, open communication, honesty, kindness, individual potential, well-being of individuals, empowerment, ethical and legal business practices. “This set of values is alive and consistently in use. They are critical to our long-range success, suggest basic standards, hold staff accountable, become a part of decision-making and form an active guidance system,” states the organization.
Including G&G clients, Imagine the Possiblities now serves over 550 individuals and employs over 700 people.
