Nearly two dozen of Marketplace Chaplains USA’s top Chaplain leaders from around the world recently assembled in Plano, Texas at the new national support center located at the Hope Center, for a Railroad Chaplains of America National Training Conference.

The 23 men and women Chaplains, many of who braved a wicked winter storm, the Snowmaggedon, which shut down much of the Northeast United States, attended the training to learn how to care for others in the grief and grieving, caregiving services which are so much a part of today’s railroad industry.

President and COO Richard S. De Witt opened the nearly three-day conference and the railroad chaplains heard from three executive leaders from two railroad organizations.

Arlington Police Chaplain Harold Elliott spoke to the Chaplain leaders about proper death notification with the sessions being closed by Marketplace Founder, Chairman and CEO Gil A. Stricklin.

"These dedicated men and women are truly the best of the best who are willing to care for others in today’s railroad industry," Stricklin said.

The conference concluded with the chaplains being awarded a Certificate of Completion for their rigorous training and being sent out to serve others in today’s railroad workplace.

Marketplace Chaplains executives recently responded to the vast devastation in Haiti with a $5,000 donation to GAIN - Global Aid Network for its ongoing work to the tens of thousands devastated by the earthquake in that poorest of nations.

Marketplace President & COO Dick De Witt and CFO Larry King presented the check to GAIN COO Rick Ragan on January 18 to aid in its vital relief work. Both Marketplace Chaplains and GAIN are headquartered in the Hope Center in Plano and share the goal of helping others all over the world.

"This is only a small token of our love and concern to Haiti with our fellow caregivers in our joint crisis response, grief and grieving service," De Witt said.

"We are so touched by this," Ragan added during the brief ceremony in his headquarters. "This is one of the reasons the Hope Center came together, to help one another out like this."

Marketplace Chaplains USA’s contribution outside the workplace was spotlighted recently in the Harrison (Arkansas) Daily Times. It featured the work of Chaplains Jodi Boyd and Dan Esau, who helped head up a gift collection drive for a family of client company Pace Industries who lost their home in a pre-Christmas fire.

The lengthy article and photos showcased the caregiving and crisis response of the corporate chaplains as part of the national and international employee care and employee assistance program. Chaplains in both the North Texas and Arkansas area helped provide $1,400, which was used for gifts for the Taylor family whose home burned on December 14.

There was no mention of Haiti, hurricanes or healthcare on Christmas morning, only hugs at home for the happy children and relieved employees who benefited from this gift of hope and love from Marketplace Chaplains USA.

The fast-growing work of innovative corporate chaplaincy provider Marketplace Chaplains USA has recently been spotlighted in North America media outlets nearly coast-to-coast.

Along with the recent national CNN Newsroom feature, newspapers in Rapid City, South Dakota and Dothan, Alabama have published stories on this caregiving, crisis response, grief and grieving Employee Assistance Program.

Taking a break from the constant news of healthcare change, U.S. politics or Tiger Woods, HRMorning.com recently wrote, "while the down economy has helped employee care programs become more prevalent at companies today, there is one major difference between them and providing workplace chaplain – one-on-one interaction that’s offered 24/7."

A national CTV story will be aired shortly as the good news of North American workplace chaplains continues to go out to those who have never heard.

National cable leader CNN recently spotlighted the growing and vital work of Marketplace Chaplains USA nationwide.

Taking a break from the decidedly depressing news of Tiger Woods and healthcare reform, CNN focused on the positive corporate chaplain work of Wes Sullivan and the MCHAPUSA team in Southern California.

Marketplace client company EME, Inc. and its CEO Randy Turnbow spoke about the crisis response, caregiving, grief and grieving work of these much needed workplace chaplains.

To view the CNN clip, which aired Wednesday, December 16, on its national newscast, click here.

Chaplain Mike Madera is well known enough in the small town of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, where cars will stop in the middle of the road to talk to him as he passes by. No, he is not a Heisman trophy candidate or an Olympic athlete going to Vancouver, but this longtime local pastor and drug rehab leader has a new mission to get his friends to stop and listen – his role as a caregiving workplace chaplain for Marketplace Chaplains International.

Currently Madera, known as Pastor Mike or just Mike to his many Aibonito friends, heads up a Marketplace Chaplains team at the local Pilgrim’s Pride plant. These Corporate chaplains specialize in grief counseling, crisis response, as well as all of the employee’s personal problems like marriage, senior living care, finances, etc. brought to the workplace each day. He wants to take his mission to dozens of businesses in the hilly and scenic town located in the center of the country.

"I really think this could be the next big trend to catch on here," he said. "People have so many needs in the workplace and chaplains could help them." Proactive Employee Care from Marketplace Chaplains has proven to reduce absenteeism, turnover, theft and fraud.

His wife, Ludy, works at pharmaceutical giant Baxter, another local company who has talked with Marketplace about their unique workplace services.

"I see this growing all over the island. This is something which can only help people," Madera said.

Marketplace Chaplains has been featured in several different national and regional publications to spotlight the 25th anniversary of this unique and vital workplace operation.

Dallas CEO Magazine is running a feature of Founder, Chairman and CEO Gil A. Stricklin in its fall issue. The Dallas Business Journal recently did a story on workplace chaplains and quoted Dallas Chaplain John Salas on the urgent need for this service in North Texas companies.

The tiny country of Wales may be the next international foothold for Marketplace Chaplains International after a recent marketing visit and dinner at the elegant Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales.

More than a dozen business leaders heard from Vice President of Marketing Jason Brown. Marketplace Chaplains International already cares for employees in nearby England and Scotland in the United Kingdom, along with company operations in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"We are confident that these business leaders and others will respond favorably to our unique and vital services in Wales as they have in the UK, North America and Puerto Rico," Brown said. "We are grateful for this opportunity to bring the story of corporate Chaplains to Europe."

The Echo Newspaper in Dorset, England recently published a lengthy feature on Marketplace Chaplains International and its new and growing work in the UK.

Reporter Ruth Oliver featured Marketplace Chaplains servicing a local business, spotlighting their grief and crisis response work, along with care-giving, as part of the Employee Care and Employee Assistance program.

Click here to see the full article.

Rocky Mountain Division Director Jay Badry was recently featured on Denver, Colorado radio station KRKS, 94.7 FM, for a two-day, two hour call-in program about his career and his work with Marketplace Chaplains USA.

Badry, who oversees a large number of Marketplace Chaplains clients in the Colorado and New Mexico area, took calls about the caregiving, grief, and crisis response chaplaincy services helping workers in today’s stress-filled workplace.

Marketplace Chaplains has recently agreed to partner with eight new client companies in Canada, serving those companies’ employees in the workplace. This unique caregiving, crisis response, grief and grieving workplace operation will serve a variety Canadian companies in the Fort St. John, British Columbia area.

Included in the Marketplace Chaplains Canada program are Saundersons Electric, Ltd., Fort St. John Water Service, Braun's Flooring & Décor, Troyer Venture, Alpha Safety, Ltd, Esteem Cleaning, Rivers Animal Hospital, Peace Glass, Ltd. and Alpha Safety, Ltd.

"We are honored and thrilled that we have so many great opportunities to serve in this new country and new area with our dedicated Marketplace chaplains," said Dan Truitt, Vice President of International Operations.

Marketplace Magazine, the quarterly publication of workplace Chaplaincy provider Marketplace Chaplains USA, was recently honored for best single theme issue by the Evangelical Press Association for its special Railroad Chaplains of America issue last fall. The 18,000 circulation publication which spotlights the crisis response, care-giving, grief and grieving work of the Dallas-based workplace chaplaincy organization, was honored with a Fourth Place certificate for best special sections submitted in 2008.

Marketplace Chaplains International is pleased to announce the completion of the process to form Capellanes Marketplace de Mexico, A.C. – Marketplace Chaplains Mexico. Marketplace Chaplains has functioned legallyin Mexico for nearly three years, but with some limitations. Now with our own entity, the caregiving chaplain service, which includes crisis response and grief support, will expand to other businesses owned by Mexican nationals. The operation of approximately 30 corporate chaplains in Mexico is led by Director Noé Rodríguez.

In the current challenging economic climate, Marketplace Chaplains USA continues to expand its network of vital caregiving, corporate chaplaincy services to all parts of North America, now including Canada. Chaplains serve 71 different industries including a law firm (Bassett ), a Chamber of Commerce (Greater San Antonio) and a University (Northwood). The unique workplace services organization specializes in crisis response, grief support operations, and offering help to employees and their family members wherever care can be expressed, as well as supporting them in joyful moments at weddings, births, promotions, etc.

When Marketplace Chaplains USA caregivers come into the workplace, they are armed with a variety of professional materials. Both U.S. and Canadian Chaplains, upon request, provide more than 100 different booklets from RBC Ministries which deal with 21st Century problems in today’s workplace. These are provided free of charge to employees when needed for their crisis response, grief/grieving and caregiving services. Also, Chaplains may access dozens of Hope for the Heart Counseling Keys, along with Bibles from RBC, all free for the asking and at no cost to the employers or employees.

Marketplace Chaplains now have access to a new, online, enhanced employment resource center. The center includes tools for resume preparation, interviews, job search web sites, and employment guides for those recently laid off from their jobs.

Also included are tips on how to prevent foreclosure of your home when unemployed, budgeting, and career guidance information.

Tough economic times are making the American workplace more stressful. That has some companies turning to outside chaplains to counsel and comfort their employees. FOX 4's Richard Ray has the story. Click here for the video.

Marketplace Chaplains USA was recently spotlighted in a front cover feature in the December issue of HR Magazine, the industry publication for thousands of Human Resource professionals.

The 10-page article focused on the fast-growing trend of corporate chaplains and employee care programs and highlighted crisis response, death, and the grieving process. Several Marketplace Chaplains client companies were included: AUSTACO in Austin, Texas, Pilgrim’s Pride in Pittsburgh, Texas and The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

To see the full story, Click Here

Tim Embry, CEO of Duluth-based American LubeFast decided three years ago to hire Marketplace Chaplains as part of the employee assistance program. "There has been a more positive attitude and a changed heart," said Embry, who has 700 employees in his 70 stores. "People spend time on the job worrying about things. With this program, they can go to someone for mature, solid advice. Our guys love the chaplains."

Marketplace Chaplains USA, based in Dallas, said the demand for its services has grown quickly since the Sept. 11 attacks and high-profile corporate scandals. Marketplace serves more than 300 companies and founder Gil Stricklin said that 70 of them have been added since the start of 2006. "Our associates tell me its one of the best benefits we offer," said John McKibbon CEO of McKibbon Hotel Management in Tampa.

Marketplace Chaplains USA chaplains were recently featured on two national radio programs, discussing their crisis response, grief and grieving, workplace chaplaincy work.

Northern Regional Manager Steve Hefta was interviewed by Tracy Haney on Primetime America on the Moody Radio Network in late January. The pair spoke about Marketplace’s unique Employee Care Program and Employee Assistance work in the Midwest and nationwide. Hefta and Northern Region Director of Client Expansion Tony Guagliardo were interviewed on WWL-AM in Chicago, which covers most of the Midwest, on February 14, talking about the growth of this vital workplace chaplaincy ministry including further expansion into Canada and the need for Canada Chaplains. Click here for an audio transcript of the program.

Newspapers and business magazines on both sides of the US-Canadian border have highlighted the growing trend of workplace chaplains - the crisis response and caregiving work of Marketplace Chaplains USA.

Canadian Business Magazine headlined a story: "Corporate Culture: A Faith Lift," which cited Dallas-based Marketplace Chaplains USA as the, "Biggest Player" in the growing employee care and employee assistance program field.

The Miami Herald highlighted the work of Marketplace Chaplains in several South Florida cities, including Gordon Foods in Miami and SpringHill Suites in Pompano Beach.

The Bassett Firm of Dallas, Texas recently became the first law firm in the country to have a partnership of caring and concern for their employees, using the Marketplace Chaplains employee care and employee assistance program.

The North Texas firm is primarily composed of trial attorneys with their major area of expertise in the area of transportation. They are currently being served by Chaplains Greg Ealey and Ashley Allen, who are helping the company in many ways including grief, grieving, and crisis response for the workplace chaplains.

Marketplace Chaplains added another country to its successful and unique brand of workplace employee care with Canada as its latest frontier. Vice President of Marketing, Jason Brown, recently visited Troyer Trucking, which became the first client company north of the U.S. Border, with Canadian chaplains being hired in 2009.

The addition of the country of Canada gives Marketplace Chaplains the opportunity to provide service in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Scotland, as well as in the territory of Puerto Rico.

Dr. Dan Truitt is Vice President of the Marketplace Chaplains International Division. He will oversee the new Canada Chaplains program, along with the other international operations.

Marketplace Chaplains International is expected to be legally incorporated in Canada by this May and chaplains expect to begin with the first Canadian company, Troyer Trucking, by the summer.

Marketplace Chaplains USA provides a wide range of training materials for the 2428 chaplains who serve the almost 500,000 employees and family members of our client companies. Materials include resources for new chaplain training, instructional guides covering policies and procedures as well as numerous training tools for enhancing the personal skills of our chaplains. Continuing education materials are presented topically and deal with a number of areas of chaplain care-giving, such as improving listening techniques, providing premarital chaplain care, as well as issue related guides for dealing with specific needs such as depression, stress, and grief.

An extensive library of chaplain care resources can be accessed by chaplains from within the chaplain care system (CCS). This library of resources covers approximately one hundred of the most common issues with which chaplains regularly deal. In addition, more than 600 training files consisting of documents as well as sound and video files are maintained on the server at our national headquarters. Lastly, Marketplace Chaplains USA provides a training website with secure login where specific materials can be accessed 24 hours a day by chaplains from any of the countries we serve. Our National Training Department maintains this website and updates it frequently to reflect current training needs and initiatives.

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