Detroit success story now hiring locals to help rebuild the city

DETROIT (FOX 2) - David Gillespie started a company after taking a City of Detroit program. That same program is helping his company find candidates to help rebuild Detroit.

Back in 2015, Gillespie went through a job training program called Detroit At Work. Through his hard work and the training he'd received, Gillespie started Detroit Environmental Solutions (DES).

DES works with Detroit's department of demolition as an asbestos abatement contractor to help improve and rebuild the area. Now, the company is growing and looking to hire more employees.

"Honestly, I thought it was my responsibility," said Gillespie. "I got help from other people without even thinking about it, so it’s time for me to do the same thing for other people, as for my city, my people and that’s the name of the game"

Now, Detroit at Work is helping him find candidates. The company is looking to hire Detroiters, specifically citizens reentering society after imprisonment. 

DES will pay for training for asbestos remediation upon hiring. They start out at $18 an hour, and depending on performance, employees can get a dollar raise every 90 days.