Q: Tell us about you, your journey, and the organization you work for.

Hey, everybody. My name’s Carl Phinney. I am the principal owner of Opportunity Construction.

We’re a social employment enterprise out of Steelton, Pennsylvania. We’re in central PA, and we work with people who have barriers to decent work. That’s everything from justice impacted, to substance use disorder, unstable housing and homelessness, and we also work with opportunity youth.

Our main goal is to make sure that we give people an opportunity to be exposed to the bridge highway infrastructure sector. We found that a place where there is a thriving wage, not just a living wage. It actually has no glass ceiling: the sky’s the limit, pretty much. We want to introduce people to that industry.

Q: How has your lived expertise made you a stronger leader?

Trauma-informed care. I came from the other side of the tracks myself. I was locked up in that criminal justice system and I paid a price for some of the things that I did, that may have been wrong. But when coming out of incarceration and coming out of addiction and the struggles of life, I realized that that made me stronger. I want to offer that strength to other people. I live my life as an example.

And I think that’s where my best value add is. People need to see someone that has suffered the same things and overcome them. Now I’m able to teach others to overcome also.

Q: What kind of future would be possible if everyone prioritized fair chances?

If everyone prioritized fair chances, we would see a world that has less anger. It seems like we’re an angry world right now. And it’s because we don’t take advantage of the potential and the value that people bring.

If we could all embrace our differences, embrace what each of us has to offer and the gifts each of us comes equipped with, we’d be able to solve a lot of the problems that the world faces.

Q: What’s something you wish people knew about the people your ESE serves/works with?

I wish people knew their potential. I believe that the cure for cancer, or things that have eluded us for centuries, perhaps, lie within those folks. If they have the opportunity to nurture that potential, the world will be a better place.

Q: A fair chance is____.

A fair chance is necessary. It’s necessary for us to move forward. If we don’t get over ourselves, and allow people to have a level playing field, to have a fair chance, to have the right to live and to dream, then what’s it all about?

More on Opportunity Construction.

Opportunity Construction is an Accelerator alum, RIIF borrower, and Growth Portfolio member. The organization operates a road construction social enterprise that provides training to and hires individuals facing high barriers to employment, including those with histories of incarceration, into high-paying, skilled construction jobs.