September 27 -- Snowblower manufacturer Ariens is selling its product like never before. And to meet demand, the Brillion company is turning to an unlikely source.
At Ariens Company, workers can't move fast enough. The company's sales have grown 28 percent.
And they've met the demand thanks in part to prison inmates.
"I'll never forget I'm an inmate because I did a crime, but this is a nice environment to work in," work-release inmate Michael Anthony said.
Anthony is on the tail end of his prison sentence. For the last 14 months he's been on the line at Ariens as part of the state work-release program.
"I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself, that I can be a productive individual without having to relate to crime," Anthony said.
The worker next to him is another inmate nearing the end of his sentence.
"Now that I'm here, I continue to push more numbers. Let's go, let's go. It kind of like boosts my confidence," inmate Andrew Lemirande said.
Ariens currently employs 64 state prison inmates -- about five percent of its Brillion workforce.
The company says it turned to the program last year when it was unable to fill many positions.
"We had two job fairs, and although we had a lot of great qualified candidates and hired many people for those seasonal roles, we still had a gap to fill," Ariens human resources manager Diane Bluel said.
It's the Department of Corrections policy that a work-release inmate cannot take the job of a laid-off worker. They can only take jobs that a company has recruited for but failed to fill.
The inmates make the same wages as others in the factory, but as seasonal employees they don't qualify for benefits.
The company calls the program a valuable resource.
"They are very reliable, they are here, they work hard, they are very appreciative, and it's been a good situation for us," Bluel said.
The inmates call it a path back to society.
"It gives me a good feeling about my chances in life when I get out," Anthony said.
Ariens Company says it still has 100 positions to fill. It will host a job fair Wednesday, September 28, from 3 to 6 P.M. in Brillion.
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