A father set up a business to help people with autism for a very personal reason. His son, Andrew. John D’Eri established a car wash in Parkland Florida in order to have give Andrew a sense of purpose. “I don’t want him to sit in a room being taken care of by others once I’m gone. I want him to have a life. I want him to have a job. I want him to have friends that are like him,” John explains.
His oldest son, Tom, is the COO of the company, and works with Andrew at the car wash. He views autism as one of their key business advantages because people on the autism spectrum are are typically very good at structured tasks, following processes and attention to detail, all perfect skills for the car wash business.
The D’Eri’s know they are fulfilling a strong need in the community, noting that once kids with autism are out of the school system that there’s very little activity available to them of any meaning. But the 35 employees who are on autism spectrum and work for them are finding a sense of purpose and a newfound confidence. And the car wash is thriving.
What a wonderful, wonderful thing this family is doing to not only support Andrew but also the community.
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